RIPPLE SALVO…#669… Pentagon Papers (pg. 232): “The Corner is Turned–January-March 1968″… “The Johnson Administration began 1968 in a mood of cautious hope about the course of the war. Within a month those hopes had been completely dashed.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE of a return to the years of Operation Rolling Thunder–the air war over North Vietnam…
5 January 1968… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a windy and cold Friday with snow and ice under foot…
Page 1: GROUND WAR: “FOES’ LOSS AT 359 IN QUESON BATTLE–NORTH VIETNAMESE REPELLED”…. “American troops beat back an attack by North Vietnamese infantrymen yesterday, killing 30 and bringing to 359 the number of enemy soldiers reported killed in two days of bitter fighting in Quangnam Province. The assault, against a company of the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) 11 miles southeast of Anhoa, was the only significant contact in the Queson Valley area south of Danang. One American was killed and 16 were wounded, bringing announced American casualties in the management to 19 dead and 151 wounded. Heavy skirmishes were reported by a military spokesman in Tayninh and Binhduong Provinces, northeast of Saigon. Seven members of the 101st Airborne Division unit that arrived in Vietnam last month were killed and 22 were wounded in their first engagement…THE WEEKLY SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES LISTED 185 AMERICANS, 227 SOUTH VIETNAMESE AND 37 OTHER ALLIED SERVICEMEN WERE KILLED IN ACTION LAST WEEK. A total of 437 Americans were wounded in action, of whom 307 required hospitalization. American and other non-Vietnamese forces reported killing a total of 623 enemy soldiers. South Vietnamese troops killed 815 of the enemy.
AMERICAN LOSSES THROUGH 30 DECEMBER BROUGHT THE DEATH TOTAL FOR 1967 TO 9,353 AND THE TOTAL KILLED IN ACTION IN THE WAR TO 15,997. A WOUNDED TOTAL OF 99,742 HAS BEEN RECORDED, OF THESE, 59,972 REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION.
Page 1: “Rusk Asserts U.S. Strives to Learn Hanoi Intentions–Says Effort is Being Made to Determine Meaning of Statement About Talks–Finds Many Questions–Bowles is Named to Confer with Sihanouk on Sanctuary Issue”… Page 1: “Hanoi’s Mission In Paris Repeats Offer on Talks”…(Historical Document 5. is a Record of Meeting of Ambassador-at-Large Averill Harriman and the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Romania that details what Hanoi was willing to offer on January 5… Worth a look at:)
5. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d5
Page 1: “New Johnson Plan Asks Business Leaders to Hire Jobless–Offers Federal funds to Companies that Promise Work After Training–400 Employers Urged to Take part”… Page 1: “Curbs on travel Upheld By Rusk–He Says Tourist Must Help Cut the Payments Deficit–2 Senators Critical”… Page 6: “Vatican Disavows A Johnson Dispute–Says Pope’s Meeting With President Was Cordial”… Page 6: “Eshkol Here, Hopes to Obtain Jets for Israel”… Page 7: “Pentagon Seeks shift in Spending–Wants More For Vietnam–Would cut other Buying”… Page 7: “International Commission Is Unable to Police Cambodian Border”… Page 9: “Despite Stalls U.N. Cyprus Talks–Turkey Wants Thant Role Limited to Present Crisis”… Page 12: “Izvestia Says U.S. Seeks Wider War”… Page 21: “Kennedy Expects to Back Johnson Despite Differences On War”…
5 January 1968…The President’s Daily Brief… SOUTH VIETNAM: Buddhists of both factions are trying jointly to form a political party that would operate behind prominent Buddhist politicians. While both moderate and radical Buddhists are interested in this approach, it is questionable that they could resolve their own differences long enough to make an effective team…. CYPRUS: Five more Greek ships arrived on Wednesday to pick up Greek “illegals.” This may help to mute growing Turkish complaints about the slow pace of the withdrawals, but will not settle the troublesome question of how many “illegals’ were on the island in the first place…. NORTH VIETNAM: Hanoi is moving with care. North Vietnamese propaganda has not followed up on Foreign Minister Trinh’s remarks that North Vietnam will talk to the US if the bombing and other acts of war against the North are stopped. Hanoi is doubtless pleased by the world-wide attention the statement is receiving and the implication that this initiative puts the “ball in the US court.” Nevertheless, the North Vietnamese seem bent on sticking precisely to the Trinh formulation and on not having it distorted or embellished by others…. HO CHI MINH: Calls for “thrift, production and combat.”