COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973)… and honoring the intrepid Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and aircrews who carried the war to the heartland of North Vietnam in the years of Operation Rolling Thunder. This is the initial post in a series of weekly posts retelling episodes of strike warfare waged by the Navy’s Carrier Air Wings flying from the carriers of Seventh Fleet’s Carrier Striking Force 77 operating from Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. The sources for these tales of extraordinary heroism and professionalism include notes the author made in 1985 while researching the combat awards files of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet.
Good Morning. I have a story to tell. WHEN NAVAL AVIATION ROARED…EPISODE #1…
USS CONSTELLATION and CVW-14 STRIKE VAN DIEN on 10 JUNE 1967…
Connie and Air Wing 14 were on their third deployment to Southeast Asia in support of Operation ROLLING THUNDER. They had departed North Island, San Diego on 29 April and would return on 4 December 1967. They logged 121 days on-the-line at Yankee Station in the most intense and deadly fighting months of the air war. The air wing flew more than ninety major Alpha Strikes against JCS targets in the North Vietnam heartland and lost 12 aircraft in the process. Nine aviators were killed-in-action and 7 remained behind as POWs. This is the story of one of those strikes.
THE MISSION. On 10 June 1967 Attack Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN was directed to participate in a two carrier coordinated strike on the Van Dien vehicle storage, repair and supply depot within the heavily defended and restricted area near Hanoi, North Vietnam. The depot was used by the enemy as a major overhaul and repair facility for trucks being used to transport and infiltrate war materials into South Vietnam. An Attack Carrier Air Wing TWENTY-ONE strike group embarked in USS BON HOMME RICHARD accompanied, and followed entrail, CVW-14 into the target complex to conduct simultaneous strike ops against the Hanoi Thermal Power Plant in Hanoi.
TARGET DEFENSES. The Van Dien depot was located fifty miles inland, five miles south of downtown Hanoi. The target was defended by early warning radar, 29 occupied anti-aircraft sites of several 37mm, 57mm or 87mm weapons at each site, many radar controlled. In addition, there were five occupied and active surface-to-air missile sites covering the target area. MIG bases at Phuc Yen and Gia Lam were also active and prepared to counter the CVW-14/CVW-21 coordinated attack on the two targets in Hanoi. USS ENTERPRISE and CVW-9 was also striking targets in the Hanoi and Haiphong area later the same day.
THE STRIKE PLAN. The Alpha Strike was planned, briefed and led by CDR M. WESLEY TOWNSEND, JR., Commanding Fighter Squadron ONE HUNDRED FORTY-THREE. A detailed plan was developed to insure the employment and precise coordination of the specific capabilities of the various air wing aircraft were effectively brought to bear on the critical JCS target. This included careful route planning and positioning of various elements of the strike group enroute to the target and the setup for the coordinated attack on specific targets in the Van Dien target complex.
STRIKE GROUP COMPOSITION. The attack elements consisted of two F-4B aircraft from VF-143 with CDR TOWNSEND in the lead, and six A-6A aircraft from VA-196 led by CDR EDWARD BAUER. The TARCAP mission was assigned to two sections of F-4B aircraft from VF-143 with LCDRs THOMPSON and SHIFLETT leading. The Flak Suppression mission was assigned to four F-4B aircraft from VF-142 led by LCDR ALEXANDER. The Iron Hand mission was executed by six A-4C Shrike armed aircraft from VA-55 with CDR ROBERT KIRKSEY, Commanding VA-55, in the lead. (Strike Group=6 F-4s; 6 A-6s and 6 A-4s) Supporting aircraft included tankers, ECM aircraft to bring total aircraft participation in the strike to 29.
