RIPPLE SALVO… #475… A FURIOUS FUELING FLAIL FOR THE AGES… but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE remembering the great warriors and events of OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER from fifty years ago…

23 JUNE 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a rainy day in Manhattan and at the UN…

Page 1: “Johnson To Meet Kosygin Today At College in Southern New Jersey With agenda Open for Any Issue–A Half-Way Point–Choice of Compromise Glassboro State College–President’s Home to be Site of Summit”… “…will meet for several hours…The President of Glassboro State College was listening to a news broadcast when he learned that he would be host to President Johnson and Premier Alexsie Kosygin...NYT Ed: “Don’t expect much from Johnson-Kosygin meeting. The important fact is that the two men will meet together in  simple, human act of coexistence. That is in itself worth while in this dangerous world.”… Page 1: “Israel Disputed by France At U.N.–Deplores Plan For direct Talks–Pullout Demands Grow–U.S. Will Provide Food to Help Israel Recover from War–China Factor in Soviet Position as Principal Supporter of Arab Nations–Moscow is Believed to Fear Peking Seeks to Become Principal Ally of Arabs”…

Page 1: “George McGovern Backs Goals of Israel–Contrasts Mideast Situation With That of Vietnam”… “The state of Israel is an established democratic society with a clear sense of national purpose which only wants to survive. It is not asking for any territory. It has legitimate goals and the whole nation is united. The Vietnam people are still in search of their national identity, for which I think Premier Nguyen Cao Ky is a very bad rallying point.”…

Page 1: “Bill To Curb Riot Agitators is Cleared by House Panel”... “A bill that would both burden civil rights protection and curb outside agitators who incite riots were rushed through the House Judiciary committee today. Prompt action by the full committee is expected early next week. Increasing demands for Congress in recent days, after outbreaks of violence in Atlanta, Tampa, Cincinnati, Boston and other cities. Nearly 100 similar anti-riot bills have been gathering dust for months in the House Judiciary Committee headed by Emanuel Celler of New York, who has agreed to move legislation that will protect Negroes and other minorities from force or violence while engaged in lawful activities.”... Page 1: “McNamara Acts on Housing Bias Near a U.S. Base”… “Segregated buildings within 3 and 1/2 miles of Andrews Field are now off-limits to G.I.s…the first of similar actions designed to end housing discrimination against Negro servicemen.”... Page 1: “World Trade Center a Go By Board of Estimate to end 7-year dispute and clear way for construction to begin.”… Page 2: “President Facing Protest on Coast–War Critics to Protest in Los Angeles Tonight”… “…planning a large-scale protest when he comes here to the Century Plaza Hotel tonight for a $1,000 a couple democratic banquet and ball tomorrow night. Their estimate of the possible number of protest participants ranged as high as 20,000. Los Angeles police will provide a force of 1,000.”

Page 2: “Fleeing Vietcong are Battered By U.S. Troops and Copters...in the coastal highlands of Quang Nai province about 380-miles north of Saigon...70 Vietcong killed with no American casualties…Just north of Quangmai the 1st Infantry fought an all-day battle that killed 60 enemy troops. Six Americans were killed and 20 wounded. B-52s pounced fortified enemy positions 30 miles west-southwest of Hue.”…Page 3: “In Saigon casualty figures for last week were issued by the U.S. military command. For the week of June 4-11: 143 Americans killed in action and 955 wounded in action.”…

23 June 1967… The President’s TS Daily CIA Brief: UN: Behind the scenes efforts at the General Assembly to gat an acceptable alternative to the US and Soviet resolutions seem to be moving only slowly….Nearly all mediation efforts are focusing on whether withdrawal of Israeli forces can be linked with the other issues at stake… The announcement of the Glassboro meeting was “greeted with relief” by all sides at the UN last night… ADEN: The situation is about the same–serious…

23 JUNE 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (24 June reporting 23 June Ops)… Page 2: “2 Trapped Trains Destroyed By U.S. Jets in North Vietnam”... “…on a stretch of track northeast of Hanoi between bridges knocked out on earlier raids yesterday. The destruction of the two trains, totaling 35 boxcars, took place on a siding at Phucyen near the often bombed Kep yards and was carried out by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand. The raid was one of 125 missions flown by a total of 400 planes against rail lines, roads, warehouses and  power plant in North Vietnam. An A-4 Skyhawk flown by a carrier based Navy pilot…was brought down by ground fire over North Vietnam. The pilot is missing. (This was Jim Pirie, captured/POW, as reported by Hobson on June 22)  It was the 589th American aircraft lost over the North since 1965…

