RIPPLE SALVO… #434… AIR FORCE F-105s NAIL 5; F-4s DOWN 2…. but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR of a return to Operation Rolling Thunder of 1965-1968…
13 May 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy Saturday in New York City…
Page 1: “Israelis Ponder Blow at Syrians”... “Some Israeli leaders have decided that the use of force against Syria may be the only way to curtail increasing terrorism. Any such Israeli reaction to continued infiltration probably would be of considerable strength but of short duration and limited in area.”…
Humble Host note: The Arab-Israeli Conflict of June 1967 was preceded by two periods of crisis. Crisis I: May 14-when Egypt mobilized to May 25 when all of Israels neighbors (except Lebanon) moved troops to their borders with Israel. Crisis II: May 25-30 when that movement of armies amounted to a three-to-one advantage for the Arabs over the surrounded Israelis… On 5 June 1967 Israel preempts the Arabs and struck Egypt’s airbases to kick off the war… The daily RTR will include highlights of this historic confrontation that established the borders of Israel that are a 50-year old thorn in the side of all Arabs, so the conflict goes on…
Page 1: “Air Safety Steps For Rising Traffic Ordered By FAA”… “The Federal Aviation Administration have ordered immediate and long-range measures at the air port towers and traffic control centers to ‘maintain and improve safety.’ These actions are mandatory if we are to keep in step with accelerated flight operation.”... Page 1: “House Panel Cuts Model Cities Aid; Rent Supplemental Fund Also Slashed Far Under Total Requested By Johnson”... “The House appropriations Committee approved limited funds for the controversial model cities and rent supplemental programs. Only $237-million of requested $662-million sought by model cities and just $15-million of $45-million requested for rent supplementals was granted.”… Page 1: “Economics Find ’68 War Budget $5-Billion Short; Vietnam Costs Reaching $26.9-B; Tax Increase Favored”... “A $15-Billion Federal Deficit and Decline In Corporate Profits are Predicted”… a leading business executive–Ralph Lazarus of Federalist Department Stores– made the forecast, which has no public backing of the Government. The forecast is the product of a large group of economists working for large companies who are members of the 120 members of the Business Council that advises the government on policy questions.”… Page 7: “Galbraith Suggests Britons Judge U.S. By Acts, Not Words”…Dr. John Kenneth Galbraith, the economist, advised British students of the United States today not to confuse what America says with what America does. In his view, particularly with regard to European policies, what the United States has actually done has been far more constructive and effective than official statements would suggest…The second theme was that the impulses of progress and reality in the policies of the United States come from the smaller liberal intellectual community there, and not from the larger conservative sector ‘committed to existing belief as a faith.’ “... Page 11: “U.S. Plays Down Sea Harassment By Russians”... “The State Department said today there was no direct evidence that the Soviet harassment of United States warships in the Sea of Japan was related to the war in Vietnam or was designed to worsen East-West relations. ‘There have been similar incidents in the past…We hope the Soviets also are concerned about such incidents and will pay due heed to our protests.’ “…
Page 10: “Parade To Back Vietnam G.I.s Will Be Held on 5th Avenue Today”... “Support Our Boys in Vietnam will move down 5th avenue today starting at noon…the Veterans of Foreign Wars is using the parade as a means of countering recent antiwar demonstrators including the burning of draft cards and the American flag in Central Park.”... Page 20: “Carmichael Out As S.N.C.C. Chief”... “Stokely Carmichael ‘did not want to serve another term as chairman.’ …He is said to have cited an aversion to administrative work and a dislike of criticism. Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee: ‘The Committee is committed to the liberation struggle of all people against racism, exploitation and oppression. We see no reason why black men, who are daily murdered, physically and mentally, in this country, to go and kill yellow people abroad, who have done nothing to us and are in fact, victims of the same oppression that our brothers in Vietnam suffer.”… Page 20: “23 Antiwar Demonstrators Arrested at the Pentagon”... “A group of 23 antiwar protestors were arrested today in the fourth day of a protest at the Pentagon. Given an opportunity to leave voluntary they agreed among themselves to remain and to gain access to the War room. They were carried out…”
13 MAY 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (14 May reporting 13 May ops)… Page 1: “Air Force Planes Destroy 7 MIGs Matching Record; 2 Probable Kills Reported; Aerial Clashes Follow Bombings Near Hanoi; Ground Fire Is Intense; 3 American Aircraft Lost in Earlier Action–U.S. Missile Site Raided”... “In a series of clashes over Hanoi, United States Air Force jets shot down seven MIG fighters and probably destroyed two more. No United States aircraft were lost in these engagements. While every gunner on the ground filled the skies with flak and surface-to-air missiles the supersonic planes dueled as high as 14,000-feet. The battles lasted fourteen minutes.
