RIPPLE SALVO… #578… AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF: THE “GRADUALIST” APPROACH TO THE AIR WAR COST AMERICAN LIVES… but first…
Good Morning: Day FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT of remembering “the last great air war” and the warriors who fought it for our beloved country on the basis of “my country, right or wrong, my country.”…
5 OCTOBER 1967… A few Head Lines from The New York Times on a cloudy–rain coming–Thursday in NYC…
Page 1: “Senate Rejects $2.8-Billion Plan on Poverty Jobs–A $925-Million Compromise With Bipartisan Backing Also Defeated, 47-42″… Page 1: “Cleveland Negro Gains Backing And is Favored in Mayor Race”… “State Representative Carl Stokes, the Negro who won the Democratic nomination for Mayor last night emerged today as a slight favorite to defeat Republican Seth Taft for Mayor of Ohio’s largest city. Vice President Humphrey said: ‘He has the leadership qualities that every great city needs.’ “… Page 1: “Cardinals Take series Opener, 2-1–Gibson’s 10 Strikeouts Halt Red Sox–Brock of Victors Ties Record With Four Hits”… Page 1: “British Labor Party Asks Halt in U.S. Raids”… “The Labor Party called upon the Labor Government to ‘disassociate itself completely from United States policy in Vietnam.”… Page 22: “Negro GIs To Get Aid On Police Jobs–Lawyer’s Committee to Help Pentagon Place Veterans”…
5 October 1967… The President’s Daily Brief… SOUTH VIETNAM: Ky’s main duty in the new government will be rooting out corruption and incompetence, Thieu told an American official yesterday. In pursuing this objective, Ky would use the authority of the President and would be empowered to investigate the province chiefs. Thieu admitted such a role “will necessarily involve more power than what is provided for in the constitution.”… COMMUNIST CHINA: Further analysis of Sunday’s National Day celebrations strengthens our impression that a shift in the Peking power balance has occurred. Military figures, including many who have been under political attack, were given unusual prominence. The Cultural Revolution group, given high billing during most of the year, was not even mentioned. High-level political and military meetings appear to have been going on for some days now. As best we can reconstruct things, some sort of policy turn was made in late August and these meetings are to p[ass the new line an implement a drive for social order….
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM…COLONEL KONRAD WIGAND TRAUTMAN, USAF…
AIR FORCE CROSS… PRISONER OF WAR 5 OCTOBER 1967 TO 14 MARCH 1973…
“The President of the United States of America...takes pleasure in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS to MAJOR KONRAD WIGAND TRAUTMAN, United States Air Force, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM in military operations against an opposing armed force as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 10 May 1969 to 8 October 1969. Under his leadership, an escape committee was formed which, eventually precipitated an escape from a prison camp located on the edge of the city of Hanoi. Though the escapees were soon recaptured, it resulted in extreme embarrassment to the camp commander who lost his position along with others on his staff. MAJOR TRAUTMAN was subjected to a cruel round of torture in which the interrogators attempted to get details of prisoner plans and organization. MAJOR TRAUTMAN absorbed this torture and accepted blame for the escape in a gallant bid to protect the senior ranking American and other prisoners who were active in operations against the Vietnamese. He suffered excruciating tortures and beatings resulting in many serious wounds which placed him physically and mentally on the edge of death. Through his EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, MAJOR TRAUTMAN reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
