An Air Rescue Service crew treats a wounded UN soldier on one of an H-5G helicopter’s two outboard litters.
Note the whole blood hanging in the door, and the litter cover on the ground.
The USAF's air rescue mission came into its own during the Korean War. Crews of amphibious aircraft performed spectacular rescues from North Korean rivers and off the coast, and USAF air rescue units used helico...pters to reach downed Airmen on land deep in enemy territory. Rescue crews flying modified B-29 and B-17 bombers also dropped lifeboats to Airmen downed in the ocean, and a small number of Air Force crash rescue boats operating from Japan and Korea retrieved downed Airmen. Knowing they could be rescued quickly by air or sea greatly improved aircrews' morale.
The Air Force also evacuated many wounded troops from the front lines. In the war's early stages, USAF H-5 helicopters rushed critically wounded soldiers from the front to Army MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) units. Many would have died without such timely transport and treatment. During the course of the war, the U.S. Army eventually took over front-line helicopter medical evacuation, though USAF helicopters were still used on occasion.
@TheForgottenWar via X
