ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 30 APRIL 1966

RIPPLE SALVO… The night of “Flight of the Intruder”…. but first…

Good Morning: Day SIXTY-TWO of my look back at Operation Rolling Thunder…  fifty years ago…

30 APRIL 1966 (NYT)…Saturday…ON THE HOME FRONT…Front page full of bomb shortage articles… “Bomb Parts Rushed to by U.S. to Ease Vietnam Shortage”…”The United States Air Force has ben flying emergency supplies of component parts and other ordnance to South Vietnam in the last week in an attempt to relieve a shortage of munitions, an informed source said today. The shortage of rockets, flares, 20mm ammunition used in aerial cannons, and fuses for bombs has forced a severe reduction in the intensity of the air war in South Vietnam since April 6.”… The article stated that prior to April 6 the Air Force tempo of operations was 185 sorties per day and the expenditure of bombs was rationed at 1000 per day. Between April 6 and 18 the tempo was reduced to 83 sorties per day and the ration of bombs was limited to 400. Since the 18th the tempo has been upped to 100 sorties per day with a corresponding increase of ordnance per sortie… The source stated that “munitions are being conserved by having some planes take off with less than the normal load of bombs and other ordnance.” An administration spokesman said that “…the shortage has not affected the United States air war against North Vietnam. Navy fighter bombers of the Seventh Fleet carriers flew a daily total of 64 fully armed multiple sortie missions.”…Also on page 1: The MIG kill previously reported was actually a double kill. An Air Force F-4C got credit for a kill while a second MIG-17 executed a last ditch defensive evasive maneuver to avoid a shoot down that resulted in his collision with the ground….Also:…”Dr. King Bids Alabama Negroes Conquer Fears and Vote As Bloc”…In a speech in Selma, King said, “If we are to use the ballot well we have to vote together.”… Page 3: In the air war Air Force F-4 and F-105 pilots destroyed or damaged 30 NVN trucks on highway 1A between Dong Hoi and Vinh. Navy pilots from Kitty Hawk, Enterprise and Hancock destroyed 61 barges and junks and damaged 50 more. Other Navy missions pounded targets in Nam Dinh, 47 miles southwest of Haiphong…. DOD announced the death of two troops from New York, KIA in Southeast Asia… Page 4: “”Listing of Draftees For Publication Left to Local Boards”…The Selective Service System says it is up to state directors and local draft boards whether lists of registrants order for induction are made public.”…Sports Page: The Baltimore Orioles led the majors with a 10-1 win loss record. The lineup: two Robinsons, Powell, Johnson, Blair, Echebarren, Bunker, Aparicio, and Blefary. Those were the days!!! (Humor me: your Humble Host was a Baltimore boy). The O’s are doing great this 50 years later, too.

30 APRIL 1966… ROLLING THUNDER OPS… After a disastrous day on 29 April, the operators returned to normal with only one loss of aircraft reported for the date, and that was an operational loss. LT J.S. BUZBY of VA-55 off the USS Ranger lost oil pressure in his A-4E returning to the ship from a mission into southern Laos. He ejected when the engine seized and was rescued by an Air Force helicopter a few miles off the beach.

RIPPLE SALVO… Readers are invited to savor the script of the superb speech Steve Coonts presented at the annual “Intruder Ball” earlier this month and posted here by phantom author “Mighty Thunder” with the permission of Steve. It’s a beauty, especially for the warriors who flew tailhook aircraft and called carriers home. Steve’s “Flight of the Intruder” ranks at the top of my personal list of favorite movies. Great book, great movie. My wife Pat and I were fortunate to be included in the audience of the pre-release screening at the IMAX theater in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington on the same night that Desert Storm came down hard on Baghdad. Deja vu. Who can forget the real time hotel top television reports of the bombs bursting in Baghdad on that evening more than fifteen years ago? A-6 Intruders were in the mix and doing their night attack weapons deliveries as I sat and watched the realistic screen edition of Steve’s first novel that reflected his Vietnam combat tours. The low level night attacks that were ongoing in Desert Storm were akin to those recreated on the IMAX screen and those I witnessed in my years of cruising with Intruder crews.. 

I was on the Editorial Board of the U.S. Naval Institute at that time, and got the call to review the Hollywood version of “Flight of the Intruder.” I gave it five stars, the same mark I gave the Intruder crews that I went to war with on USS Enterprise in 1966-1968. The same mark I gave the Intruders of my air wing on USS Saratoga. And the same mark I give it every time I dial it in on a snowy night on Mount Ogden. Thanks Steve for a great story. Three notches better than “Top Gun” on my scorecard. Of course, after “Top Gun” the popular bumper sticker in the attack bomber communities of Naval Aviation was: “Fighter Pilots Make Movies, Attack Pilots Make History.” Witness that opening night of Desert Storm in downtown Baghdad. “Gangway Intruder Crews.”  And a new bumper sticker: “Intruder Crews Made Movies AND History.” Amen to that.

Savor the “Mighty Thunder” post of the Steve Coonts speech. It will make your day…

Lest we forget…            Bear                   ……………….  –30–  ………………