“The President of the United States of America...takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR to CAPTAIN KONRAD WIGAND TRAUTMAN, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while serving as Pilot of an F-105 Thunderchief of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, in action over North Vietnam, on 5 October 1967. On that date, CAPTAIN TRAUTMAN was the leader of a flight of four F-105 Thunderchiefs in an air attack against and intensely defended causeway. Although his aircraft was struck repeatedly by accurate and tracking flak, CAPTAIN TRAUTMAN courageously pressed the attack and devastated the target with his ordnance. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, CAPTAIN TRAUTMAN has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
Among COLONEL TRAUTMAN’s other Vietnam awards: two Legion of Merit with Combat V; three Distinguished Flying Crosses; two Bronze Stars and the Prisoner of War Medal…. oohrah…
5 October 1967…Operation Rolling Thunder… New York Times drew a blank… “34TFS/F-105 History” Compilation by Howie Plunkett, page 139 of 300: 05-Oct-67… Thanks Howie…
“On the day of his first combat mission over North Vietnam Major Spence M. ‘Sam’ Armstrong, 34 TFS, attended an aircrew briefing at Korat…. ‘On the 5th of October, all the pilots were called to a briefing in the Base Theater. Col. Ed (Red) Burdett, our-wing commander had just returned from a mandatory meeting in Saigon with General Momyer, the 7th Air Force commander. The purpose of the meeting was to relate to the wing commanders of all of the combat wings the concern that existed in Washington that civilians were being killed in our bombing attacks. I later appreciated the fact that you couldn’t be too accurate when shells were flying by your cockpit so it was not a surprise that some bombs fell short. None-the-less, Col. Burdett dutifully passed on the admonition to be more accurate in our bombing–he never alluded to the fact that he had been instructed to make this speech although we all knew this was the case. He was true to the modicum that commanders never alibi their directions on higher headquarters.’ ….
“Major Aquilla Britt of the 469th TFS rose to ask why we weren’t trying to rescue Bob Barnett. (See RTR for 3 October: Major Robert Barnett was downed and was able to evade capture until the morning of the 5th) Major Britt’s words were: ‘Why are we bombing ‘nit-noi’ bridges when poor Bob Barnett is desperately calling for help. Col. Barnett didn’t get a chance to respond because the vice wing commander, Col. Jack Flynn, rose from his seat in the front row, faced the audience and said, “Col. Burdett has requested a rescue effort and it has been denied. We don’t know the rationale but several aircraft were shot up and they found that a North Vietnamese was now talking over the survival radio.’ Bob became a POW and was released with the others in 1973.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 5 October 1967…
(1) An F-105D of the 354th TFS and 355th TFW crashed at Takhli as the result of engine failure… Pilot survived.
(2) ENSIGN DAVID PAUL MATHENY was flying an F-8C of the VF-111 Sundowners embarked in USS Oriskany as a fighter escort for strike group attack on a pontoon bridge at Nho Quan, 20 miles south of Nam Dinh and was hit by ground fire flying at 10,000-feet and 400 knots. The aircraft burst into flame and the engine failed forcing ENSIGN MATHENY to eject in hostile territory. He was immediately captured and interned as a Prisoner of War. He was released by the North Vietnamese for propaganda purposes four months later.
(3) CAPTAIN KONRAD WIGAND TRAUTMAN was flying an F-105D of the 13th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat on a strike mission to bomb the rail line at Quang Hien near Kep. His aircraft was hit over the target and he was forced to eject about 15 miles north of Kep and was quickly captured to serve the duration of the war as a POW. CAPTAIN TRAUTMAN joined the Air Force in 1948, flew 20 missions in Korea in the F-84, and was downed in Rolling Thunder on his 62nd mission. He was released and returned to active duty in March 1973. He retired in 1981 in the rank of Colonel.
RIPPLE SALVO… #578… NYT, 5 October 1967, Page 1: “AIR CHIEF SAYS BOMB CURB LED TO A RISE IN CASUALTIES”… by John Finney…
“General John P. McConnell, the Air Force Chief of staff, has told Congress that the Administration’s ‘gradualist’ approach in applying air power against North Vietnam has led to additional American casualties in the war.
