RIPPLE SALVO… #459… On 19 May 1967 Commander Paul Speer and two of his five F-8 Crusader TARCAP wingmen, LT Phil Wood and LTJG Joe Shea, along with one of the six flak suppressors in the same strike group, LCDR Bobby Lee, produced one of the great war stories of the Vietnam war… Humble Host has it all… but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT of a return to Operation Rolling Thunder, a by-passed chapter of American military history…
7 JUNE 1967… HEADLINES from The New York Times on a warm and fair Wednesday…
MIDDLE EAST CRISIS… ISRAEL SWEEPS AHEAD ON ALL FRONTS; SECURITY COUNCIL ASKS FOR CEASE-FIRE; EGYPT BREAKS WITH U.S., CLOSES SUEZ; ISRAELIS SEIZE GAZA AND PUSH SOUTH INTO SINAI… The war between Israel and the Arab nations raged through its second day as the Israelis moved with surprising swiftness into Jordan and the Sinai Desert. The Israelis swept around the Jordanian sector of Jerusalem including the Old City and dominated roads into the city. Israeli columns went through Mandelbaum Gate and reached Mount Scopes. Other Israeli troops reported capture of Gaza, a deep thrust in Sinai and farther south on the peninsula, a drive past Kumtella toward the approach to the Gulf of Aqaba. Syrian artillery pounded Israels settlements north of the Sea of Galilee and Damascus claimed the capture of Shear-Yashiev. The Israelis denied this.”…
EGYPTIAN TANKS BATTERED; JORDANIAN LINE COLLAPSES… ISRAELIS CONTROL ALL OF JERUSALEM…KUWAIT AND IRAQ CUT OFF ALL OIL FOR UNITED STATES… U.S. DENIES CHARGES BY CAIRO THAT U.S. HELPS FOE…BRITISH ALSO ACCUSED…U.N. IMPASSE ENDS; U.S. PROTOCOL VOTED…SOVIET DROPS PULLBACK DEMAND…6TH FLEET SHIPS IN HIGH STATE OF ALERT…“Carriers USS America and USS Saratoga are moving east in Readiness Condition three accompanied by the flag ship of Sixth Fleet Commander Admiral William Martin, USS Little Rock. The carrier decks are full of F-4s, A-4s and A-6s. Soviet Kashin-class destroyer #381 is following…”
Page 1: “New Mexican Band Eludes Pursuers”… “550 National Guardsmen and police are hunting land dispute rebels…Forty insurrectionists who demand 2,000 square miles of New Mexico under an old Spanish land grant eluded 350 National Guardsmen and 200 state policemen in the forested mountains of Carson National Forest. They are pursuing Relis Lopez Tijeras and his followers who are accused of shooting up a county courthouse yesterday and freeing 10 of their comrades who were under arrest. Governor David Cargo called out the National Guard.”... Page 2: “House Votes to End Cropland Aid”… “The House, told that the United States must produce more food to meet Vietnam war needs and to combat starvation in asia, voted today to halt a two-year program in which farmers get paid to divert crop land to other uses.”...Page 2: “Okinawa Shifting Attitude On Rule by U.S.”... “Sentiment here in Naha, Okinawa appears to have swung over to ‘gradual’ return of Okinawa to Japanese civil jurisdiction instead of the immediate reversion widely demanded in the past. Condition of economy is a factor.”…
Page 3: “Marines in Clash Near Buffer Zone”... “Small scale fighting erupted today near Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam where American Marines fought a 12-day battle in early May.”... Page 3: “2,752 of Foe Killed in May”... “Marines killed a total of 2,752 North Vietnamese regulars in South Vietnam’s northern most province in May. In March the number was 2,159.”… “The Enemy Infiltration Route of Choice”... 50,000 North Vietnamese troops flow down to south Vietnam every year. As they enter the southern “panhandle” then head for “Ho Village” near Dong Hoi, in the southwestern-most corner of North Vietnam coming south on Highway 15. From there they cross the What Lee River and pass through Quangminh district into Laos, then down the Ho Chi Minh trail into Cambodia. They feed into South Vietnam on three routes that angle toward Kontum, Pleiku, and Tayninh. All travel in North Vietnam is at night and in Laos by day, using the jungle for cover. All clothing is left behind at Ho Village where the troops are issued new clothing with no North Vietnam markings…
