Across the Wing-Stories of Navy Carrier Combat Squadrons in the Vietnam Theatre



ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 26 JUNE 1967

RIPPLE SALVO… #478… A few paragraphs from William F. Andrews: “To Fly and Fight: The Experience of American Airman in Southeast Asia”… a dissertation… but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT of a swing through history made 50 years ago in the skies over North Vietnam…

26 JUNE 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times (when they were good) on a fair and cool Monday between the East and Hudson Rivers…

Page 1: “JOHNSON, KOSYGIN END USEFUL TALKS–With No Gain on Mideast or Vietnam–Russian Insists U.S. Pullout Troops in Vietnam–2 Leaders Solemn–President Says Rusk Will Meet With Gromyko on Issue of Arms–Back in New York Premier is Adamant–Renews Call for Israel to Withdraw”... “Premier Aleksie Kosygin demanded the withdrawal of the United States from Vietnam as a prerequisite to improvement in U.S.-USSR Relations… He rejected the U.S. package proposal for peace in the Middle East. He reiterated that the first step must be the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Arab lands to positions behind the 1949 Armistice line… Page 1: “LEGACY OF THE SUMMIT: New Rigidity”... “The Soviet Union, not for the first time has misjudged the temper of the American government. Premier Aleksie Kosygin had a chance to move the Johnson Administration’s policies in Vietnam and the Middle Est toward a compromise settlement, but the demands were so extreme and his posture was so rigid that he has actually made compromise for President Johnson more difficult. Mr. Kosygin, obviously operating under very strict instruction, followed precisely the procedure his own Government invariably rejects. That is to say, he demanded preconditions on a settlement of both the war in Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli war. Get out of Vietnam, he said to the United States, and we will make progress on many things. Withdraw to the pre-Arab-Israeli War frontiers, and we will negotiate. The result of this is clearly the opposite of what Moscow intended: it strengthens hose in the United States who want to step up the fighting in Vietnam and those who support Israel’s territorial demands in the Middle East.”…

ARAB-ISRAELI WAR: Page 3: “Israel Signs Agreement on Prisoner Exchange”… “Expects to deal first with Red Cross for exchange of prisoners with Jordan. ‘They have three of our men. Two of them were turned over to them by Iraq and the other is an Israeli pilot. We have hundreds of theirs–about 500, I think–but we are ready to exchange all for all.’ “... Page 3: “Eban Rejects Aid in Settling Crisis”... “Says Mideast states must decide their own fate rather than President Johnson and Premier Kosygin. King Hussein of Jordan agrees, ‘they are our issues, our future and our fate.’ “… Page 4: “Israelis Awed By Overrun Syrian Fortifications–General Rabin Calls Them the Best Ever Dug in Mideast–Stone Walls and steel Roofs Discovered on the Heights (Golan)”…

Page 1: “Foes KIA Total at 106 In Vietnam Clash”... “The North Vietnamese death toll in a battle on the Central Highlands on Thursday in which an American paratroop company was wiped out was put at 106. At the same time American losses were 80 killed and 26 wounded…It appeared that the paratroop company was ambushed and became disorganized in the thick jungle and was quickly overrun…In other action in the southern most province an American patrol boat was sunk by recoilless rifle fire near the mouth of Ganh Hao River. All six crewmen were unhurt.”…

26 June 1967… The President’s TS Daily CIA Brief: ARAB STATES-ISRAEL: The refugee situation in Jordan is worsening as thousands of Arabs continue to cross to the East Bank. The Israelis are not making an adequate supply of food available–creating the impression that West Bankers would fare better with UN rations on the East Bank. Red Cross representatives say they are getting little or no cooperation from Israel in their efforts to organize aid for the West Bank people. A Jordanian official says his government is considering the return of some 10,000 of the refugees by means of a “Freedom March.” A time for this has not yet been set. SOVIET UNION: We still expect Premier Kosygin to go home by way of Cuba. this appears to be essentially a protocol and fence-mending stop.

STATE DEPARTMENT, Office of Historian, FRUS, 1964-68, Volume V Vietnam, 1967, Historical Document No. 217.

