RIPPLE SALVO… #273… NATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER MONTH: USS KITTY HAWK Vietnam combat cruises 3-6!!! but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE of a marathon remembrance of the air war we fought fifty years ago…
30 NOVEMBER 1966… WHAT THE HOME FOLKS WERE READING ABOUT from the NYT on a cloudy Wednesday in NYC…
Page 1: “U.N. Defeats Move to Seat Red China…Opposition to Peking entry gains votes but fails again–vote is 46 for and 57 against admission. U.S. policy is supported and delegates misgivings over Red Guard upheaval was an additional factor. Sixteen Black African states voted against the resolution sponsored by Albania and Cuba.”…Page 1: “U.S. Says Chinese Plan Atomic Test in a few days. Nuclear blast may be step toward H-bomb.” … Page 1: “Israeli Jet Downs 2 Egyptian MIGs Near Sinai Border. Breach laid to Soviet built craft and the encounter is viewed as an isolated incident. Two MIG-19s were downed by a single Israeli Mirage, one by a French made Matra missile and the other by guns.” … Page 1: “28 Safety Rules for All ’68 Cars Drafted By U.S.”… “Proposed standards listed for auto leaders by head of new traffic agency but auto leader can request changes before final requirements are issued by January 31.” ... Page 1: “Johnson Announces Cuts of $5Billion in Programs. President Johnson told his news conference today that Federal program totaling $5.3 billion were being canceled or delayed in the current fiscal year, with savings of $3B in the fiscal year. Cuts in 2 areas–where Congress exceeded their authority and the rest in his own programs–necessary to head off inflation.” … Page 9: “Pattern of Lulls In Fighting is Noted in Vietnam. Only 53 enemy reported killed in days action. Combat appears to drop off every 4 to 6 weeks. (See President’s Daily Brief from CIA)… Page 11: “Draft Again Cuts Mental Standard. 2.4 million men rejected in the past face rescreening with expectation lower standard will add 40,000 men qualified for military service during the next 12 months ending next September.”…
30 November 1966…THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF…CIA (Top Secret sanitized 7/24/2015)… North Vietnam: We see signs that Communist military leaders, probably shaken by the success of US search and destroy operations, are shifting from large scale operations to guerrilla tactics. A discussion of this trend is today’s Annex…
CIA ANNEX for PDB of 30 November 1966… “Return of Guerrilla Warfare” (TS sanitized) (I quote)
The “great debate” among North Vietnamese military leaders over whether to emphasize guerrilla operations over large scale mobile warfare seems to have ended for the moment–in favor of the guerrillas.
Such is the message of an article written by one “Cuu Long” (Vietnamese for “Mekong”) and widely publicized by the North Vietnamese. “Cuu Long” is probably the pseudonym of a senior member of the Communist hierarchy in South Vietnam. He specifically warns against “the erroneous concept” of “depending on concentrated troops” to challenge US forces to large unit combat on a regular basis. All this contrasts markedly with the weight placed on conventional warfare tactics by the Communist leadership within South Vietnam as late as last July.
The appearance of this article suggests that the leadership has made its decision. Actually such tactics have been forced on the Communists in recent months by the success of the US search and destroy/spoiling operations, which have made it more difficult for then to mount their own large scale operations. (several lines of copy remain classified and reacted.)
None of this means, however, that the Communists are going to pack up their gear and go home. “Cuu Long” stresses, on the contrary, that guerrilla war is admirably suited to a “protracted resistance” which will tie down enemy forces by making them spread themselves thin. Nor does he mean that the Communists will lapse into purely defensive tactics. specifically warning against any such a move, he points out that even in guerrilla warfare the object is continually to attack and harasss the enemy. “To pause at the defensive is to invite the danger of being annihilated” is the way “Cuu Long” puts it. He does not rule out occasional large scale operations, but implies that there must be closer coordination between the political and military actions of the guerrillas and the regular forces.
The author admits that the Communists face difficulties even if they go all out to develop the “unlimited potential” of guerrillas warfare. For instance, he notes the need for quickly expanding the number of guerrillas in the south, and implicitly criticizes the Viet Cong high command for weakening the guerrillas in 1965 by transferring cadres and men into the regular forces. elsewhere in the article he hints that this process is already being reversed. We indeed have signs that some of the larger units are being broken down into guerrilla groups.
The Communists clearly remain confident that with these revised tactics they can chew up US forces piecemeal and ultimately inflict a politically unacceptable level of casualties. (final five lines of copy remain redacted)… (end quote)….
30 NOVEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times published no new about the air war in the north, “Vietnam: Air Losses”(Hobson) there were no fixed wing aircraft in Southeast Asia on 30 November 1966)… oohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #273… THE FINAL FOUR VIETNAM COMBAT CRUISES OF USS KITTY HAWK. On her first two combat cruises with Carrier Air Wing ELEVEN aboard she logged 240 days at Yankee Station. (see RTR 29 Nov 66 RS #272) Her torrid tempo of operations continued until she came home from her sixth cruise on 28 November 1972 with a total participation in CTF-77 strike operations from Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin of 806ays “on the line.” Sources for my brief summaries of the ship/air wing combat ops are: “Vietnam: Combat Losses” (Hobson) and “Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club” (Francillion) and own notes/records. Readers are invited to send me correction, addition or deletion inputs, and as always are encouraged to add their own posts to this website as desired… You can become an author with your own set of regular posts. the instructions on the home page are written for fighter pilots assisted by his or her Naval flight Officer… In this regard, thanks to Denny Wisely of the permanent smile, for a few corrections to my Kitty Hawk entry yesterday. Corrections have been made. Here now: KITTY HAWK 3-6….
