RIPPLE SALVO… #468… Captain John W. Swanson, USAF, 34th TFS and 388th TFW, who went missing on 15 June 1967… but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY EIGHT of a return to the air war over North Vietnam called Rolling Thunder…
16 JUNE 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a hot and sunny Friday in NYC…
ARAB-ISRAEL SIX-DAY WAR: Page 1: “Kosygin Coming to U.N. assembly; Meets De Gaulle in Paris Today; Johnson Will Be Glad to See Him”... “Aleksie N. Kosygin plans to fly to New York tomorrow to head the Soviet delegation at a proposed special session of the United Nations General Assembly… Soviet officials hope the Premier’s decision will set off a series of similar announcements in other capitals turning the General Assembly into something approaching a world summit conference on the Mideast crisis… a meeting with President Johnson in New York is a possibility…Mr. Kosygin will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. Why Moscow has taken this dramatic initiative is unknown.”… Page 1: “Paris is Pleased With Kosygin Plan”... “President De Gualle and Premier Kowsygin will confer about the Middle East crisis tomorrow when the Soviet leader stops here (Paris) on his way to the United Nations.”… Page 1: “U.S. Refuses to Join Call for Special U.N. Session...or concur with the Soviet Union’s request for a special session of General Assembly to hear ‘charges of Israel aggression and demands that Israel retire from areas overrun by last weeks war… Only 62 affirmative votes are required from the 122 member nations for convention of the General Assembly. At 11PM 61 countries had affirmed the request…it appeared likely that by the morning the 62 vote count would be next.”… Page 5: “Libyans Ask U.S. and Britain To Remove Bases” Premier Hussein Mazigh announced today that Libya had asked that United States and Britain to liquidate their Libyan bases and withdraw their troops as soon as possible. In the latest retaliation by Arabs for what they allege was British and American support of Israel last week...American and British ambassadors were told of the decision. The main installation concerned is the United States Wheelus Air Force Base…signed agreements from 1954 are set to expire in 1971 for the Wheelus base.”…
Page 1: ” Johnson Willing to Meet Kosygin”... “President Johnson set the stage today for a meeting with Premier Aleksie Kosygin by an authorizing statement saying ‘he would be glad to see him.’… Time and place left open… President Johnson planned to keep his appointments in Texas (at the ranch), but would keep his schedule flexible until he had better indications of Soviet intentions.”... Page 1: “Ky Wants 600,000 GI’s To Fight War”… “Premier Nguyen Cao Ky said today that 600,000 American troops would be required to counter the increasing number of North Vietnam troops in South Vietnam. He put the number of North Vietnam troops in the South 100,000 above the U.S. estimate of 292,000…U.S. troop levels is currently at 462,000…”…
Page 1: “Cincinnati Riots Spread to Prison”... “Rioting spread to Cincinnati’s fortress-like workhouse today after a municipal judge handed down one-year sentences to 12 Negroes convicted of violating the State Riot Act. For more than three hours Negro and white inmates wielding mop handles, buckets and bricks battled National Guardsmen, prison guards and policemen. The police fought back with tear gas. the State Riot act makes it illegal to ‘congregate’ during a tense situation. Tuesday night the 12 Negroes sentenced for a year in prison, did not disperse from circling a service station shouting ‘black power.’ “…
16 June 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (17 June reporting 16 June ops) Page 10: “In the air war two F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers were shot down over North Vietnam. The losses raised the total of U.S. aircraft lost over the North to 585.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost over Southeast Asia on 16 June 1967… (Hobson also reports losses of two F-105s: one each on 15 Jun and 16 Jun)
(1) LCOL WILLIAM I. JANSSEN was flying an F-105D of the 355th TFW out of Takhli on a strike on the barracks at Yen Hoi about 12 miles southeast of Vinh. He was hit by ground fire in his dive on the target and immediately began a retirement to the west and toward home. LCOL JANSSEN was able to control the damaged aircraft into Thailand but ws required to eject short of Takhli. He was rescued to fly and fight again…
RIPPLE SALVO… #468… Yesterday’s post included the Hobson report on the downing of CAPTAIN JOHN WILLIAM SWANSON on a raid on the coastal rail line 20 miles north of Vinh… I subsequently discovered a remarkable document that consolidates the best of several sources into a history of the 34th TFS, “The Thud Years: 1966-1969.” This 300-page document is the work of W. Howard Plunkett, and Humble Host will be using as an occasional reference on future posts…
The following is indicative of research material available to a researcher/writer like Howard Plunkett at the Air Force History Research Agency at Maxwell. Sadly, the Navy has underfunded and virtually ignored the collection and organization of historical records and cannot match what is available to historians at Maxwell.
