RIPPLE SALVO… #535… THE RETURN OF THE MIG-21s: “On August 23, NVN unveiled their new system at the Triple Nickel’s expense. The wraps were off, the MIG-21s were back in action. They were scrambled from runway alert when we left the tankers, vectored to a perfect position at our six o’clock. Then in a supersonic dive were on top of us and in firing range without warning and before they could possibly be seen.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day FIVE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE of a refresher on a war fought in the air fifty years ago over North Vietnam by some of the bravest warriors to ever look an enemy of our country through a gunsight…
23 AUGUST 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a sunny Wednesday in NYC…
SUMMER IN AMERICA 1967: From NYT 22 Aug: “Hundreds Of Forrest Fires Sweep Western States-Lightning Storm In Idaho Starts 250 New Ones–Blazes over 51,000 Acres Extend to British Columbia”… “Army Studies Revision of Tactics for Riot Control”... 500,000 National Guardsmen already receiving ‘stepped up’ training in new ways to combat street violence…1.442 million in the Army will get the new training.”… “Carmichael Held a Target of CIA–A SNCC Organizer Says Johnson Is Responsible”... “An aide to Stokely Carmichael who is in Vietnam today, declared to President Johnson had made Stokely Carmichael a target of the CIA.”...From NYT 23 Aug: Page 1: “GOP Seeks Help For Rural Areas–Proposed 5-Point Program Designed to stem Migration To Overcrowded Cities...better schools; more training and jobs; improve welfare and health services; and channeling of Government defense and supply contracts into poor rural areas.”… Page 1: Arsenal Uncovered By Raids In Bronx; 43 Suspects Seized.“…Weapons and 250,000 rounds of ammunition recovered. Suspects include members of ‘the rightest John Birch Society.’ “… Page 1: “McCone Says U.S. Could Be Ruined By Racial Strife–Fears Irretrievable Loss of Spirit In Society”…
VIETNAM: Page 2: “Humphrey Rejects Win Or Quit Theory”… “Vice President Humphrey rejected today ‘the win or get out’ theory concerning Vietnam. Speaking to 100 Democratic legislative leaders and their wives. He said: ‘If we stick with what we are doing, if we don’t sell ourselves short, this struggle is going to come to a halt…if we can get the message to the enemy that we do not tire, that we’re not whiners and quitters I believe the enemy will begin to feel the effect… Every effort will be made by your Government to bring this struggle to a conclusion hopefully through negotiations. You must believe that your President is as interested in peace as are his critics.’ The Vice President also defended the forthcoming elections in South Vietnam…’I don’t see anybody in North Vietnam holding elections.’ “
23 AUGUST 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (24 Aug reporting 23 Aug ops) Page 1: “U.S. Bombs Fall On Hanoi Suburbs–Americans, Reporting Raids Outside City, Say Five Planes Were Lost”… “Two United States bombing raids hit the northern suburbs of Hanoi today. The foreign Minister said that ‘more than 100 persons were killed or wounded in the raids on Hanoi and its suburbs on Monday (21st). In the first strike near Hanoi today about 20 F-105 Thunderchiefs, clearly visible from the city’s center, bombed in two waves. They were apparently over the airport suburb of Gialam and the town of Yen Vien immediately to the north of it. Big, black smoke clouds rose over the target zone, month across the Red River from Hanoi proper. One fighter-bomber was hit and flew close to the ground, clearly in trouble, with smoke trailing it. A second raid took about 15 Thunderchiefs farther northeast. Explosions appeared to be coming from almost ten miles away. Machine gun crews and riflemen stayed by their weapons on the roofs in the hot seen without interruption for the second day of bombings in Hanoi. The Communist party newspaper, Nhan Dan reported the bombs had killed by wounded numerous people on their way to market, waiting for the train, or in their homes.”…
Page 5: “LOSS OF JETS DESCRIBED”...
“Five American planes were shot out of the sky over North Vietnam today. The raiding jets shot down two MIGs in dogfights north of Hanoi. Two of the American planes were destroyed by missiles fired by MIG-21s. The other three fell to North Vietnamese surface-to-air missiles or antiaircraft fire. While the United States command acknowledged five planes down, the North Vietnamese asserted that they had destroyed 10 planes in some of the heaviest action of the war.