7 June 1967… The President’s TS Daily CIA Briefing… ARAB STATES-ISRAEL: At this point the shooting continues despite the UN ceasefire resolution. Early this morning Israel planes were hammering Jordanian positions outside Jerusalem. There also was some firing in the city last night. The Israelis appear to hold substantial portions of the Sinai Peninsula, and Cairo is ordering the Egyptian force at Sharm ash-Shaykh on the Straits of Tiran to withdraw. In fact, there are strong indications that the Egyptians may be withdrawing most if not all, of their forces from the Sinai…. There are no indications of any major Soviet military moves…The US Embassy in Cairo was not set on fire as reported in this mornings Washington Post... NORTH VIETNAM: Further analysis of n unusual article in the May issue of the North Vietnamese Party Journal shows that it was intended as an indirect, but unmistakable swipe at Mao Tse-tung. It is the first time Hanoi has made such an open display of its displeasure with Peking. The Chinese have been increasingly unhappy over Hanoi’s close association with Moscow… The Article, ostensibly in honor of Ho’s birthday, praises Ho’s adherence to collective leadership–as opposed to the practices of “a certain leader.” In an unmistakable reference to Mao’s use of the Red Guards against the regular party apparatus, the article asserts that “a leader of the working class does not separate the working class from its vanguard, the Communist Party.”… THE SOVIET UNION: “The Soviets appear to be working on several new strategic weapons. The latest satellite photography shows at least three land-based missiles and one submarine launched system under development… COMMUNIST CHINA: We continue to see signs of disorder in China…riots have taken place, rail lines are out and the regime’s control is weakening in some localities…
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… COMMANDER PAUL HAROLD SPEER, United States Navy… The NAVY CROSS… 19 MAY 1967…
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting PAUL HAROLD SPEER, Commander, United States Navy, the NAVY CROSS for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM and ACHIEVEMENT as a pilot flying jet fighter aircraft attached to and serving with Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Eleven embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in action against hostile enemy forces in North Vietnam on 19 March 1967. As the flight leader of six F-8 aircraft on a very special and important mission against the Hanoi thermal power plant in Hanoi, North Vietnam. Commander SPEER astutely planned the defensive formation to maximize the protection of the bombers, yet still give the fighters the flexibility for evasive maneuvering and initiating or countering MIG attacks. En route to the target the flight was taken under a vicious and intense surface-to-air missile attack coupled with MIG-17 fighters slashing at the group. Although having to maneuver violently to evade the missiles, Commander SPEER directed the fighters in successfully turning away the enemy. As the flight approached the target area, a rapidly increasing concentration of antiaircraft fire of all calibers was directed against it. Cooley, ignoring this fire, Commander SPEER led the fighters through the precise tactical maneuvers required to protect the A-4 aircraft during target acquisition and weapons release. By the time the strike had reached the target the enemy defenses had downed one F-8 and others were damaged. Nevertheless, Commander SPEER maintained the tactical formation. As the bombers retired from the target the F-8s and MIGs were engaged in a classic aerial battle with the additional hazards of surface-to-air missiles and antiaircraft fire being directed at them. Calmly ignoring all threats except the MIGs, Commander SPEER brought under fire and destroyed, with a Sidewinder missile, a MIG that had closed the A-4 aircraft. As the MIG exploded on the ground Commander SPEER’s wingman, while maintaining his tactical position, was able to score a kill with a Sidewinder on another MIG that had gained an attack position on the bombers. By now all the F-8s, including the eight flak suppressors, were engaged with MIGs. During this aerial melee two more MIGs were downed and one damaged at the cost of another F-8 destroyed. Only through dedicated leadership, exemplary airmanship and dauntless courage was Commander SPEER able to protect the strike group against the estimated 12 MIGs that had the advantage of operating within their own radar control. With complete disregard for his own personal safety and heroic determination to protect the A-4 aircraft, he fought the MIGs while being subjected to intense surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft fire, Commander SPEER’s extraordinary bravery and courage along with his aeronautical skill and heroic deeds in this aerial battle will be remembered and are examples of the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service…….