APPROACH TO TARGET. The enemy’s Integrated Air Defense System protecting the Red River Valley, Hanoi, Hai Duong and Haiphong was the most lethal in the world at the time of this attack. CDR TOWNSEND and his Radar Intercept Officer, LTJG MICHAEL MALCHIODI, chose to lead the strike groups from Connie and Bonnie Dick to the target from the southeast, coasting in 12 miles north of Thanh Hoa, and using the Song Ma River to close the first 30 miles toward the target. Navigation was assisted by COMMANDER BUAER and his B/N LCDR GERALD C. CARON, Jr., in the lead A-6 Intruder. Twenty miles southwest of Hanoi the two strike groups turned north through the mountains to the initial point where Air Wing TWENTY-ONE detached to proceed a few miles to the north to conduct their attack. As the Connie strike group made the turn 20 miles southwest of Van Dien intense radar-directed and barrage anti-aircraft fire took the strike group under attack. The intense enemy anti-aircraft fire of all calibers held the group in their sights for the rest of the approach across highly populated areas south of Hanoi. SAM acquisition radar locked-on was also noted to coincide with the radar directed gun fire. The first enemy SAM was launched while the strike group was ten miles from the target. Violent defensive maneuvering was required and executed without loss of flight integrity as a result of the strike lead’s forceful, calm and reassuring tactical radio calls and directives. His own gallant persistence in the face of withering enemy fire enabled the flight to reach briefed initial point attack positions in good order. Then came a volley of several SAMs… and then another…
THE ATTACK. Approaching the target CDR TOWNSEND accelerated his section ahead of the main strike division of A-6 Intruders. Several SAMs took the strike group under fire and guided on various aircraft as they maneuvered to rollin on the target. Subsequent evasive action by the eight aircraft assigned targets in the Van Dien complex led CDR TOWNSEND to suspend the initial attack on Van Dien and regroup for a reattack. He selected alternative military targets in the complex consisting of covered storage areas and delivered his bombs directly on the storage facility. LCDR HERSHEL ALEXANDER accelerated his division of F-4 flak suppressors ahead of the main strike group, and as a consequence of the extra attention which they received from enemy gunners, the flak suppressors had no trouble identifying active sites. All four F-4s selected and concentrated on their individual attacks, unloading their weapons on guns and gunners silencing four of the dozens of sites actively opposing the Connie attack. The six A-6 strike aircraft led by COMMANDER BAUER followed the lead of COMMANDER TOWNSEND and conducted a separate attack on the alternate target in the Van Dien complex with devastating results. The TARCAP led by LCDR SHIFLETT maintained station west of Van Dien through several volleys of SAMs and continuous anti-aircraft opposition. No enemy MiGs rose to challenge the Connie strike group (the sky was filled with AAA and SAMs). The TARCAP division and COMMANDER TOWNSEND remained on station to cover the exit from the target area and return to the carrier.
IRON HAND (SAM Suppression). CDR BOB KIRKSEY was the flight leader of six A-4C aircraft whose mission was to provide protection for the strike group by seeking out, suppressing and destroying enemy surface-to-air missile sites. As the strike group approached the target CDR KIRKSEY deployed his aircraft in three elements of two aircraft each, forming an eight mile semi-circle around the southern side of Hanoi. LCDR CHUMLEY and LTJG LEWIN comprised the element on the left flank, which had the additional responsibility of protecting the Bonnie Dick strike group CDR KIRKSEY and LCDR SHEWCHUK were in the center section, and LCDR GRAY and LCDR DAVE KUSHNER were on the right flank. As briefed, CDR TOWNSEND utilized the superior directional accuracy of the F-4 electronic counter-measures equipment to provide initial azimuth vectors to the Iron hand aircraft, enabling CDR KIRKSEY to acquire specific sites and position his three sections for instant counteraction. As the enemy launched their missiles, CDR KIRKSEY and his flight skillfully maneuvered their aircraft into firing positions and sent air-to-surface Shrike missiles streaking toward the launch sites. Each of the Shrike aircraft were required to take immediate evasive action against the four SAMs which were homing on the three Iron Hand sections. One missile detonated so close to CDR KIRKSEY’s A-4 the aircraft shuddered violently and incurred numerous shrapnel holes in his wings. Despite the damage to his aircraft, CDR KIRKSEY remained in complete charge and positioned his aircraft for another attack on a SAM site he had acquired visually. His second attack was aborted in the face of a second volley of missiles. Meanwhile, all three of the Shrike elements were able to position and fire effective attacks on firing missile sites. In addition, intense anti-aircraft shell bursts at all levels made evasive maneuvering a pure-luck choice to avoid being hit. LCDR SHEWCHUK maintained section integrity on CDR KIRKSEY through the attacks, evasive maneuvering and conducting his own lethal Shrike attack on a firing site. LCDR SHEWCHUK alerted CDR KIRKSEY of a third SAM attack on the section and directed evasive maneuvers that barely took CDR KIRKSEY out of the missile’s flight path. CDR KIRSEY’s battle damaged A-4 never-the-less sustained another storm of sharpnel that led to cascading aircraft system failures. CDR KIRKSEY immediately turned his crippled and burning Skyhawk seaward (50 miles to go over highly populated delta area of North Vietnam). As the strike group retired to the southeast CDR KIRKSEY jettisoned his drop tanks and discovered that he was able to fly the aircraft on manual control, even as electrical failure followed the loss of both his utility and flight control hydraulic systems. LCDR SHEWCHUK remained in close formation for the transit to feet-wet. The fire burned itself out. The situation was looking up. By employing extraordinary flying skills CDR KIRKSEY was able to not only fly the badly damaged Skyhawk to feet-wet, he continued the flight another hundred miles to make an emergency landing of the aircraft at Danang, where he was met by a Marine offering a cold beer. Post-flight inspection of CDR KIRKSEY’s A-4 revealed over 60 holes, some as large as 8-inches in diameter, severe damage to the nose wheel and nose gear assembly where the aircraft had taken a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire. In all, a confirmed total of 20 SAMs were fired at the strike group and the Iron Hand sections. There was a high probablity that some of the twelve Shrike missiles fired at four active and firing SAM sites damaged enemy radar facilities, although the pilots were too busy to confirm direct hits.