Humble Host recommends a reading. This one-pager, “Editorial Comment,” includes a message from President Johnson to Ho Chi Minh with Kosygin the messenger… also… a great telephone conversation between the President and Ike wrapping up the Summit… read at:

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d217

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…HEROISM AND EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT… LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DAVID RANDALL NOTHWANG and LTJG WILLIAM ROBERT FELDHAUS…DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS…28 MAY 1967…

On 26 May 1967, LCDR NOTHWANG and his reconnaissance attack navigator, LTJG FELDHAUS, led a highly successful photo reconnaissance mission from USS ENTERPRISE into the heavily defended Haiphong area. The flight consisted of an unarmed RVAH-7 RA-5C Vigilante aircraft and an armed F-4B Phantom escort whose objective was to photograph the Haiphong Thermal Power Plant (West). An Alpha Strike, Rolling Thunder 56, had just preceded the photo element into this important and strategic JCS target (JCS 80). The mission was tasked to obtain immediate bomb damage assessment photography to determine the effectiveness of the strike and the requirement for a restrike. Haiphong area defenses included eighteen 85/100 anti-aircraft sites, seventeen 37/37 AAA sites and numerous automatic weapons sites. Twelve radar sites were operating in the area for control of the larger weapons. There were 28 confirmed SAM sites, of which thirteen were known to be occupied during the CARRIER AIR WING NINE strike.

Departure from USS Enterprise and rendezvous with the F-4B escort were routine. The flight proceeded as briefed to Bac Long Island to await the execution of the strike. While waiting LCDR NOTHWANG and LTJG FELDHAUS updated and set up all navigation and photo equipment for the high-speed, low altitude photo run through the Haiphong area and return. The flight departed for coast-in point (CIP) on time. To avoid detection by enemy radar the run-in to the CIP was made at 100-feet and 540-knots. At 5-miles out the aircraft popped up to 4,000-feet to obtain the desired fields of photo coverage. Almost immediately a cockpit indication of steady enemy radar lock-on was noted. As the CIP was passed intense AAA barrage fire was noted on and near the flight path of the aircraft. LCDR NOTHWANG maneuvered to avoid the fields of fire and LTJG FELDHAUS provided navigation steering to keep the mission on track. A cloud layer at 4,000 dictated a lower flight path in order to visually acquire the target and lesser priority targets, the flight was flown at 2,500-feet and was in the clear for the diving pass over the Haiphong TPP(west). All photo equipment was expertly operated by LTJG FELDHAUS and having done what they came to do, they commenced a hard turn to the briefed retirement route as two surface-to-air missiles exploded within a few hundred yards of the Vigilante and Phantom. The exit path was opposed by tracking and barrage anti-aircraft fire. At coast-out the “feet wet’ call was made to allow all support aircraft to retire to Yankee Station. LCDR NOTHWANG and LTJG FELDHAUS successfully obtained the required bomb damage assessment coverage and in addition came away with coverage of seven other targets in the Haiphong area including the port of Haiphong, occupied SAM sites, anti-aircraft gun sites, naval craft and previously undetected storage sites. Copies of the photos were reviewed by embarked staffs (Including Vice Admiral John Hyland) and forwarded to CinCPACFlt… Mission accomplished, and then some… oohrah… …

26 JUNE 1967…New York Times (27 June reporting 26 June ops) Page 4: “In the air war over North Vietnam United States planes struck at railroad yards and sidings north and south of Hanoi and also attacked a surface-to-air missile site 54 miles northeast of Hanoi. Air Force F-105 Thunderchiefs pounded the Kep and Phuxuyen railroad yards at 38 and 34 miles northeast of Hanoi with pilots reporting cutting up tracks and destroying 10 to 20 rolling stock.”… Page 4:”Infiltration Routes Pounded”… “American pilots struck yesterday at infiltration traffic moving south in North Vietnam’s coastal panhandle area below Hanoi. Road traffic in the area has increased considerably in the past few days since monsoon rains closed most of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Air Force and Navy pilots avoided targets around Hanoi and Haiphong due to heavy thunderstorms and cloud cover. Most of the 153 missions, about 500 sorties, flown during the day were aimed at truck convoys and infiltration routes down the panhandle corridor leading to the border with South Vietnam…Air Force pilots knocked down one end of a 180-foot double lane steel bridge 21 miles northeast of Mugia Pass…the backed-up traffic provided more targets for the fighter-bomber pilots. Phantom jet pilots from Danang caught one convoy five miles north of the pass, blasting it with bombs and strafing runs. They touched off a large secondary and triggered other fires…The seasonal monsoons have moved into the jungle areas of Laos limiting the truck traffic over the muddy roads of the trail…

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) there was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 26 June 1967.