“The military spokesman said that MIG interceptors had again failed to oppose American planes. For nearly two weeks the Soviet built planes have remained on the ground. Military sources here in Saigon were at a loss to understand th tactics of the Hanoi command. Although the enemy fleet had taken serious losses in recent months, it is believed that these have been made up by deliveries of replacement aircraft from Moscow.” (Tougher to replace pilots)…

“Vietnam: Air Losses: (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing losses in Southeast Asia on 23 June 1967… oohrah

23 June 1967: “F-105 History: 34 TFS” (Howie Plunkett): “Widespread damage was again inflicted on the sprawling Kep railroad yards 38 miles northeast of Hanoi by F-105 Thunderchief pilots from the 388 TFW. The Strike pilots reported seeing 100 pieces of rolling stock in the yards. Bombs were delivered onto the southwestern half of the area and the center section causing many rail cuts, heavy damage to support facilities, and the destruction of an unknown number of boxcars. One large secondary explosion, resulting in a fireball that had a 500-foot diameter, sent flames spreading over a wide area.”… “Other 388 TFW pilots set off two secondary explosions when they dropped ordnance on a SAM site 35-miles north-northwest of Haiphong. The resulting orange fireballs sent up huge clouds of black smoke.”… “Storage areas and truck parks just south of Dien Bien Phu were bombed …by F-105s from the 355 TFW and the 388 TFW.”    (Thanks Howie)…

RIPPLE SALVO… #475… A FURIOUS FUELING FLAIL… 31 May 1967…

One of the most colorful and competent Naval Aviators of my acquaintance was JOHN ROBERT WUNSCH, who rests in peace, having passed last October 23 at age 88. Nobody ever had more strange miles on his pedometer than old John. Steve Gray in his book “Rampant Raider” describes John this way: “John Wunsche (sic) was a big man with bright red hair and a flaming red handlebar mustache. He was a frustrated fighter pilot whom fate and the Bureau of Naval Personnel had put into the cockpit of a former heavy bomber now employed as a carrier-based tanker. Commander Wunsche (sic) flew the tanker like a fighter and frequently delighted the tactical pilots by rolling the ‘Whale’ as we called the KA-3B tanker, on completion of a tanker mission. Consequently, John’s nickname was ‘the Red Baron.’ ” Steve recalls the low pass Commander Wunsch made on a Russian trawler that was harassing Bonnie Dick. The “Red Baron” made the pass dumping JP right across, and enveloping, the Soviet trawler’s deck and gawking communists in a JP-5 mist. Score one for the good guys.

That is one of a thousand Wunsch tales. Here is another that Humble Host is proud to be able to present in its entirety. The fact is, this story cannot be told in anything less than the following and still make sense. Source: USS Bon Homme Richard letter to Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Ser: 0227, dated 12 September 1967, a recommendation that six Heavy Attack Squadron FOUR, KA-3B aviators catch a medal for pumping gas. The submission speaks for itself… Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy…I quote…

“During the major strike against the Kep Airfield of 31 May 1967, CDR John WUNSCH was flying a KA-3B as flight leader of the airborne tanker support forces, which included two KA-3Bs and two A-4s. His crew consisted of LTJG Thomas PARNELLA and AOC James RILEY. His wing aircraft was piloted by LCDR  Donald ALBERG with crewmen LTJG Frank STUART and AE2 Larry DAVIS. The strike group consisted of twenty-four jet aircraft, attacking a heavily defended target deep within the hostile territory of North Vietnam. En route to the target, all strike aircraft, CDR WUNSCH’s KA-3B and the A4 tankers were topped off from LCDR ALBERG’s KA-3B, now dry and detached to return to the USS Bon Homme Richard to hot fuel and return immediately. As the strike group coasted-in, CDR WUNSCH topped off the A-4 tankers and established a tanker station just off the coast-out point of the strike group.