“The United States raids in the Hanoi area marked the fourth straight day of aerial assaults against targets either in Hanoi of its environs. Of the five planes announced shot down, the pilot of one was rescued. Eight other American fliers were listed as missing.
“The losses brought to 11 the number of American planes reported down in North Vietnam since Monday, when six planes were lost. It raised to 658 the total announced United States losses since the bombing of North Vietnam began in February 1965.
“It was just after the Yen Vien raid that two Air Force F-105 Thunderchiefss shot down two MIG-17s. The two American planes lost in aerial combat were Air Force Phantoms, rated the best and fastest in the American arsenal. They were shot down by air-to-air missiles fired by advanced models of the MIG-21.
“The tally for the war as announced by American officials shows 84 confirmed MIG kills and 11 probable kills for American pilots. The MIGs have downed 24 American planes in aerial combat.
“In other raids, Air Force jets based in Thailand struck at the Bacgiang railyard 28 miles northeast of Hanoi and the Hoangmai rail siding 23 miles from the capital. The closest attack to Hanoi was on the railway and highway bridge over the Canal des Rapides, an arm of the Red River five miles northeast of the Center of Hanoi…
“Vietnam: Air Losses: (Chris Hobson) There were seven fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 23 Aug 1967…
(1) MAJOR ELMO CLINNARD BAKER was flying his 61st mission in an F-105D of the 357th TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on a flak suppression mission as part of an 18-aircraft strike on the Bac Giang rail and road bridge when hit by ground fire as he attacked a gun position. He was forced to eject and landed in a rice paddy with a broken leg. He was quickly captured and beaten repeatedly en route to prison. He would be released in March 1973.
(2) LCDR THOMAS WALTER SITEK and ENSIGN PATRICK LAWRENCE NESS were flying an F-4B of the VF-142 Ghostriders embarked in USS Constellation as a flak suppressor for a strike group hitting the Lac Dao railway siding east of Hanoi when hit by an SA-2. They had evaded two SAMs before the third SAM destroyed the aircraft and killed LCDR SITEK and ENSIGN NESS. The remains of ENSIGN NESS were returned to the United States in April 1986 and he is buried in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in the Minneapolis area. The remains of LCDR Tom SITEK were returned in January 1990 and identified in September 2002… Laid to rest, unknown, but I bet my Naval Aviation Cadet 34-55 classmate and fellow “plowback” is home in upstate New York, finally…Tom and his flying partner are remembered here on the 50th anniversary of their last flight in the heroic service of our country…
(3) CAPTAIN DEREX X. WILLIAMS and an observer were flying an O-1E of the 20th TASS and 504th TASG on a dusk FAC mission in the Khe Sanh area at tree top level when hit by small arms. The engine failed and the aircraft crashed killing CAPTAIN WILLIAMS. The observer, probably a Marine, was injured but was rescued and survived.
(4-5-6-7) Four F-4Ds of the 555th TFS, “Triple Nickle Squadron, and the 8th TFW out of Ubon were downed while participating in a strike on the Yen Vien railway yard.
(4) MAJOR CHARLES ROBERT TYLER and CAPTAIN RONALD NICHALIS SITTNER were shot down by an air-to-air missile fired by a MIG-21. They both ejected in the area just north of Thud Ridge 50 miles north of Hanoi. MAJOR TYLER was captured and imprisoned and would be released in March 1973. CAPTAIN SITTNER would remain missing until a 1991 JTF-FA investigation found an eye-witness who reported that CAPTAIN SITTNER was found dead hanging from a tree still in his parachute. He was buried in the area and the JTF team recovered the remains that were subsequently identified as those of CAPTAIN SITTNER. Good job JTF-FA … LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND…
(5) CAPTAIN LARRY EDWARD CARRIGAN and 1LT CHARLES LANE were also shot down by a MIG-21 air-to-air missile. CAPTAIN CARRIGAN was captured after three days of evasion. Interned, he was returned with the POWs in March 1973. He reported he thought he saw 1LT LANE on the ground and other reports led to the belief that 1LT LANE was a POW. He was not returned with the other POWs in 1973 and he is currently carried on the roles as “killed in action, body not recovered.” Perhaps he perished as a free man…
(3) MAJOR ROBERT RALSTON SAWHILL and 1LT GERALD LEE GERNDT were able to evade the MIG-21 but were nailed by AAA in the attack on Yen Vien and forced to eject. Both were quickly captured and remained imprisoned until released in March 1973.