(1) MAJOR J.C. BLANDFORD and 1LT J.M. JARVIS were ferrying an F-4C of the 390th TFS and 366th TFW out of Danang from Clark AFB back to Danang and were intercepted by Chinese Air Force MIG-17s (J-5s) about 35 miles south of Hainan Island and damaged by cannon fire. They were forced to eject from the Phantom at 25,000-feet. They were rescued by a U.S. Navy helicopter that just beat the ChiComs to the rescue scene, narrowly avoiding an international incident… (Chris Hobson points out that the downed Phantom had earlier in the air war been the victor in a MIG battle. Major R.G. Dilfer and 1lt M. Thies were the crew on the MIG-17 kill on 1 May 1967.

RIPPLE SALVO… #478… Humble Host calls to your attention a dissertation by Colonel William F. Anderson titled: “To Fly and Fight: The Experience of American Airmen in Southeast Asia,” available on line at:

http://ebot.gmu.edu/bitstream/handle/1920/6332/AndrewsW_dissertation_2011.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Here are a few paragraphs–a teaser– Pages 68-69:

   “Lt Col (Pete) Risner’s pilots used dive-bombing tactics on the Xom Bang raid and throughout the campaign because it was the most accurate means available to fulfill the mission. Pilots began their approach to the target at either medium altitude or from low altitude followed by a short climb (called a pop-up) to medium altitude to spot and then align with the target. The flight leader was responsible for navigating the formation to a planned roll-in point about two miles from the target to begin the dive. A sharp roll-over and high-G pull turned the plane to align it with the target and achieve a steep 45-degree dive. F-4 pilot Mike McCarthy described his first dive attack in Rolling Thunder. ‘Down we went! Airspeed 450 knots, dive angel OK, pipper about where I thought it should be, and release altitude coming up…rapidly! I pickled (pressed the release button on the control stick) and started a four to five G pull-up as I felt the bombs leave the aircraft with a big thump.’ With the nose pointing at the target and the plane accelerating to 450-550 knots, pilots like McCarthy concentrated on the target, viewing it through thick bulletproof glass and a reflecting bomb sight with an illuminated circle and dot (called a ‘pipper’) for aiming, but had to control the other relevant parameters–airspeed, dive angle, and altitude–that affected the accuracy of the attack

     “Pilots planned for five seconds of steady tracking in the dive with the intent to simultaneously achieve a pre-planned altitude, airspeed and dive angle with the pipper superimposed on the target (which all unfolded, as McCarthy noted, ‘rapidly!’). If all went well, the pilot then pushed the red bomb-release button on the top of the stick (the “pickle button”), and felt a series of heavy thumps as the bombs were re;leased, followed by another sharp pull to get away from the target area, avoid the blast of the bombs just released, and to pull out of the dive. The pullout was a relief because the plane and pilot were vulnerable to ground fire after five long seconds tracking the target. ‘From the time your pipper is almost on the target until you release, you are on a railroad track, and all they got to do is plan it and pull the trigger.’

     “During the pullout, pilots often rolled into a steep bank to look back at the target and observe the impact and detonation of their bombs. This was a habit rooted in fighter training, where pilots rolled over to assess the accurcy of their bombing passes on the gunnery range. There was a practical aspect of watching the training bombs hit, so the pilot could ‘go to school’ after each bomb to improve the accuracy of the next run…

     “During Rolling Thunder, just as on the practice bombing range, aircrews derived great satisfaction from an accurate attack that hit the point aimed at. Hits were validation of a pilot’s proficiency, added to one’s self image, and appealed to one’s professional pride. ‘When you blow up a missile a little flash of pride wells up in your heart. It was a simple matter of job satisfaction.’… “….. end quote

In the course of this short teaser narrative Colonel Andrews incorporates inputs from Pete Risner, Jack Broughton, Mike McCarthy, George Day and Ed Rasimus. The 640-page document is a great read, some parts more interesting than others. Dial it up on your ipad, find some shade with a glass of beer and enjoy escaping back to the glory of Rolling Thunder…

RTR Quote for 26 June: LYNDON JOHNSON, October 21, 1964: “We are not about to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.”…    Really, Mr. President???

Lest we forget…     Bear

 

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