Humble Host continues this tale in Ripple Salvo below…
7 June 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (8 June reporting 7 June ops)… Page 6: “The Khe Sanh fighting was the only significant ground action reported today (Marines kill 63 in one day battle), but in the air war over the North Navy fighter-bombers reported having destroyed one MIG and having damaged four others on the ground during a raid on Kep airfield, 37 miles northwest of Hanoi. No United States aircraft were lost in today’s strikes, but yesterday a Navy F-8 Crusader was hit by ground fire as it crossed the coast on a strike near Vinh, 160 miles south of Hanoi. The pilot (LTJG T.R. Hall) turned out to sea and ejected into the Gulf of Tonkin where he was rescued by a helicopter from the destroyer England. The loss was the 573rd downed over North Vietnam. The Air Force and Navy pilots flew 88 missions during the day. Air Force Thunderchiefs attacked three railroad yards within 50 miles of the capital. The major targets were the Bacgiang railroad yard where the Thunderchiefs tore up 1,000 feet of track and the Viettre yard, 31 miles from Hanoi. Fighter-bombers knocked out the eastern span of a railroad bridge bypass 18 miles northwest of Hanoi. Navy pilots from the carrier Constellation destroyed 3 bridges near Vinh and Thanh Hoa.”…
(bear#93/94RPIVbarges/SAMsWofThanHoa)…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 7 June 1967…
(1) MAJOR ALVIE WAYNE GAPP was flying a U-10B of the 5th ACS and 14th ACW out of Nha Trang and inexplicably crashed on takeoff on a psychological warfare mission from Bien Hoa. MAJOR GAPP was killed in action fifty years ago this day and is remembered for his sacrifice and service to our country.
RIPPLE SALVO… #459… Commander PAUL SPEER was in great company when he led the target cover for the A-4 Walleye shooters who put the lights out in Hanoi on 19 May 1967. As you may remember, this was the mission that the President himself was involved in. This was the mission that waited for the Walleye, a precision guided weapon that had the best chance to avoid civilian casualties, which was the most important consideration in the mind of the Secretary of State. The world was watching. and Hanoi knew what was coming–and they were ready. The Walleyes did a fair job on May 19 and 20. But without the fighter coverage provided by the eight target cover F-8s and eight flak suppressors, all of whom helped make stopping the two A-4s from penetrating the toughest, most heavily defended target in history, it is unlikely they would have survived to deliver their smart weapons. Two of Commander SPEER’s flight of six F-8 Crusaders nailed MIGs right behind their fearless leader. A fourth MIG was downed by flak suppressor come MIG killer LCDR BOBBY LEE. All were awarded well deserved SILVER STARS for their roles in what has been described as “the greatest jet victory in Naval Aviation history.”… Gangway, F-8 Crusader warriors…
LTJG JOSEPH MERRILL SHEA, VF-211, was Commander SPEER’s wingman through thick and angry skies that day… “LTJG SHEA was wingman to the flight leader of six F-8 aircraft assigned to escort and provide target combat patrol for a group of A4 aircraft. While en route to the target the flight was subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire of ll calibers, a vicious surface-to-air missile barrage and slashing attacks by MIG fighters. LTJG SHEA displayed extraordinary gallantry and determination at great personal risk by at all times covering the flight leader while protecting the vulnerable A4 aircraft. In an aerial engagement that began as the bombers retired from the target, LTJG SHEA by his superior airmanship and boundless courage shot down a MIG-17 with a Sidewinder missile while at the same time he was evading surface-to-air missiles and calmly ignoring the heavy enemy flak all around him. LTJG SHEA’s heroic action and flawless devotion to duty while exposed to prolonged personal hazard from the enemy defenses were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.”
LT PHILIP RAY WOOD, VF-24, was flying lead of the third section of F-8s behind Commander SPEER… “During the approach to the target area the strike group was intercepted by an enemy MIG. LT WOOD engaged the aircraft and forced it to break off its attack. He continued to provide protection for the strike group despite the intense and accurate automatic weapon, light, medium and heavy anti-aircraft artillery. LT WOOD’s aircraft was hit by fire from another MIG aircraft. Calmly and expertly outmaneuvering the enemy aircraft, LT WOOD shot it down with a Sidewinder missile. All his ordnance expended and his aircraft badly damaged, LT WOOD retired from the area. LT WOOD’s courage, airmanship and devotion to duty in the face of intense enemy opposition were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United Sates Naval Service.”
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BOBBY CLYDE LEE, VF-24, was flying as the second section leader in a flight of eight F-8 flak suppressors. “During the approach to the target the strike group was taken under fire by several surface-to-air missile sites which launched a least 25 missiles toward it. Anti-aircraft fire from the largest concentration of light, medium and heavy anti-aircraft artillery in North Vietnam was directed against the flight. Lieutenant Commander LEE delivered his ordnance on his assigned flak site reducing its fire considerably. During his retirement from the target, Lieutenant Commander LEE engaged an enemy MIG fighter and destroyed it with a Sidewinder missile while avoiding intense enemy anti-aircraft artillery, automatic weapons and missiles. Lieutenant Commander LEE’s courage, airmanship and devotion to duty under intense enemy opposition were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
Lest we forget… Bear