RIPPLE SALVO… #667… A summary of what we were doing and why we were doing it; a look at how we did; and what it cost our country in blood and treasure to do it in the Year 1967… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN of remembering. Two thirds of Rolling Thunder blogged and the historic year of 1968 to go…
3 JANUARY 1968… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy, cold Wednesday in the Empire State…
Page 1: GROUND WAR: “G.I.’s KILL 348 IN REPELLING FOE’s ATTACK DURING TRUCE”… “An element of the 25th Infantry Division with the help of air and artillery support repelled three attacks by a regiment-sized enemy force seven miles from the Cambodian border, killing 348 enemy soldiers…The fighting began shortly before midnight Monday at a base camp of the division’s Third Brigade near Tayninh, in a jungle area 60 miles northwest of Saigon. This was six hours before the end of the 36-hour allied cease-fire for the New Year holiday and an hour before the expiration of the three-day truce period announced by the Vietcong… American losses in the fight were given as 23 killed with 153 wounded….In other ground action, “enemy forces attacked the United States air base at Danang with about 30 rounds of 122mm rocket fire, wrecking an F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber. Three other planes were damaged in the 11-minute attack…”… Page 3: “B-52 heavy bombers and helicopter gunships struck at withdrawing enemy forces that attacked the 25th Infantry Division.”….
Page 1: “President Signs Bill To Increase Pensions of Aged–Law Covers 24-Million Social Security Bill to Begin in Early March–New Tax Rates Outlined–Johnson Scoring Curbs On Welfare, Names Panel To Examine all Programs”… “President Johnson signed tonight an omnibus Social Security Bill that will raise the pensions of 24 million persons by at least 13 per cent and gradually raise the Social Security taxes of 78 million other citizens. Checks for the increased pensions will be sent out starting early in March…. at the same time, the President expressed displeasure about some new restrictions that the measure imposes on welfare payments. In fact, Mr. Johnson added, these changes show that the nation’s welfare system now pleases no one, is ‘outmoded and in need of major change.’ “... Page 1: “Hanoi Statement Viewed as Shift–U.S. Exploring Declaration That North ‘Will’ Confer If War Against It Ceases”... “The United States is using diplomatic channels to try to determine Hanoi’s intentions in issuing a statement promising peace talks once American bombing raids and other acts of war against North Vietnam were unconditionally halted…. For the first time, it appeared, the North Vietnamese Government has stated explicitly that it ‘will’ hold talks with the United States on relevant, but unspecified, questions once American bombing and all other acts of war against North Vietnam have ended. Previously, Hanoi’s position was more vague–that there ‘could’ be talks if the acts of war ceased….
Page 1: “U.S. May Impose A Tax On Travel To Help Dollar–Consider Penalty for Trip Outside the Hemisphere–Wilber Mills Friendly to Move”… Page 1: “Second Heart Transplant Performed In Capetown by Dr. Christian Barnard”… Page 3: “Poll Finds Labor Split–43% Of Rank and File Term War ‘An Error’, Gallop Poll Says”… Page 3: “Peace March Chief Gets Bomb in Mail–David Delinger On Receiving End”… Page 3: “Asylum Expected in Sweden For Four Intrepid Sailors”… Page 5: “Soviet Union Keeps Tanks and Missiles in Mongolia On China Border”… Page 5: “Daily Pentagon Casualty List of 54 Killed-in-Action Includes 49 Marines”… Page 6: “Laos Worried As North Vietnamese encircles Northern Post.”…
3 January 1968…The President’s Daily Brief: NORTH VIETNAM: North Vietnamese propaganda continues to insist that the bombings have not stopped expansion of local light industries which support agriculture and produce consumer goods. The alleged gains, however, probably have not matched either the regime’s plans or its needs. A Hanoi broadcast on 30 December says that 500 light industry plants have been built-in dispersed locations in rural areas during the past two years. Virtually all of these plants are small-scale, workshop-type operations and most produce such things as farm tools, processed foods, glassware, matches, and cigarettes. The output of these industries is said to have increased “substantially and in some cases up to 30-per cent.” There is no doubt that dispersed light industries have enjoyed high priority during the bombing years. The broadcast claimed, for instance, that investment in them doubled in 1966 and increased 37 percent in 1967… SOUTH VIETNAM: The Communists are intensively preparing for a new round of attacks near Dak To, not far from the Cambodian border…. COMMUNIST CHINA: The upsurge of violence around the country in recent weeks is largely traceable to Mao’s latest fulminations….