(4) MAJOR C.B. DEMARQUE and 1LT J.M. PIET were hit by AAA over the target but they were able to keep the Phantom flying clear of North Vietnam before having to eject about 60 miles short of Nakhon Phanom. They were rescued by helicopter with minor injuries…
Hobson (page 115): “The loss of four aircraft on a single raid was a severe blow to the 555th TFS and the threat of the MIG-21 was becoming very apparent. The VNAF had revised its tactics by approaching the strike force at low-level and zooming up to attack with a single pass before heading for base of China. The tally might have been worse as an F-4C crew launched two Sparrow missiles at what they thought was a MIG but was then identified as another Phantom. The crew broke radar lock and the missile went ballistic (stupid) and fell into the jungle. (Another version of this follows in Ripple Salvo)…
RIPPLE SALVO… #535… Humble Host is beholden to Howie Plunkett for these excerpts from his “34 TFS/ F-105 History” stack of facts and testimony… thanks Howie…
23 Aug 67: In the Afternoon, F-105s from the 355 TFW and the 388 TFW struck the Yen Vien railroad classification yard (JCS 19)… It was the largest rail yard in North Vietnam and had been hit two days before…
The strike force approached the target in two waves. “Alpha” force consisted of four flights of F-105Ds from Korat…in a box formation…followed by three flights of F-4Ds from Ubon…in a triangular formation. The seven strike flights were supported y an Iron Hand flight from Korat…made up of two F-105Fs and two F-105Ds positioned to the front right of the force, and an F-4C MIGCAP flight from Ubon, led by 8 TFW commander Col Robin Olds positioned on the left behind the F-105s.
Alpha force encountered MIG-17s and MIG-21s the encounters resulted in MIGs shooting down two F-4Ds, a third F-4D was shot down by AAA and the third was damaged and eventually lost due to fuel starvation…
MAJOR AQUILLA F. BRITT was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in flying this mission. “…led a flak suppression flight of four F-105s on a strike against a high priority military target. though subjected to intense antiaircraft fire and attacks by MIG-17s. Major Britt successfully accomplished his mission and not a single F-105 was lost on this raid. He further exposed himself to danger in order to aid one of his flight who had experienced difficulty over the target area.”…
F-105 pilots 1LT DAVID B. WALDROP was credited with a MIG-17 kill and his flight lead MAJOR BILLY R. GIVENS was credited with a “probable” MIG-17 kill.
Bravo Force was 20 minutes behind Alpha to the target and did not encounter MIGs and returned unscathed.
Having spent the past two months resting and training, the North Vietnamese air force launched two MIG-21s and eight MIG-17s in defense of the railyard.
CHECO Report: “The MIG-21s came out of a cloud layer at 25,000-feet, made a single firing pass from the rear, and fired three air-to-air missiles which downed the two F-4Ds. The MIG-s then climbed back into the overcast and disappeared. This tactic clearly demonstrated a well-coordinated enemy ground controlled intercept capability.”…
F-4D pilot, Dick Collins, recalled their encounter with the MIG-s. “The MIG-21s had been strangely inactive that summer, and we didn’t know why. Some people at 7th Air Force knew, but that knowledge never made it out to the only people who needed it–the fighter squadron guys going downtown everyday…”
To find out why they didn’t know about the MIG-21s, “…the day after our losses, the Wing D.O., John Burns, and I jumped in an F-4 and flew up to 7th Air Force in Saigon.” What they learned was that “the North Vietnamese did not have a sophisticated air defense system in place, and it became apparent that if they wanted to shoot down more strike aircraft and reduce their own losses then things had to change. So, that summer the Soviets showed up with pilots, ground radar controllers and ground radar technicians to implement the Soviet air defense tactics. We learned that they had been practicing for months honing new skills, getting their training missions in when our MIG CAPs and strike forces were not in the area.”
“On August 23, NVN unveiled their new system at the Triple Nickel expense. The wraps were off; the MIG-21s were back in action. They were scrambled from runway alert when we left the tanker, vectored to a perfect position at our six o’clock high. Then in a supersonic dive they were on top of us and in firing range without warning and before they could possibly be seen.”
RTR QUOTE for 23 August: SHAKESPEARE: “A smile recures the wounding of a frown.”…
Lest we forget… Bear