… according to 31 December Hanoi broadcast, Ho paid tribute and pointed out shortcomings in government work during the past year to a year-end Council of Ministers meeting. The work of the people’s armed forces and communication and transportation forces came in for praise. Ho, however, criticized the management of labor and financial resources. The usual exhortations were made by Ho concerning performance in agriculture and animal husbandry. New efforts were called for during 1968 “to satisfactorily fulfill the state plan.” To start the new year out right, Ho described the situation during Tet as one of “thrift, production and combat.”… In another briefing note for the President, mostly redacted, was this: “The source said civilians of both sexes and all ages are mustered from villages near bomb damage and work around the clock until they get the job done. The villagers are not paid and must provide their own food. Most of the work is hand labor…he has seen as many as 10,000 people conscripted for work gangs.”…
5 JANUARY 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (6 Jan reporting 5 Jan ops) Page 3:”U.S. Plane Losses in Vietnam Pass 1,000 as 5 Are Downed”… “The announced loss of five more planes–four in North Vietnam and one in the South–has pushed American combat aircraft losses in the war in Vietnam past 1,000. The shooting down of two Air Force F-105’s in raids against North Vietnam yesterday was reported this morning by a military spokesman. This brought the total downed in the North since February 7, 1965 when the raids began, to 781. Last night the Navy announced the loss of two of its carrier based aircraft. An Air Force F-100 was brought down by ground fire while on a bombing run hear the Central Highlands city of Banmethout on Thursday. It was the 220th plane last in the South. American pilots began flying support missions for South Vietnamese troops in 1961, three years before the start of the American troop build-up.
“Air Force pilots struck railroad bridges and sidings northeast of Hanoi yesterday. For the third day in a row the planes flew within 10 miles of the Chinese border to attack the Langson railroad bridge. It was reported to have been destroyed, as were four anti-aircraft sites in the area. One of the targets in the North attacked yesterday was the airfield at Kep, northeast of Hanoi. It was the first MIG fighter base attacked since April in what was the start of several significant escalations of the air war.
“One of the pilots downed in the raids against the North Thursday was Lieut (jg) Craig Taylor of Silver Spring, Maryland, who was flying his first combat mission. Lieutenant Taylor was rescued from the Gulf of Tonkin by a Navy helicopter. His F-8 Crusader jet had been hit by ground fire as it escorted a photographic reconnaissance plane in the Thanhoa area in the southern part of North Vietnam. It crashed in the midst of a fishing fleet a few miles offshore.
“In all 135 missions were flown in the North as target planners sought to make up for lost opportunity to strike visually at North Vietnamese transportation routes. The figure was comparable to the strikes of the fair-weather days of mid-summer. When the weather closes in, as it does for much of the winter in North Vietnam, accurate bombing is possible only by the Navy’s A-6 Intruders, which are equipped with radar-computer navigation systems. The Air Force lacks an advanced all-weather fighter-bomber. In recent months it has tried to make up for the lack by using radar equipped F-105s to lead other planes to their targets. Military sources acknowledge, however, that the results are less satisfactory than those in attacks where the pilot can see his target.”…
“Vietnam: Aircraft Losses” (Hobson) There were four fixed wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia on 5 January 1968…
(1) MAJOR JAMES CUTHBERT HARTNEY and CAPTAIN SAMUEL FANTLE were flying an F-105F Wild Weasel of the 357th TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli providing Iron Hand support for a wing strike on the Dong Luc railroad bridge near Kep when hit by MIG-17 cannon fire. Their aircraft was aflame and they ejected in the target area. Two parachutes were seen in the air but no voice contact was attained. Both MAJOR HARTNEY and CAPTAIN FANTLE were listed As Missing-in-Action and assumed to be imprisoned. Not to be. The North Vietnamese reported that CAPTAIN FANTLE was killed on his parachute landing. His remains were released to the Untied States in 1977. MAJOR HARTNEY’s remains were returned without explanation in November 1989… two intrepid aviators perished 50 years ago and left behind untold anguish and uncertainty in their grieving families for decades… “they also serve who wait”…. “and wait, and wait…….
