RIPPLE SALVO… #508… WHAT’S THE PLAN?… “…just enough pressure be kept on Hanoi to convince them of America’s determination to stay the course, without arousing the wrath of either the doves and or the hawks at home.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day FIVE HUNDRED EIGHT of a return to the air war over North Vietnam called Rolling Thunder…
26 JULY 1967…HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a partly cloudy Wednesday in NYC…
SUMMER 1967 IN AMERICA: Page 1: “Troops Battle Snipers, Firing Machine Guns From Tanks; Lindsay Appeals To East Harlem–Detroit Toll of Dead is 31–Rioters Rout Police–Guardsmen Released To Aid Other Cities…”…deadly gun battle, the worst in three days of rioting here took the lives of a 4-year old girl, a hotel guest and a sniper.”...Page 1: “Congress Chiefs Ask Riot Inquiry–Members Want U.S. Action But Differ On What Kind”...Page 1: “Detroit Negroes Call Police Slow-–Say Strong Action at Start Could Have Saved the City”… Page 1: “East Harlem, New York–Renewed Violence In 2 Puerto Rican Areas”… Page 1: “Chief of SNCC Hunted by FBI–Leader H. Rap Brown Missing–Accused of ‘Inciting to Riot in Arson and Gunfire in Maryland’…” …Page 19: “Dr. King Supports Troops In Detroit–Tells Johnson In Telegram Riots Must Be Stopped”... “I am very sorry that Federal troops had to be called in, but there is no question that when a riot erupts, it has to be stopped… Revolts come out of revolting conditions. A riot is the language of the unheard. It is a suicidal act–when the Negro says, ‘I am tired of living like a dog.'” … Page 19: “Reagan Brands Those in Riots ‘Mad Dogs Against The People”… “These are no longer riots connected with civil rights in any way.’The first victims, as they are in Detroit are the good responsible members of the Negro community, which is about 98-per cent in any majority or minority committee.’ “… Page 19: “At Least 8 Shot in Saginaw, Michigan–Sniping and Arson Erupt–Blazes in Grand Rapids”... Page 19: “Gangs Challenge Police in Toledo as Firebombing Reported...second night in a row.”… Page 22: “Carmichael (in Cuba) Is Quoted as Saying Negroes Form Guerrilla Bands”… “Stokely Carmichael was quoted by the Cuban news agency today as saying that American Negroes were organizing as urban guerrillas for ‘a fight to the finish.’ “…
Page 18: “President Used a Law of 1795 To Send Federal Troops To Detroit”... “The legal bis for President Johnson’s order last night sending troops to the aid of state and local officials in the Detroit riot has been on the books since 795. The law says that at the request of a state’s legislature or it’s governor…may call armed forces whenever there is an insurrection in any state against the government.”…
MIDEAST/SIX DAY WAR: PAGE 18: “Israelis Salvage Treasure In Arms–Train After Train Carrying Equipment From El Arish”… “A glance at the scene here would be enough to bring a Soviet quartermaster to tears…hundreds of barely used Soviet supplied tanks, armored cars, half-tracks and artillery pieces are being loaded on trains every day and shipped north to Israel…two 30 car trains every day for more than two weeks, June 9 to July 25.”…
26 JULY 1967…The President’s TS daily CIA Brief… VIETNAM: Some of the North Vietnamese regiments that had been operating just south of the Demilitarized Zone appear to have been pulled back to positions within or north of the DMZ. This may have been dictated by the need for rest, resupply, and reinforcement after ten days of heavy fighting early this month with US Marines….LAOS: The Communists have turned up the heat a bit under the back-burner was in Laos. Several recent actions–the 16 July sabotage raid on a Luang Prabang airfield and increasing artillery shelling elsewhere–seems intended to raise pressure on government troops who themselves have been probing into enemy-held territory. We see no signs of a general Communist offensive, but there may be attempts to pick-off some of the more isolated garrisons…
26 JULY 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (27 July reporting 25-26 July ops) Page 6: “In the air war in North Vietnam bad weather prevented raids in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas but American pilots flew 176 strikes against targets in the panhandle south of the Red River Delta. A spokesman reported the loss of two United States planes over the North, the 616th and 617th of the war. They were a Navy A-4 Skyhawk attack bomber and a two seat F-4C Phantom. The three crewmen were listed as missing in action. For the first time in the war pilots operating from the USS Forrestal, one of the Navy’s largest carriers, took part in Rolling Thunder raids...She joined carriers USS Bon Homme Richard and USS Oriskany on the line. USS Constellation and USS Kitty Hawk are also in Southeast Asia. …Page 6: “Dam in North Vietnam Hit Four Days In Row, Hanoi says”… “…located just north of DMZ… 1,000 bombs and 400 artillery rockets hit the Langa Dam in Vinhlinh on July 7,8,9, and 10 according to Hanoi radio.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 26 July 1967…
(1) LCOL R.M. CASSELL was flying an O-1E of the 20th TASS and 505th TASG out of Danang on a visual reconnaissance when hit by ground fire 10 miles south of Kham Duc. LCOL CASSELL crash landed the Bird Dog bird and was rescue to fly again.