THE THIRD VIETNAM COMBAT CRUISE OF USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63) with CVW-11 embarked: Departed North Island 18 November 1967 and returned 28 June 1968. (8 mos.)
Days on the line: 125
Combat Losses: 8
27 Dec: F-4B of VF-114… LCDR LEONARD MURRAY LEE and LTJG ROGER BURNS INNES… both KIA…
31 Dec: A-6A of VA-75… LCDR JOHN DARLINGTON PEARCE and LT GORDON SAMUEL PERISHO… both KIA…
3 Jan 68: A-4C of VA-112… LCDR EDWARD DUKE ESTES… POW…
5 Jan: A-4E of VA-144… COMMANDER ROBERT JAMES SCHWEITZER… POW…
6 Mar: A-6A of VA-75… LT RICHARD CRAWFORD NELSON and LT GILBERT MITCHELL… both KIA…
13 Mar: A-4E of VA-144… LT ROBERT E. CURTIS… recovered…
27 Apr: A-4E of VA-144… LCDR ROBERT SAAVEDRA… KIA…
18 May: RA-5C of RVAH-11… COMMANDER CHARLES NEGUS JAMES… POW… and LCDR VINCENT DEUNCAN MONROE… POW (died in captivity)…
Operational Losses: 7 (F-4Bs 5: 2 crew killed 8 recovered; 1 A-4E: 1 pilot recovered; 1 C-1A: 7 recovered and three killed)…
THE FOURTH VIETNAM COMBAT CRUISE OF USS KITTY HAWK (CVW-11 EMBARKED) departed North Island 30 December 1968 returned 4 September 1969 (8 mos.)…
Days on the line: 111
Combat Losses: 3
14 Feb 69: A-7A of VA-105… LTJG WILLIAM CLINTON NIEDECKEN…KIA…
3 Apr: A-6A of VA-65… LCDR E.G. REDDEN and LT J.F. RICCI… both recovered…
2 May: A-7A of VA-105… LCDR W.J. O’CONNOR…recovered…
Operational Losses: 4 (F-4Bs 2: 4 crew recovered; A-7As 2: one recovered and one killed)…
THE FIFTH VIETNAM COMBAT CRUISE OF USS KITTY HAWK (CVW-11 EMBARKED) departed North Island 6 November 1970 returned 17 July 1971 (8 1/2 mos.)…
Days on the line: 138
Combat Losses: 0
Operational Losses: 1 (1 A-7E; pilot recovered)
THE SIXTH VIETNAM COMBT CRUISE OF USS KITTY HAWK (CVW-11 EMBARKED) departed North Island 17 February 1972 returning 28 November 1972 (9 1/2mos.)…
Days on the line: 192
Combat Losses: 10
21 Mar 72: A-7E of VA-192… LT DENNIS STANLEY PIKE… KIA (175th Mission)…
6 Apr: A-7E of VA-195… COMMANDER MACE C. GILFRY, CO VA-195… recovered…
14 Apr: F-4J of VF-114… LT JOSEPH GALES GREENLEAF and LT CLEMIE McKinney… both KIA…
7 May: RA-5C of RVAH-7… COMMANDER CLARENCE RONALD POLFER, XO RVAH-7, and LTJG JOSEPH EUGENE KERNAN… both POWs…
17 Jun: A-7E of VA-192… COMMANDER DARREL D. “Buddy” OWENS, XO VA-192… recovered…
18 Jun: F-4J of VF-213… LCDR ROY CASH and LTJG R.J. LAIB … both recovered…
16 Aug: F-4J of VF-114… COMMANDER JOHN RUSSELL PITZEN and LT ORLAND JAMES PENDER… both KIA…
19 Aug: A-6A of VA-52… LT RODERICK BARNUM LESTER and LT HARRY SEEBER MOSMAN … both KIA
19 Sept: A-7e of VA-192… LT W.A. ROBB… recovered…
2 Nov: A-7E of VA-192… LT R.G. DEREMER… recovered…
Operational Losses: 3 (3 A-7Es: 1 pilot recovered, 2 pilots killed, including COMMANDER DON HALL, CO VA-195 (KWF)…
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CRUISE: Two MIG-21 Kills…
(1) LT ROBERT G. HUGHES AND LTJG ADOLPH J. CRUZ of VF-114 a MIG-21 on 3 May 1972
(2) LCDR KENNETH W. PETTIGREW AND LTJG MICHAEL J. McCabe a MIG-21 on 6 May 1972
Your Humble Host returns tomorrow with the three Vietnam combat cruises of USS MIDWAY (CVA-41) and her Air Wings (5 and 2)… NATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER MONTH CONTINUES on ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED…
Lest we forget… Bear -30-