Abstract
M.A. (Historical Studies)
The Korean War was the first of the “hot wars” of the twentieth century’s Cold War. The
three-year conflict (1950-1953) saw the United States joined in its efforts to defend South
Korea by a multinational United Nations force drawn from twenty other member states.
South Africa, in an effort to both endear itself to the United Nations and to back up its own
vociferously anti-communist rhetoric, sent a single Air Force Squadron, 2nd Squadron (the
Flying Cheetahs), to aid in the United Nations efforts. This study examines the everyday
living and combat conditions of this squadron’s personnel, as well as the challenges they
faced and the motivation behind their activities in order to gauge their morale and its effect
upon their operations and lives during their deployment in the Far East. Flying in combat
from late 1950 right to the Armistice, the South African squadron operated efficiently and
with considerable zeal, earning it the respect of the United Nations, but even more so that
of the United States Air Force with which they flew. The unit was awarded the Presidential
Unit Citations of both the United States and the Republic of Korea. This study seeks to shed
light upon the ever changing living and combat conditions, motivation, equipment and
leadership experienced and utilised by the 800 plus South Africans throughout the war, so as to provide an indication of the morale of the air and ground personnel of 2nd Squadron who served during this conflict.