3 JANUARY 1968 … OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (4 Jan reporting 3 Jan ops)…Page 3: “Two MIG-17s were reported downed today (3 Jan) by Air Force Phantoms in an engagement north of Hanoi as the weather lifted slightly over the heartland of North Vietnam. If confirmed, the total number of enemy jets listed as having been brought down in air battles will rise to 103 compared with 36 American planes lost. Among the targets struck were the Hungyen boatyard, 32 miles south of Hanoi, the Langgang railroad yard, 64 miles northeast of the capital and the Hoabinh army barracks, 30 miles to the south. Navy pilots struck a highway bridge 1.7 miles southeast of the center of Haiphong. The loss of a Navy F-8 Crusader jet as the result of ground fire over southern North Vietnam was announced ( LTJG CRAIG TAYLOR, VF-111, Oriskany, rescued), bringing the number of planes downed in the North to 774. In all 142 missions were flown yesterday (2 Jan), all against targets in the southern part of the country….NYT, 3 January, Page 1: “American planes bombed in the Hanoi area early Wednesday for the first time this year, Agence France-Presse reported from Hanoi. The agency said the attack was apparently o targets within three to twelve miles of the capital. There was no immediate report of damage.”…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 3 January 1968…
(1) An F-4B of VMFA-122 and MAG-11 at Danang was destroyed in an enemy 49-round mortar and 122-mm rocket attack that damaged twenty other aircraft….
(1) LCDR EDWARD DALE ESTES was flying an A-4E of the VA-112 Bombing Broncos embarked in USS Kitty Hawk on his 90th mission as leader of the Iron Hand support element for a wing Alpha Strike on the Kien An highway bridge 1.5 miles south of Haiphong and attacking a SAM site near the bridge when hit by an SA-2 while in the attack on the site. LCDR ESTES was able to fly his crippled Skyhawk about eight miles south of the target area before ejecting. He was immediately captured and interned for the duration of the war–1,898 days as a POW. His subsequent service included Command of Light Attack Squadron VA-72, the Naval Air Station at Agana, Guam, and Commander Tactical Air Control Group Two. Among his combat awards: the Silver Star: Citation reads:
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 3 to 5 January 1968. During this period, his captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion to duty, he reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.”… oohrah, old friend, and fellow NAVCAD…
(3) COLONEL JAMES ELLIS BEAN, Wing Deputy for Operations, was flying an F-105D of the 469th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat on a major wing strike on the Kinh No Railway yard when intercepted by several MIG-21s, one of which evaded the F-4 MIGCAP and successfully hit COLONEL BEAN’s Thunderchief with an air-to-air missile, leading to his ejection about 25 miles north of Hanoi. He was captured and interned for the remainder of the war. COLONEL BEAN flew 41 P-47 missions in World War II and was on the Thunderbird team for many years. Among his combat awards: The Silver Star and two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross…
From the Compilation: “34TFS/F-105 History” of Howie Plunkett: 03-Jan-68: “Although strike activity in the RP-6A area was confined to the period of 3 through 5 January, ‘significant results were achieved against the rail network during those three days.’ Beginning in January 1968, MIG pilots were less prone to flee toward China. Instead they became more aggressive and frequently returned for a second pass against American strike aircraft. The number of their kills increased and the MIG threat became more significant. U.S. forces therefore scheduled more MIGCAP missions and at the same time, reduced the size of strike forces to provide better force protection.”…
RIPPLE SALVO… #667… SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER 1967…
I. The Mission…What we were to do: (McNamara 25 August 1967): (1) Reduce the flow and or to increase the cost of the continued infiltration of men and supplies from North to South Vietnam; (2) Raise the morale of the South Vietnamese people who, at the time the bombing started were under severe military pressure; and, (3) To make clear to the North Vietnamese political leaders that as long as they continued their aggression against the South, they would have to pay a price in the North….. and that was our job…