(2) LCOL W.T. RODENBACH and LT E.T. PIZZO were flying an RF-4C of the 11th TRS and 432nd TRW out of Udorn on photographic mission in Route Pack VI and were hit at 7,000-feet by anti-aircraft fire about 10 miles west of Phuc Yen airfield. LCOL RODENBACH was able to fly the badly damaged Photo Phantom back to Thailand but the aircraft became uncontrollable and the two aviators were forced to eject 45 miles short of Udorn…
(3) COMMANDER ROBERT JAMES SCHWEITZER was flying an A-4E of the VA-144 Roadrunners embarked in USS KITTY HAWK was leading an Iron Hand element on a wing Alpha Strike on targets in the Haiphong area when hit by 37mm ground fire. Cascading systems failures resulted in COMMANDER SCHWEITZER’s ejection in the Haiphong area where he was captured and imprisoned for more than five years…
(3) CAPTAIN WILLIAM EUGENE JONES was flying an F-105D of the 469th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat as part of a strike force that hit Kep air field. CAPTAIN JONES delivered his bombs on the air field and was climbing out of his dive attack when hit by 85mm ground fire, requiring his ejection in the target area. He was seen in his parachute and his beeper was activated but no voice contact was made. He was listed as missing in action and presumed captured. Not to be. His remains were returned from Vietnam without explanation in 1985…
(4) LTJG RALPH EUGENE FOULKS was flying an A-4E of the VA-163 Saints embarked in USS ORISKANY on a night armed reconnaissance mission south of Nam Dinh and followed his leader on a dive bombing attack on trucks. His leader was unable to contact LTJG FOULKS thereafter. There was no beeper or voice contact. There was ground fire in the area. It was presumed LTJG FOULKS was killed in action, either from ground fire or flying into the ground. His remains were returned to the United States by the North Vietnamese in 1988…
From the Compilation “34TFS/F-105 History” by Howie Plunkett… 05-Jan-68… “F-105s from the 388th TFW, struck the Yen Bai airfield on a Commando Club mission… Additional F-105s struck the Thai Nguyen Railroad yard… Twelve other F-105s from the 388th TFW struck the Lang Son railroad bridge bypass. Strike pilots dropped 72 M-177s on the 400′ x 10′ bridge. Post-strike BDA revealed one pier destroyed and one pier probably damaged. The approaches to the bridge remained serviceable. Flak suppression aircraft dropped 13 CBU-24s and four CBU-29s on firing flak sites. pilots estimated four AAA sites destroyed or severely damaged…”
“A successful visual attack was also made on the Kep airfield JCS 9)… Korat flights attacking the airfield were: ‘Pistol”, “Hatchet”, “Crossbow”, and “Simmer’. “Bobbin” was the Iron Hand flight…The strike force commander was Captain Sam P. Morgan from the 34 TFS flying as “Pistol 01″… “While attempting to suppress air defenses along the ingress route , Ironhand F-105s launched four AGM-45s at a SAM site near Hanoi. Pilots estimated they destroyed a Fansong Radar and a van. At the airfield, Iron hand aircraft expended two CBU-24s and reported heavy damage to an AAA site. They observed two secondaries near the site. The follow-on strike force, consisting of three flights of F-105Ds, struck the airfield and reported several interdictions on the southwest and center sections of the runway. The crews expended 72 750-pound bombs over the target area. One F-105 was down by AAA fire as it was pulling off the target. Post-strike BDA revealed the runway was cratered in these area, rendering it unserviceable and non -operational”… “Captain William E. Jones from the 469th TFS, flying as ‘Crossbow 03″ was shot down on the mission.” (see Hobson above)… MORE ON 5 JAN OPS TOMORROW…
RIPPLE SALVO… #669… Pentagon Papers (Gravel Edition) Page 232…. “THE CORNER IS TURNED–JANUARY-MARCH 1968…
“The Johnson Administration began 1968 in a mood of cautious hope about the course of the war. Within a month those hopes had been completely dashed. In late January and early February, the Viet Cong and their North Vietnamese supporters launched the massive Tet assault on the cities and towns of South Vietnam and put the Johnson Administration and the American public through a profound political catharsis on the wisdom and purpose of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the soundness of our policies for the conduct of the war. The crisis engendered the most soul-searching debate within the Administration about the course to take next in the whole history of the war. In the emotion-laden atmosphere of those dark days, there were cries for large-scale escalation on the one side and for significant retrenchment on the other. In the end, an equally difficult decision–to stabilize the effort in the South and de-escalate in the North–was made. One of the inescapable conclusions of the Tet experience that helped to shape that decision was that as an interdiction measure against the infiltration of men and supplies, the bombing had been a near total failure. Moreover, it had not succeeded in breaking Hanoi’s will to continue the fight. The only other major justification for continuing the bombing was its punitive value, and that began to pale in comparison with the potential (newly perceived by many) of its suspension for producing negotiations with the DRV, or failing that, a large propaganda windfall for the U.S. negotiating position. The President’s dramatic decision at the end of March capped a long month of debate. Adding force to the President’s announcement of the partial bombing halt was his own personal decision not to seek re-election.”…
RTR Quote for 5 January: ROBERT BROWNING, Paracelsus: “I give the fight up; let there be an end, A privacy, an obscure nook for me, I want to be forgotten even by God.”…
Lest we forget… Bear