(2) MAJOR RICHARD AMES CLAFLIN and 1LT RICHARD BRAZIK were flying an F-4C of the 433rd TFS and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a night armed reconnaissance and commenced an attack on a ten truck convoy about 35 miles west of Cape Mui Ron. On the second bomb run on the convoy the aircraft was enveloped in an explosion, thought to have been an early detonation of one of their own weapons. CAPTAIN CLAFLIN and 1LT BRAZIK perished, “Killed in Action, bodies not recovered.” But remembered on this day fifty years after then died in the service of our country…
(3) MAJOR GILLAND WALES CORBITT and 1LT WILLIM ORLAN BARE were flying an RF-4C of the 16th TRS and 460th TRW out of Tan Son Nhut on a night photo reconnaissance mission over Route Pack One to include photo coverage of a ferry and crossing at Laut Son. They apparently completed their mission and were returning to base when they went missing about 25 miles west of Donghoi. MAJOR CORBITT and 1LT BARE perished, “Killed in Action, bodies not recovered,” but are remembered on this day fifty years later. Glory gained, duty done.
RIPPLE SALVO… #508… On 18 July Rolling Thunder 57 was authorize and some new life was pumped into the strike plans of CinCPac. Unfortunately, not as much as he and the JCS had worked for six months to make happen. In fact, after about four months of studying, thinking , discussing and developing their recommendations for which way to take the plan for the conduct of the air war: more targets in Hanoi and Haiphong (and mining) versus going after the LOC’s below 20-degrees in a dedicated interdiction strategy, or keep on doing what we were doing all spring–about 20-per cent effort in the northern Route Packs and the rest in the panhandle. In the end, an old advisor of President Johnson back-doored the recommendation that LBJ put into action. The following is from John Morrocco’s “The Vietnam Experience: Thunder From Above.”….. I quote…
“During the course of the debate, the President received an unsolicited letter from his former national security advisor, McGeorge Bundy. Now head of the Ford Foundation, Bundy noted that Hanoi’s leaders appeared to be willing to continue the war no matter the costs until the elections of 1968, when change of government in Washington might bring a more conciliatory American attitude. They had used the same tactic against the war-weary French in 1954. Bundy recommended that just enough pressure be kept on Hanoi to convince them of America’s determination to stay the course without arousing the wrath of the doves and hawks at home. Bundy’s analysis confirmed the president’s own views and Johnson rejected both options presented by McNamara and the Joint Chiefs. Instead, he chose to continue the same course. The new Rolling Thunder directive issued on July 18 included only sixteen new targets within the Red River Delta. None were authorized within the prohibited zones of Hanoi and Haiphong.” End quote…
Rolling Thunder 57 was authorized–more of the same. A “Report on the War in Vietnam (as of June 1968),” published by Commander-in-Chief Pacific provides a good summary of RT 56 and 57. Succinct!… ” I quote…
MAY and JUNE: “ROLLING THUNDER 55 was replaced by ROLLING THUNDER 56 on May 2. This added ten new fixed targets, all of which were struck by the end of May. The good weather period over North Vietnam permitted maximum effort against authorized targets and LOC’s. Of signal interest was the concentrated program against North Vietnam’ land transportation system along with major supply lines from Communist China. The main effort was concentrated primarily on classification yards, repair facilities, railroad and highway bridges and support areas. Results were excellent., particularly in the entrapment of rolling stock and its subsequent destruction. Simultaneous armed reconnaissance of the road and canal LOC’s contributed to intensifying overall logistical problems throughout North Vietnam. This pattern of air attacks continued throughout 1967 with the overall purpose of isolating Haiphong and Hanoi from the rest of the country especially those LOC’s radiating southward to Laos and the Demilitarized Zone.
JULY: “During July favorable flying weather existed in the northern areas of North Vietnam approximately 66 percent of the month. This allowed maximum effort to be applied throughout North Vietnam and resulted in record number of attack sorties flown in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas and against the vital northern rail and road transportation system. On July 20 ROLLING THUNDER 57, with 16 new targets, was authorized.
AUGUST: “The period of favorable flying weather during August was about 20 per cent less than July. The campaign in the north was stimulated by the follow-on authorization to ROLLING THUNDER 57 for attacks against selected LOC’s in the northeast. The new authorization increased the fixed targets from 16 to 46. These strikes resulted in marked attrition of railroad rolling stock and interdiction of the railroad lines in the Hanoi and Haiphong area, 30 fixed targets were attacked. The targets exposed in these previously restricted areas consisted primarily of railroad and highway bridges and bypasses, and supply storage areas. Penetration of these sanctuaries, coupled with the high level of damage attained further compounded the problem of transshipment of vital supplies to the South. On 24 August all targets in the Hanoi area were again placed in a restricted status..” End quote…
RTR QUOTE for 26 July: SHAKESPEARE: “Boldness be my friend! Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!”
Lest we forget…. Bear