“Only once before on a special sweep on January 2 — that was expressly designed to lure MIGs into the air and combat–have American pilots downed as many as seven enemy airplanes. That mission followed a 48-hour New Year Truce.
“The enemy pilots initiated yesterday’s action pouncing on the American jets as they started back to Thailand after their bombing runs. The bombing targets were the Yenvien railroad yard on the northeastern outskirts of Hanoi and the Vinyen Barracks 25 miles northwest of the city. Five of the confirmed kills were credited to pilots of F-105 Thunderchiefs, planes primarily as bombers rather than fighters. The other two kills were credited to Air Force F-4C Phantom fighters. The pilots of the F-105s brought down the MIGs with bursts from the 6,000-rounds per minute Gatling guns mounted in pods under the planes long needle-sharp noses and with heat seeking air-to-air missiles. The F-4Cs also used AIM-9 Sidewinders.
“In engagements Friday (12th), three American planes were lost in North Vietnam during heavy strikes against targets near Hanoi. One was shot down by a MIG fighter. The attacking planes were met by intense barrages of surface-to-air missiles, antiaircraft artillery fire and MIG fighters which challenged virtually all of the Unite States aircraft. The planes were lost during strikes against the Nguyenkhe storage area, four miles north of Hanoi.
“All of the enemy planes that challenged the Americans yesterday were MIG-17s…according to reports…at least 20 MIGs rose to meet the American assault. This indicated that United States strikes on North Vietnam which began 24 April have not been successful in curtailing the enemy air defense capability.
“Air Force officers have complained recently that the strikes against North Vietnam have been almost meaningless because they have been too cautious. The officers insist that it is folly to have struck only three of six bases while leaving untouched the most important of the fields, Phucyen, which is 14 miles north of Hanoi.”
Page 4: “Major Maurice E. Seaver, Jr. spotted a MIG just as he pulled off his target. The MIG crossed in front of him and the major pulled the trigger and scored a direct hit…His flight spotted at least eleven planes. Another kill was recorded by LCOL Philip C. Gast, who is considered one of the outstanding pilots of the war, Commands the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli. He had previously been credited with damaging two MIGs. The two Phantom pilots credited with destroying enemy planes are Major William L Kirk and LCOL Frederick Haffner.”...
Page 4: “Hanoi Reports Losses”… “The official North Vietnamese press agency said three United States warplanes were shot down today by antiaircraft units. It said one was shot down over Hanoi. Hanoi said these defenses shot down five additional planes in the Hanoi yesterday and have captured several American pilots…”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson): Two fixed wing aircraft were lost in Southeast Asia on 13 May 1967…
(1) CAPTAIN GREGORY EDWARD KINSER was flying an A-4E of the VMA-223 Bulldogs and MAG-12 out of Chu Lai and was downed by ground fire while attacking North Vietnamese troops near Dong Ha south of the DMZ. He ejected safely and was rescued by helicopter to fly and fight again…
(2) A US-2C Tracker from the Navy’s VC-5 Squadron based at Cubi Point, P.I. went down with an engine fire on the southern most tip of South Vietnam in Kien Giang province killing two of the three crew on board: LCDR ROBERT EUGENE ROBINSON and ENSIGN JOHN WESLEY COGHILL…
RIPPLE SALVO… #434… It’s Friday evening and I need a Utah sunset and a brandy…
CAG’s QUOTES for 13 May: MAO TSE-TUNG: “The enemy will not perish of himself.”…PATTON: “In case of doubt, attack.”…
Lest we forget… Bear…