“The general told the Senate Preparedness Investigation Subcommittee that when the American bombing of North Vietnam was first authorized early in 1965 the joint Chiefs of Staff recommended that the United States go in there with a very severe application of air power and presented a plan to destroy 94 targets in 16 days. This military concept of ‘a sharp, sudden blow,’ he said, was disapproved by the Administration. Instead the Administration approved an approach of ‘supplying pressure gradually’ on North Vietnam’s war supporting base. Restrictions were imposed on the targets that could be struck. Noting that North Vietnam since 1965 had ‘greatly multiplied’ its air defense capability, General McConnell said:
” ‘I believe that if we had gone in 1965 and really pounded them when they didn’t have any defenses, that we would have been better off today.’
“General McConnell was asked by Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Republican of Maine, whether ‘we probably would have suffered fewer casualties in the South if the air campaign against North Vietnam had not been burdened with restrictions and prohibited targets.’
“‘In my opinion, that is correct,’ the general replied in his closed testimony before the subcommittee on August 22. His testimony, heavily censored by the Defense Department, was made public today (Aug 4) by the subcommittee along with the testimony the following day by Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the newly installed Chief of Naval Operations. Like General McConnell Admiral Moorer contended that the United States would be in ‘a better situation’ today if the original bombing plan of the Joint Chiefs had been approved in 1965.
“The Administration plan, he said ‘made the task more difficult’ because it ‘enabled the North Vietnamese to build up their defenses and to develop a reconstruction capability and things of that kind to offset the effects of the bombing.’
“Since the subcommittee hearings on the air war began in early August, General McConnell disclosed, the Administration has approved 45 previously prohibited targets, primarily around Hanoi and Haiphong and in the buffer zone near the Chinese border. Both the Air Force and Navy leaders, however, made clear that they believed additional targets should be struck, particularly to reduce the flow of supplies through the port of Haiphong.
“General McConnell attributed ‘the approval of the recently intensified air campaign to a greater understanding by Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara of the importance of air power, obtained during an inspection trip in July to South Vietnam. ‘I believe that for the first time he really began to appreciate the effects of the air war in the North,’ he said With the present air campaign, general McConnell offered the opinion that North Vietnam was ‘up to the limit’ on the troop strength it can maintain in South Vietnam.
“The McConnell testimony, with its implied criticism of past Administration policy, was expected to provide new ammunition for the Republican ‘hawks’ in the developing debate on Vietnam. Within the ‘hawkish’ wing of the Senate there have been rising complaints that the Administration was being too hesitant in the bombing of North Vietnam, but the McConnell testimony with its politically damaging suggestion that the Administration policy has resulted in additional American casualties, represented probably the bluntest criticism yet to come from the military ranks.
“After a week of Republican inspired argument, the Senate debate on Vietnam policy fell momentarily silent today. But Senator Charles H. Percy, Republican of Illinois, one of the party’s leading critics of Administration policy, was preparing a new round with a resolution calling on South Vietnam and other non-Communist nations in Southeast Asia to ‘contribute substantially more manpower and resources’ to the war in Vietnam.
“Calling on the President to ‘move with greater determination’ in obtaining more Asian support for the war, the Percy resolution emphasized that American forces ‘should not bear an ever-increasing proportion of the fighting in Vietnam.’ The resolution, scheduled to be introduced tomorrow, is drawing support from a diverse bipartisan group, including Senators as diametrically opposed on Vietnam policy as Jacob K. Javits, Republican of New York, and Herman E. Talmadge, Democrat of Georgia.
“Ostensibly the Percy resolution is designed to strengthen the President’s hand in gaining Asian military support for the war. But politically, the resolution is likely to have the effect of giving force to a rising complaint in Congress that the United States is carrying an undue share of the military burden in Vietnam.”… end article…
RTR Quote for 5 October: COLONEL KONRAD TRAUTMAN: “Many ask, ‘How did you hold on?’ For me, the answer was Faith–Faith in my country, my President and Faith in God, knowing that He was there sharing my grief and sorrow and providing me strength.”… His advice: “Be thankful and proud you are an American. To the youth of America–trust and respect your parents, teachers, and minister, priest or rabbi. To Mr. and Mrs. America–trust and respect your President of your great country.”…
Lest we forget…. Bear