RETIREMENT TO SEA. The eighteen aircraft of the Connie strike group retired over heavily defended enemy territory without further incident. CDR TOWNSEND remained behind the retiring strike group to defend against a late MiG attack that never materialized. In spite of his prolonged presence over the target and repeated clearing sweeps for fighter aicraft, CDR TOWNSEND’s careful planning and airborne management of his strike groups execution of the mission, all aircraft were able to return without refueling. It is a tribute to the soundness of the tactical planning and leadership of CDR TOWNSEND that all aircraft returned from this strike deep into the enemy’s heavily defended heartland, and that very few of them were damaged by the deadly hail of enemy fire.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT. Heavy damage was inflicted on the Van Dien complex (alternate targets in the complex). A total of 110 MK-82s, 16 CBU-24s and 12 AGM-435 Shrikes were delivered on target. Visual observations by strike group pilots, including the Iron Hand and flak suppressors indicated that all ordnance fell in the target areas and many direct hits were achieved. No civilian or collateral damage was observed.
BITS OF RIBBON. Combat awards were recommended and approved for the following Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN aviators who shared the skies over Hanoi on 10 June 1967 with ten thousand rounds of North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire and nearly two dozen SA-2 Surface-to-Air missiles. All 34 warriors who had “seen the elephant” that day came home with a freshened set of memories never to be forgotten. The following CVW-14 aviators were rewarded with “bits of ribbon”* for their heroism on the 10 June mission… (Humble Host apologizes for falling short on full names)… VF-143: TOWNSEND and MALCHIODI, LT MILBURN HOLMES and LTJG RUSSELL IRVINE, SHIFFLETT and SOUDER, LT BURNER BOB HICKEY and LCDR RICHARD MORROW…VF-142: ALEXANDER and LT EUGENE PARTYKA, DAVIS and ELIE, COMMANDER GENE TISSOT and MULLINS, COMMANDER McGLOHN and BORST… VA-196: COMMANDER BAUER and LCDR GERALD CARON, SUERETH and ACORD, LT FORREST BROWN and LTJG EDWARD SOSNOWY, TREMBLEY and SCOTT, COMMANDER MARLAND MORROW and LT JAMES WRIGHT… VA-55: COMMANDER BOB KIRKSEY, SHEWCHUK, LEWIN, CHUMLEY, GRAY and DAVE KUSHNER…. Gangway, Yankee Air Pirates… OOOHRAH…
*BITS OF RIBBON: One SILVER STAR (KIRKSEY), a handful of DFCs, a bunch of AIR MEDALS and a few NAVY COMMENDATION MEDALS with COMBAT “V” devices …about average for a summer ’67 Alpha Strike into Route Pack 6… NAPOLEON: “A soldier will fight long and hard for a colored bit of ribbon.” He also said: “You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led… Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is only good for the scholar in the study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, and rewards.”…
FINAL NOTE. USS ENTERPRISE and Carrier Air Wing NINE also flew strikes into the Red River Valley on 10 June and suffered the painful loss of COMMANDER PETE SHERMAN, CO-VA-56. The following is quoted from Chris Hobson’s VIETNAM AIR LOSSES, avaialble on line at https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com
“The series of raids on the Van Dien SAM support depot continued. Cdr Sherman was the CO of VA-56 and was leading an Iron Hand flight in support of a raid on the depot. As Cdr Sherman and his wingman reached a point about 10 miles southwest of Hanoi they had to take evasive action to avoid numerous SAMs that had been fired at them. During the maneuvering the wingman lost sight of his leader. No ejection was seen or SAR beeper heard but it was assumed that Cdr Sherman’s aircraft had been the victim of an SA-2 missile and that he had been killed. The remains of Cdr Sherman were eventually handed over by the Vietnamese on 19 January 1991.”
Pete Sherman rests in peace in Arlington National Cemetery.
NEXT POST: Naval Aviation Roars: Episode #2… The VA-212 Rampant Raiders take on the two railway bridges at Hai Duong with Walleyes on 1 July 1967…
Lest we forget… Bear