RIPPLE SALVO… #597… “After President Johnson had approved it as a target on 18 October 1967, coordinated Air Force and Navy strikes against Phuc Yen MiG Airfield (JCS 6) commenced on the afternoon of 24 October followed by combined re-strikes on 25 October. The airfield was hit by bombs and CBUs. Post-strike photos showed that 5 MiG-21s and 5 MiG-17 parked in Area H were either damaged or destroyed, and that two MiG-17s in Area G were destroyed.” (CINCPAC ROLLING THUNDER Status and Analysis Report)… but first…
Good Morning: Day FIVE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN remembering and reviewing the air war fought by the United States fifty years ago in the skies over North Vietnam…
24 OCTOBER 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a Tuesday full of sunshine in New York City…
Page 1: (25 Oct reporting 24 Oct ops) “BASE FOR MIG-21s STRUCK FIRST TIME BY AMERICAN JETS–U.S. Pilots Bomb Phucyen Field in Waves–10 Enemy Planes Are Destroyed–A MAJOR RAID OF THE WAR– Four Targets in North With Military Significance Now Remain Untouched”... “United States Air Force and Navy jets bombed the huge North Vietnam air base at Phucyen for the first time yesterday, damaging or destroying nine MIG fighters on the ground and shooting down another. The 9,270-foot main runway was pitted with scores of bomb craters, an American military spokesman said. Four missile sites and at least antiaircraft emplacements were knocked out.
“One of the swarm of late-model MIG-21’s that took to the air to oppose the raiders was shot down by an Air Force F-4C Phantom jet according to the spokesman. (See Ripple Salvo below) No American planes were lost over Phucyen, but a Navy A-4 Skyhawk and an Air Force F-105 Thunderchief.
“The base, 18 miles northwest of Hanoi, was struck by more than 65 Air Force, Navy and Marine fighter bombers in daylight raids today…The air strike is expected to reduce the number of MIG’s that rise to challenge America’s bombers in future raids.
“Phucyen had been one of only five untouched targets in the North that were described by strategists in Saigon as militarily significant. The four now remaining, informed sources said, are the Gialam airfield, which also serves as Hanoi’s chief airport; the docks at Haiphong; the piers at the secondary port of Hongai, and the railway terminal and power plant at Laokay, less than a mile from the Chinese border. The ones struck earlier are Kep, 40 miles north of Hanoi, which was first bombed April 24: Hoalac, 20 miles west of Hanoi, April 24: Kienan, five and a half miles southwest of Haiphong, May 10; and Catbi, two miles southeast of Haiphong, October 8.
“In a formal statement on the increased air activity the Pentagon reported that while there were six engagements with MIG’s in July and seven in August, this number increased to 14 in September and 10 in the first half of this month. United States shot down five MIG’s and lost none of their own in aerial combat during the first half of this period, the statement continued, but during the second half American planes only shot down two and lost six to the enemy.
“The comparison covered only a fairly brief period but was indicative of new aggressiveness on the part of the North Vietnamese. About two months ago, apparently in anticipation of further airfield strikes, the North moved planes to the Peitun-Yunnani air base in Southwest China, the Pentagon said. Among these were the six IL-28 medium-range bombers previously based at Phucyen. No bombers are believed to be in North Vietnam now. the Pietun-Yunnani base is thought now to be providing a haven for 50 to 70 MIG-17’s and MIG-21’sa and 8 IL’28’s. Two of the bombers had previously been there. Philip G. Goulding, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said, that ‘there was no evidence of any attacks mounted up from China.’
“The apprehension in some quarters is that if the North Vietnamese Air Force does start to conduct operations from Chinese Sanctuary, this would increase the danger that American planes involved dogfights might stray over the Chinese border and create diplomatic incident.
