RIPPLE SALVO… #212… LATE EDITION–SHORT FORM–COMPUTER HICCUP…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED TWELVE recapping Rolling Thunder “the way it was” fifty years ago….
29 SEPTEMBER 1966… New York Times … (30 SEPT reporting 29 SEPT) OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… Page 5: “In the air war yesterday United States Air Force pilots spotted four MIG-21 jets, the most advanced plane used by North Vietnam, but turned away without a fight…the Air Force pilots were pulling away from the wreckage of two railroad bridges and twisted tracks 99 miles northwest of Hanoi when the North Vietnamese MIGs came into sight 15 to 20 miles away. The F-105s, armed with 20mm Gatling guns that brought down two MIG-17s, which are slower, last week, did not give chase. A similar incident occurred over North Vietnam last Tuesday (20th). The reason for no chase may be fuel reserve considerations. Twenty-one of the 100 multi-plane flights made by American pilots yesterday went into the Red River Valley near Hanoi. The pilots again, however, struck hardest in the panhandle, the narrow area of southern North Vietnam above the DMZ. Navy pilots dropped 250-500 pound bombs and fired Bullpup missiles into the Yenza railroad, highway bridge but were unable to destroy it. A piece of jagged metal from anti-aircraft guns slashed through the airplane canopy and ejection seat of LCDR G.C. Cornell of New York as he attacked the bridge in a Navy F-4 Phantom. Commander Cornell and his radar intercept officer, LTJG Bill Marshall from Atlanta, safely landed on their carrier. Meanwhile, other Navy pilots reported bombing an apparent cargo transfer point 25 miles southeast of Haiphong. In South Vietnam, U.S.Air Force and Marine pilots flew 458 single plane attack sorties and reported smashing 248 enemy buildings.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) One fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia o9n 29 September 1966…
(1) MAJOR SAUL WAXMAN and 1LT J.E. GLOVER were flying an F-4C of the 497th TFS and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a Night Owl armed reconnaissance mission and were downed by AAA while attacking a ferry 35 miles northwest of Donghoi. MAJOR WAXMAN was able to fly the crippled Phantom several miles into mountainous terrain before the crew were forced to eject. A Bright Light rescue team recovered both men, but MAJOR WAXMAN was killed in the ejection. Hobson points out that this was the second rescue and recovery operation organized by the Joint Personnel Recovery Team… “No man left behind…” MAJOR WAXMAN was killed in action on the attack and died for his country fifty years ago today.
RIPPLE SALVO… #212… Spent the night hassling with my computer… short and to the point on this Wednesday… but plenty of time to ponder a little of the history we were making fifty years ago, and the sacrifice of MAJOR WAXMAN…
Lest we forget… Bear ……… –30– ……….