II. How Did We Do?… A high-priced study group (IDA’s JASON division) concluded in late 1967 that: “The U.S. bombing of North Vietnam has had no measurable effect on Hanoi’s ability to mount and support military operations in the South….in the face of Rolling Thunder strikes on NVN, the bombing of infiltration routes in Laos, the U.S. naval operations along the coast, and tactical bombing in South Vietnam, over 86,000 men infiltrated in 1966 and continued apace in 1967. ..and has the potential to continue building the size of its armed forces, to increase the yearly infiltration of men and material...there is no basis for concluding the damage inflicted by the bombing program on North Vietnam has had any significant effect on this flow.…the ability of North Vietnam to sustain the war in the South has increased rather than decreased during the Rolling Thunder strikes… With regard to boosting the morale of the South Vietnamese, it can be said that the morale of the South Vietnamese ‘has been substantially achieved.‘… With regard to the third objective: “the expectation that bombing would erode the determination of Hanoi and its people clearly overestimated the persuasive and disruptive effects of bombing and correspondingly, underestimated the tenacity and recuperative capabilities of the North Vietnamese. THE BOMBING HAS NOT ACHIEVED ANTICIPATED GOALS…”…JASON gave Rolling Thunder an F…
III. What Did It Cost?... Through 1967, 15,812 U.S. warriors had been killed in action in the war. Who would have thought more than 42,000 more brave Americans would die before it was over??? 99,305 American warriors had been wounded by the end of 1967… In the almost twelve years of war (1961-1973) America would lose 3,322 fixed wing aircraft; the lives of 3,265 aviators; and lose 497 to the prisons of North Vietnam. The losses for all services operating North and South in 1967, including Rolling Thunder: aircraft=655; aviator’s lives=584; and POWs=163. It was the bloodiest year of Rolling Thunder. We lost 113 Air Force F-105s, 97 Air Force F-4s, 77 Navy A-4s, 37 Navy F-4s, 26 Navy F-8s and 9 Navy A-6s, the principal Rolling Thunder strike aircraft.
During the forty months of Rolling Thunder (1965-1968), Humble Host calculates we lost 2,179 aircraft, the lives of 2,057 aviators and another 356 aviators were lost to the Hanoi Hilton. In 1967 we lost 27 of the total all-years 90 aircraft to MIGs and 62 aircraft to SAMs. … the remainder of our total 2,179 downed aircraft were gunned down by AAA… (2,090)…During the year there were 122,960 Rolling Thunder attack sorties flown in Route Pack I through IV A/B, Steel Tiger and Barrel Roll, and 9,470 strike sorties were flown against the 250-plus Rolling Thunder JCS targets.
CINCPAC reported we killed 5,261 vehicles, 2,475 RR rolling stock, and 11,425 watercraft during the year. More than $130 million was the estimate for damage to the economic and military targets.
As a consolation for the failure to achieve the three goals articulated by McNamara, the River Rats and Air Pirates of Rolling Thunder were accorded this upbeat comment from CINCPAC: “A primary effect of our efforts to impede the movement of the enemy has been to force Hanoi to engage from 500,000 to 800,000 civilians in full-time and part-time war related activities, in particular for air defense and repair of Lines-of-Communication. This diversion of manpower from other pursuits, particularly from the agriculture sector, has caused a draw down of manpower…. The cost and difficulties of the war to Hanoi have sharply increased, and only through the willingness of other communist countries to provide maximum replacement of goods and material has NVN managed to sustain its war effort.”…
It was on the basis of this report card that Rolling Thunder would become an interdiction campaign rather than strategic bombing program in the early months of 1968… Rolling Thunder through 1967 was constrained by a strategy of gradualism, a litany of restrictions on the employment of our air power, and tight control by the ‘White House. As a consequence ROLLING THUNDER failed to do what it had to do to win… We fought the air war like we were afraid we would hurt somebody... War is a killing business, and in the years of Rolling Thunder, we did not have the stomach to do what had to be done–destroy the will of Hanoi to resist… That’s my opinion, what’s yours?
RTR Quote for 3 January: OVID, Tristia: “The battle ends when the enemy is down.”…
Lest we forget… Bear