“But some officers pointed out that if the North Vietnamese tried to defend the air corridors around Hanoi and Haiphong with China-based MIG’s, they would have enough fuel, at most, for only 20 to 30 minutes over the defended area before they would have to return to their bases. ‘This is hardly enough for effective operations,’ one officer said. Instead, the North might try to move in additional numbers of planes, from time to time to operate out of Gialam, Kep or other bases that have been repaired, but this might be difficult…”
THE REST OF PAGE 1: “U.S. SAID TO URGE ISRAELIS TO SHUN REPRISAL ACTION–RUSH AND EBAN DISCUSS LOSS OF DESTROYER–DYAN ASSERTS CAIRO RENEWS HOSTILITIES”… Page 1: “Egyptian Missile Identified By U.S.–Soviet-Made Naval Weapon Called Styx Has No Real Equivalent in the West”… “…have been considered a potential threat since they first came to the attention of the United States Navy during the Cuban Missile crisis and blockade of 1962.”… Page 1: “Johnson Affirms Vietnam Policies Despite Protest–Pledges U.S. Will ‘Stay The Course”…”And Says Hanoi Is Unwilling to Seek Peace–Humphrey Backs View–Vice President Also Denies this Nation Is Trying To Crush Mainland China”... “…brushes aside a weekend of dissent and reasserts the Administration’s intention to persevere in Vietnam.” …Page 13: “Red Control Bill Passed By Senate-–Dirksen Measure Would Let Subversives Unit Act”… “The Senate passed by a vote of 65 to 10 today a bill to rewrite the Internal Security Act of 1950 in an attempt to provide an effective means of exposing Communist organizations and individuals…Will pass the House easily… The Supreme Court had rendered the 1950 law inoperative… to require registration would violate constitutional rights against self-incrimination…two years of no action. Subversive Activities Control Board idle.”…
24 OCTOBER 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were four fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 24 October 1967.
(1) CAPTAIN M.D. SCOTT was flying an F-105D of the 354th TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on a strike mission to Kep airfield went hit by 85mm antiaircraft fire over the target. He was able to fly the failing aircraft about 45 miles toward the Gulf of Tonkin before he had to eject. He came down 22 miles inland and was fortunate to be rescued by a Navy helicopter and crew making a daring maximum effort to make the rescue of CAPTAIN SCOTT…
(2) LTJG RALPH EUGENE FOULKS was flying an A-4E of the VA-163 Saints embarked in USS Oriskany on a strike on the Haiphong railroad yard and had delivered his bombs on target when hit by antiaircraft fire exiting the target area. LTJG FOULKS was able to reach the water of the Gulf before he was required to leave his faltering Skyhawk. He was rescued by a Navy SAR helicopter to fly and fight again. Sadly, the young warrior was killed on an armed reconnaissance mission three months later...
(3) COMMANDER CHARLES ROGERS GILLESPIE, Commanding VF-151, and LTJG RICHARD CHAMP CLARK were flying an F-4B of the VF-151 Vigilantes embarked in USS CORAL SEA as part of the maximum effort coordinated initial strike on the Phuc Yen airfield. CDR GILLESPIE was leading a TARCAP section as the strike force flew west along Thud Ridge 13 miles north of the target, they were met with a volley of SA-2 missiles. CDR GILLESPIE manuvered away from one but was kit by another. The aircraft was burning and systems were failing. the cockpit filled with smoke, the radio failed and CDR GILLESPIE hand signaled LTJG CLARK to eject as he left the aircraft. CDR GILLESPIE was captured and interned for the duration of the war as a POW. The fate of LTJG CLARK is unknown. He was not seen in the POW camps, but his remains were returned to the United States in January 1991 and identified for final burial in 2014… Leave no man behind… Well done Joint Recovery folks…
(4) LTJG ROBERT FRANCHOT FRISHMAN and LTJG EARLGRDNER LEWIS were flying an F-4B of the VF-151 Vigilantes as part of the strike group headed for Phuc Yen as an element of CDR GILLESPIE and LTJG CLARK’s CAP unit. When the Skipper went down, and a rescue was setting up, LTJG FRISHMAN began an orbit in the areas. After about fifteen minutes the F-4 was damaged by one SAM and shortly thereafter hit by a second missile forcing the pair of young warriors to abandon the failing Phantom. They were both captured and interned as POWs. LTJG FRISHMAN was seriously wounded and hospitalized. The North Vietnamese selected the permanently disabled LTJG FRISHMAN for an early release and return to America in August 1969. LTJG LEWIS returned with CDR GILLESPIE on 14 March 1973.
RIPPLE SALVO… #597… On 24 and 25 October 1967 more than two hundred American fighter-bomber aviators had an up-close and personal experience welcoming JCS-6, the Phuc Yen Airfield, into the air war. Its taboo, fly-over sanctuary status was busted… Some of the very best tales of the first days of pounding Phuc Yen are found in the masterful compilation of Howie Plunkett found on-line under the heading “34TFS/F-105” … Humble Host quotes from Howie’s collection of testimony in the following:
“On Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, 24 and 25 October, F-105s from the 388 TFW from Korat and the 355 TFW from Takhli struck Phuc Yen for the first time. The airfield was located 18 miles northwest of Hanoi…in RP-6A, North Vietnam….”