“On approach to the target, the strike group sustained hits and battle damage, and one A-4 was critically damaged (this was VA-212’s LCDR ARVIN CHAUNCEY), forcing the pilot to eject some seventy miles inland. (SEE RTR for 31 May 2017 and Ripple Salvo #452 for DETAILS) A Search and Rescue effort was immediately initiated over the downed pilot. CDR WUNSCH quickly and correctly analyzed the situation, requested all possible tanker assistance and immediately placed his other tankers in optimum position and posture. The inflight refueling of the mass egress of the strike aircraft was quickly and expeditiously handled by CDR WUNSCH, who judiciously dispatched the A-4 tankers to refuel numerous damaged aircraft en route to the carrier. He remained on station to refuel stragglers and many of the strike aircraft, now diverted from return to the carrier to Rescue Combat Air Patrol. Many refueling evolutions were completed successfully without voice communications; one of which was later learned to be the strike leader, who was quite low on fuel, without a radio, and had no oil pressure (indicated).

“During this hectic time, CDR WUNSCH suffered a fuel system malfunction, in that he could not transfer fuel from his auxiliary tank to his main cells. This meant that he could still transfer fuel from this tank to another aircraft but was unable to use it himself. Although his own fuel was dropping below that required to return to the carrier, he refused to abandon the twelve aircraft still involved in the SAR, realizing his was the only tanker on the station. Disregarding his own dilemma, he remained on station until he had less than fifteen minutes fuel remaining before engine starvation. At this time his wingman, LCDR ALBERG, returned on station. Since CDR WUNSCH could not ascertain if the ship had a ready deck for him or that more tankers were to be launched and since he was still capable of giving away fuel, he elected to remain on station after refueling from LCDR ALBERG.

“From all indications, the SAR effort would continue for some time and he foresaw the need for both tankers, with flights of jets cycling between the tankers and the SAR scene. Normally, additional fuel was available to be augmented from  tanker aircraft from other carriers, but the Task Force demand was so heavy for SAR aircraft that none was available for either CDR WUNSCH or LCDR ALBERG. Soon both aircraft were extremely low on fuel and found themselves once again in extremis just off the coast of the northeast corner of North Vietnam.

“An Air Force KC-135 (TO THE RESCUE) operating in the area was switched to aid the USS Bon Homme Richard tankers, but at this time it was determined that LCDR ALBERG had insufficient fuel remaining to even effect a rendezvous with the KC-135. CDR WUNSCH shared his rapidly dwindling fuel supply with LCDR ALBERG and a rendezvous with the  KC-135 was effected with only three minutes fuel remaining at hook-up. After receiving a total of 2300 pounds of fuel CDR WUNSCH unplugged and LCDR ALBERG commenced refueling. Just then a flight of two F-8E Crusaders coasted out at low state. CDR WUNSCH immediately began to refuel one of them. LCDR ALBERG extended his drogue while still plugged into the KC-135, and refueled the other F-8 aircraft. This evolution again placed CDR WUNSCH in the position of having less than five minutes fuel remaining in his own aircraft, but he persisted until both fighter aircraft had been fueled before replenishing his own tanks.

“In the total evolution, the tankers led by CDR WUNSCH and crew and his wingman, LCDR ALBERG and crew, refueled over 41 aircraft, transferred 80,000 pounds of fuel and were instrumental in saving eleven aircraft. Twelve jet aircraft from the original strike group were involved in the SAR for approximately 1.5 hours and all recovered aboard the USS BON HOMME RICHARD.”….. End quote…

The “Proposed Citation” for a DFC for “the Red Baron” concluded with: “Commander WUNSCH’s leadership and professional performance under extremely trying condition surmounted an unexpected and critical situation in aerial tanking. His quick thinking, resourcefulness, courage, and devotion to duty with disregard for his personal safety were in keeping withe the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Humble Host has a request: John Wunsch pushed the rules more than once to go over the beach with his KA-3 and crew to pick up strike aircraft who were in dire need of fuel as it drained out holed wing tanks. Does anybody have an account with some specifics of such grit for the record?… 

RTR QUOTE for 23 June: Every great military captain in history said, in one form or another: “Fortune favors the bold.” Way to go, John…

Lest we forget…         Bear