The North Korean Army crossed into South Korea on June 25, 1950. The resulting drive forced South Korean and United States troops into a small corner of the Korean Peninsula that became known as the Pusan Perimeter. The United Nations responded to the attack and appointed the US as the organizing nation under General Douglas MacArthur.
Over the three-year combat period and the subsequent peacekeeping era until 1957 (for Canada), some 27,000 Canadian personnel—23,000 Canadian Army, 3,000 Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), and 1,000 Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)—and other Canadian aviators, contributed to the action.
About 800 RCAF personnel were from 426 (Transport) Squadron, at RCAF Station Lachine, Québec; the remainder were fighter pilots; flight nurses; supply, technical, and photo intelligence personnel; and a judge advocate general. Airmen from the RCN and the Canadian Army also participated, as did civilian flight crews from Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA). Some Canadians joined the US Army or the US Air Force (USAF) directly.
Canada's ongoing commitments to the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) included 16 day-fighter squadrons in Europe, flying the Canadian-built version of the F-86E Sabre jet. Other wings were established and equipped in Germany and France in the early 1950s. In addition, nine squadrons were re-equipped with the Canadian-designed and -built CF-100 Canuck all-weather fighter interceptor.
April 1953 saw the C-119 Flying Boxcar added to the…
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