Targetware's initial product release is Target Korea, a flight simulator set during the Korean War. Target Korea has been designed to capture the essence of this conflict, using authentic terrains, air bases and ultra-realistic flight models for all of the antagonists' aircraft. Gameplay begins with duals between Yak-9's and F-51's. As the war progresses, players will participate in missions incorporating a number of different aircraft. The climatic conflicts involve classic battles between the MiG-15bis and F-86F-30 Sabre jets. Click here for the complete list of aircraft currently available and under development.
Korean War history
The origin of the Korean War lies in the annexation of Korea by Imperial Japan in 1910. During the occupation, the Japanese military used Korean labour to build railroads and factories, turning the peninsula into a major industrial center. When Japan was defeated at the end of World War II (1939-1945), Soviet and American forces both rushed to take control of this important Asian country.
Like Germany, Korea was divided into zones of control, with the Soviets occupying the area north of the 38th parallel, and the Americans occupying the area south of the 38th parallel. Efforts to reunify the peninsula were mired in Cold War antagonism, and in 1948 the South declared itself the Republic of Korea with the backing of the United States, while the North established the People's Republic of Korea with the help of China and the Soviet Union.
In 1949 border fighting broke out, and it continued sporadically until June 25, 1950. On that day, the North Korean Army crossed the border in force. Initial gains were impressive, and the North Koreans soon forced the ROK forces into a pocket at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula called the Pusan Perimeter. The United States joined the fighting in defense of the South under the banner of the United Nations (UN), along with small contingents of British, Canadian, Australian, and Turkish troops. Initial UN involvement was limited to airborne supply, but this grew quickly to include interdiction, ground forces, and eventually strategic bombardment of the North.
The breakout from the Pusan Perimeter was accomplished with a surprise amphibious invasion at Inchon. This resulted in a general rout of the North Korean Army, and with massive support from the Far East Air Force (FEAF), UN ground forces under General MacArthur made sweeping gains, pushing the North Koreans all the way to the Chinese border. In October 1950, the Chinese made it clear that they believed MacArthur had gone too far. Chinese troops streamed across the Yalu river valley into Korea in a massive counter-invasion. Once again, the front line moved across the Korean peninsula, as the Chinese beat the UN forces back to the pre-war border.
The resulting stalemate resembled the trench warfare of World War I more than the modern mobile armored warfare the UN forces had come to expect. Brutal but stagnant fighting continued for another three years, with neither side making any significant gains. By the time a cease-fire agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, millions of soldiers and civilians on both sides had been killed or wounded. The armistice ended the fighting, but Korea has remained divided ever since.
Korean War aerial combat
The Korean War heralded a dynamic new era of fighter-to-fighter combat. For the first time, jets engaged in aerial dogfights on a large scale, but they did so without the stand-off weapons and airborne radars of modern day jet fighters. Korean War-era jets were capable of supersonic speeds, yet were still armed with old-style World War II machine guns and cannon. This led to some exciting up-close-and-personal dogfights featuring very high speeds of engagement and maneuvering.