“…USAF bombs made several craters in the airfield runway and taxi areas. Also during the strike a MiG-17 was downed by an F-4 crew assigned to the 8 TFW.”
“F-105s from the 388 TFW were first in the attack stream.They dropped their bombs on the MiG parking revetments while the 355 TFW attacked the runways.
” ‘Olympia’ flight from the 34 TFS out of Korat was the first to attack the airfield. Take off 1405. Mission Length: 3+10. Flight Lineup was #1 Major Dalton Leftwich, who was also Mission Commander; #2 Captain Hugh Davis; #3 Major Floyd Herzig; and #4 Major Spence M. ‘Sam’ Armstrong (Who kept one of the best mission logs of the war. Google Sam and you get the whole log, an unpublished manuscript.) … see next two paragraphs…
“It was Maj. Armstrong’s 11th combat mission into North Vietnam. ‘Today was the big one, Phuc Yen! This airfield is the major airfield in NVN and had previously been off-limits. Today our wing, Takhli, the F-4s from Ubon, and I think the Navy, all zeroed in on Phuc Yen Airfield. We went in of course the land route. Lefty was also mission commander so that meant our flight was the first of 20 F-105s to bomb the field. The F-4 MIGCAP drew about 8 SAMs as they preceded us into the target. There was quite a bit of 85mm flak as we rolled in and as we pulled off plus some 37/57-mm. at least 2 aircraft got hit though they didn’t know it until they got home. We dropped CBUs and as I pulled off, I could see a number of secondary explosions. We picked up several more volleys of 85-mm flak as we came too close to Yen Bay going out. (Major Armstrong’s 100 mission combat log, pg. 4).
“Later, Major Armstrong commented further on this mission in his memoir. ‘This was their primary MiG-21 base just Northwest of Hanoi. Up to this point it had been off-limits for attack. Whenever did strike the civil airfield (Gia Lam) outside Hanoi although it was widely known that MiGs sometimes used it. LBJ and McNamara had this dumb idea that we would gradually increase the targets were willing to strike and this was the way to get the North Vietnamese to sue for peace. Our wing came in using the land route and dropped CBUs along the flight line to hit the MiGs in their revetments. Takli rolled in just behind us with 3,000# bombs to destroy the runway. The F-4C’s followed them with bombs and maybe even the Navy got it on this historic attack. I think we surprised them and did some considerable damage. There were no U.S. losses. No SA-2s were fired and 85-mm flak was spotty. I was written up for a Silver Star on this mission but it was down graded to a Distinguished Flying Cross. This was the first of three Silver Star downgrades–so I never got one although most Thud pilots did.’ (LGEN Sam Armstrong chapter in unpublished manuscript titled , “Southeast Asia October 1967-May 1968”)..
Comment of Major Kenneth W. Mays, also from the 34TFS, flew in the raid. “I was most pleased to be a flight lead on the first attack on Phuc Yen. As expected we received a lot of fireworks. Without exception every pilot put good bombs on the target and numerous MiGs were destroyed on the ground (I have several photos). I came back from this mission with 151 holes in my aircraft and have a collection of Russian metal that the crew chief picked from my aircraft.”
Comment of Major James D. Gormley from the 333 TFS at Takhli, who was one of the 355 TFW pilots on the mission. “Phuc Yen airfield had been off-limits ever since the bombing began. Whenever we flew a mission near Hanoi, we would go right over Phuc Yen. we could look down at “MiG Haven” and see the planes coming at us. It gave us a futile feeling not to be able to bomb them in their sanctuary (When the strike was approved)….every pilot in the wing wanted to go.…and I was proud to be one who got a chance. Everything went as we had been briefed. We rolled in through heavy defenses but destroyed the target and got every bird back home safely. (Takhli Times, 29 March 1968 reporting Major Gormley’s comments after his 100th mission)…
From Air Force Times: Major William Kirk… “It was absolutely great, ” said a smiling, elated Major William L Kirk, a Phantom aircraft commander and now a double-MIG killer, as he described his latest MiG-21 Kill…”Flying combat air patrol (MIG-CAP) for strike-fighter pilots.” Kirk caught the enemy aircraft as it attacked bomb laden aircraft. “They came at us from behind and I turned my flight around and had a good old knock-down, drag-out rat-race with him for almost 10 minutes. I ran him down and got him with the gun,” said the veteran of more than 30 missions into the heavily defended Hanoi area.
Phuc Yen… The high-water mark of Rolling Thunder?…
RTR QUOTE for 24 October: TACITUS, History: “If we must fall, we should boldly meet our fate.”…
Lest we forget… Bear