Here then is the complete “Rest of The Story” on CAPTAIN JOHN WILLIAM SWANSON, JR.s final flight on 15 June 1967 in the Plunkett history of the 34th TFS… I quote…
15-Jun-67
F-105D 610213 34 TFS 388TFW Korat hit by 37-mm AAA while attacking the Dong Khe RR siding in RP-3, NVN. Crashed at sea 145 miles north of the DMZ. 19-04N 105-45E Capt John Willard Swanson, Jr 34 TFS pilot ejected. Rescue attempts were unsuccessful. MIA. Call sign: “Goose 04”. “Down in water, good chute, beeper…”
Capt John W. Swanson, Jr. flew as Goose 04, in a flight of four, on a strike mission to Kong Khe RR Siding, North Vietnam. Other members of the flight were Lt Col Mervin M. Taylor, Maj Paul F. Koeltzow, and Capt David C. Carter. The flight took off from Korat at 06:36 and Capt Swanson was shot down at 07:59.
“On roll in on the target, Number o4 (Capt Swanson) called ‘Four is hit,’ then, ‘Goose 4 is hit.’ The aircraft was hit at 1903N/10535E. He leveled off and headed out to sea with Number 03 following. Number 03 urged 04 to stay with the aircraft. Approximately 2 miles out to sea, Captain Swanson’s aircraft nosed down, and Number 03 called him to get out. Capt Swanson ejected and a chute was observed and beeper signals were heard. Number 03 circled and returned. The chute was in the water and was gradually sinking by the time Number 03 returned to the area. Number 03 made two low passes over the area but did not observe Number 04 in the water. Several small boats were in the area at the time of ejection. Number 03 was not certain how close the boats were at the time the chute hit the water. Upon his return after a turning maneuver, the boats were heading away from the chute at a distance of from one-half to one mile. Since Capt Swanson could not be located in the water and hostile mortar fire from the shore was being directed toward the SAR aircraft, SAR efforts were terminated at 0945 hours.” (PACAF “Intelligence Index of USAF Personnel MIA/PW in Southeast Asia”, pg 3-102, AFHRA Call 3K717.6031-3.)
A rescue report described the joint Navy/USAF search efforts for Capt Swanson. “The search objective is for the pilot of an F-105, who was downed due to hostile action, approximately 4 miles at sea south of the North Vietnam coastal village of Dang Xuam, 145 miles north of the DMZ.
“An HC-130 of the 39 Squadron was alerted at 0053Z by the F-105 flight leader to coordinate with Navy SAR. A parachute and helmet liner was sighted. A Navy helicopter lowered a swimmer into the water, but the chute sank prior to the swimmer being ble to determine if the pilot had gotten out of the chute. Search suspended at 0245Z by the Navy. Negative sighting of pilot, negative leads. There were several boats in the area which a Navy helicopter looked over. Pilot is not believed to be aboard small craft. Hostile mortar fire from shore hampered the search.
“39 Squadron flew 1 sortie for 1+50; USN A-1Hs flew 6 sorties for 4+00 and Sh-3s flew 2 sorties for 1+30; F-105s flew 6 sorites for 4 hours. A total of 15 sorties for 11+20 was flown.” (Hand written Rescue Open/Suspending Report, Mission 1-3-89, 15 June 67, in AFHRA folder Call #K318.2411-5, IRIS #1017062.)
A TWX message added a few more details. “…Crown 4 received initial notification from Goose Lead. Aircraft was downed due to hostile action. Aircraft a combat loss. …Sighted parachute and helmet liner. USN lowered swimmer from Clementine 2 to investigate chute but chute sank as swimmer entered the water and swimmer was unable to determine if pilot had gotten out of chute. Search continued until 0245, negative results. USN terminated SAR at 0245Z. Negative sighting of pilot, negative leads. ”’On scene commander, Barn Owl 568, recommended terminate SAR. Search suspended at 15/0245Z.” (Rescue Opening/Suspending Report, Mission 1-3-89, 15 Jun 67, TWX 151000ZOct 67 from OL 1 3 ARRGP Son Tra RVN, in folder AFHRA Call #K318.2411-5, IRIS #1017062.)
Capt Swanson was born 1 April 1938 at Princeton, Illinois, and entered the service from Arlington, Illinois. He was declared dead on 4 April 1978. His body was never recovered. His name appears on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on panel 211line 109.
End Quote of Howard Plunkett’s “complete story” on Goose 04…
Humble Host has reproduced the full entry on Captain Swanson as a one time exhibit of what’s available in the archives for a dedicated researcher… RTR will be referring to this 34th TFS Thud History regularly and including pertinent parts in the daily posts…
RTR Quotes for 16 June: JOHN WOODEN: “I’m not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I’m going to say I’m opposed to war. But I’m also opposed to protests that deny other people their rights.”.... WALTER CRONKITE: “I covered the Vietnam War. I remember the lies that were told, the lives that were lost, and the shock when, twenty years after the war ended, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara admitted he knew it was a mistake all along.”…. ROBERT E. LEE: “It is well that war is so terrible–we would grow too fond of it.”…
Lest we forget… Bear