chopper's crew. Their presentations at the Hill Aerospace Museum as part of the Plane Talks series were recorded in three parts. The aircraft slid down the runway and veered off to the right before fish-hooking to the right and stopping. The next morning the Jolly Green helicopter dropped Kenny a tree penetrator and lifted him from the trees to safety. One of the guys in my F-4 Phantom squadron, the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, in 1972 made a video about the squadrons deployment to Southeast Asia. Watch the video to learn more about this life-saving black box. 12 Lt.Col. He got 7 kills and became a national treasure so Ho Chi Minh pulled him out of combat and limited him to instructing for the next few years. Crews could determine the type of radar by the pitch of the tone. At this time the United States and Vietnam had not yet reestablished diplomatic relations. Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . An interesting video on the science of aerial combat, aka dog fighting. See John Boyds Aerial Attack study treatise and the Energy Maneuverability study. The highlights of Dan Autreys recording of a mission with Gary are: Theo van Geffen visited Gary Retterbush on November 9, 2021. While it is a somber holiday it is also a celebration of heroes. The claimed flying aces of the Vietnam War, pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft, include 19 North Vietnamese pilots (six MiG-17 and 13 MiG-21 pilots),[1]:228 and five Americans. During that most enjoyable visit we heard a lot of war stories and I handed F-105 Thunderchief book one to Gary, dealing with its peacetime operations (book two will deal with SEA ops). I called for help for Kenny and headed back for Thailand where we were stationed. It was against Ho Chi Minhs wishes to get the Russians involved in actual combat. Clint Johnson USN A-1, 1 victory VS-41 at NAS North Island retained four of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. The first interpreter was a woman who had to interpret a stranger-than-usual southern Vietnamese dialect into a northern dialect so the other interpreter could understand before translating it into English. But it would get worse. The intro to the video says: The honest, personal accounts of four combat pilots during the Vietnam War. The Mig drivers accepted the invitation and arrived in San Diego on September 20th. I had been invited by the CO, Marine Air Group Eleven, Colonel Simon Simple Doran, a long-time and highly valued friend, to do the same. P.463, Migs over North Vietnam: The Vietnam People's Air Force in Combat, 196575, Stackpole Military History, Crashed while attempting emergency landing, Phantom with U.S. Marine Corps (Joe Baugher), List of United States aerial victories of the Vietnam War, South Viet Nam Airforce VNAF Equipment. Robert Doremus. In December 1971 Ibeganproviding critical information and guidancetoair force fighterswhichwerebeing. I elected to land gear up and catch the runway wire with my tail hook. Terrence M. Murphy and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Ens. Why did our leaders sacrifice so much precious blood and treasure without ever intending to win the war? Soat gave a diplomatic answer too, but while the group was laughing or otherwise distracted, he whispered to the questioner, I think we both know the answer to that. I never got a chance to meet or talk to anyonein the air forceabout the engagements and saves, butIwouldsurelylove to. The event opened with a meeting in the conference room of the Holiday Inn Bayside at 0830 on Thursday the 21st. Attainment of these objectives was made difficult by both the restraints imposed upon the U.S. and its allies by Cold War exigencies, and by the military aid and assistance received by North Vietnam from its communist allies, the Soviet Union, the Peoples Republic of China and North Korea. He said after they made that rule the claims died down a lot. The remains of the other 5 crewmen were returned. Sen. Col. Ha Quang Hung MiG-21 6. Waters. Dan was Garys WSO on Garys first kill and Bob was his WSO on the second kill. In Southeast Asia, the FAC had two general roles: support troops on the ground who were fighting off enemy soldiers and try to find targets to destroy with air strikes. [5], Claimed by VPAF: 154 MiG aircraft lost through all causes, including 131 in air combat (includes 63 MiG-17s, 8 MiG-19s and 60 MiG-21s)[21][22]. How many enemy did the U.S. or the ARVN kill in a battle? Guess what Dan said? Not too long thereafter Gary got on the radio and for directions to the nearest MiG. He recently attended a get-together with a dozen former North Vietnamese MIG pilots and U.S. pilots with MIG killsa gathering of eagles. I believe we did good work when we dropped our bombs to defend troops in contact, i.e., bombed the bad guys who were attacking the good guys. 4. This is the story of Major Robert Lodge and Captain Roger Locher getting their third MiG kill on May 10, 1972, then getting shot down by a MiG. In 1972 Red Crown and Disco radioed to U.S. airplanes over North Vietnam the location (range and bearing off of Bullseye aka Hanoi) of airborne MiGs. Capt. The deadliest day of the Vietnam War for the U.S. was 31 January at the start of the Tet Offensive when 246 Americans were killed in action.1968 in the Vietnam War. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Senator, and presidential candidate would ask me, an Air Force aviator, if I thought he was crazy! They were the Thud drivers, the pilots of the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. J. W. Newhouse rescued, First loss: EF-105F 63-8286 (13th TFS, 388th TFW) shot down by AAA RP-6 July 1966, Maj. Roosevelt Hestle, Final loss: F-105G 63-8359 (Det.1 561st TFS, 388th TFW) shot down by SAM 16 November 1972, RP-3, crew rescued, First loss: mission-related TFR failure, 66-0022 (428th TFS 474th TFW, Project Combat Lancer), 28 March 1968, Maj. H.E. Some sources will state over 5,000 helicopter pilots were 2. The frontseater recovered the airplane and landed it after Kenny departed. He is passionate about sharing this knowledge with others, and he frequently speaks at education conferences around the world. 245 likes, 3 comments - @22untilnone on Instagram: "The Coast Guard gets ragged on a lot, mostly because a lot of people don't entirely understand wh." In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes,[3] 5,607 helicopters[2] and 578 UAVs[1] ). Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. There are a remarkable number of great American stories to be told on Memorial Day. Rationale for this answer: Time on Target was scheduled for the eight planes at 9:45 a.m. For more read Roger Locher Talks about Getting Shot Down & Evading for 23 Days. I urge you to watch General Steve Richies video in which he describes the loss of Oyster 1 and rescure of Roger Locher. how many b52 were shot down in vietnam. Now I know I have to do the interview with Dan and Bob. Another big laugh-getter was a short story by one of the Viets. When Dan saw those four missiles that wanted to kill him Dan said oh shit. Thanks to Col. Beckers warning and Garys immediate turn all four missiles missed Lark 3. As we approached the target (we had no clue what the target was) the loran F-4 alerted us to get ready to pickle. Pickle was the term that meant press the bomb release button. NO RUSSIANS EVER FOUGHT AGAINST US. When a radar beam struck the F-4 the frequency of the beam caused a light on the TDU to illuminate with the type of radar. He said at one time too many Viet pilots were claiming kills which they could not substantiate. 100 missions in the F-105 over North Vietnam; F-4 pilot; Shot down two MiG-21s in 1972. (USAF), USAF Special Operator May Posthumously Receive Medal of Honor for 2002 Battle on Takur-Ghar in Afghanistan, Check Out This Stunning Shot Of Trumps MV-22 Osprey Escort Over New York City, Four U.S. Air Force A-10s have arrived in Romania. Then Lt. Harlan Elseth made a great video of pictures he took in 1967 1968 when he flew 148 combat missions in the F-4 as a member of the 13th and 555th Tactical Fighter Squadrons during the Vietnam war. records. 12,000 helicoptersOverall, the U.S. military used nearly 12,000 helicopters in Vietnam, of which more than 5,000 were destroyed. By the time the fights were over and the Americans were gone the Mig pilot realized he was out of gas and wouldnt have enough gas to fly a regular approach and landing. The North Vietnamese spent a month digging trenches and bunkers and preparing for the battle. Osprey 2001, No. Final loss: A84-228 shot down by two SA-2 SAM missiles on 14 March 1971; Wing Commander F. J. L. Downing and Flight Lieutenant A.J. What percentage of Vietnam veterans are still alive today? The airborne command post directed my four ship flight of F-4s to rendezvous with an F-4 that had a loran bombing system. Winkelmans F-4E with a student pilot in the front seat had a PC-1 failure in their aircraft so we chose to escort each other home. It brings together distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives and world-class athletes to motivate and equip participants for honorable living and effective leadership. Another radar went up and down repeatedly. On September 12, 1972, Major Retterbush and Lt Daniel Autrey took down a MiG-21 using the M61A1 20mm automatic gun. I too flew F-4s in Southeast Asia in 1972. U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. "Statistics About the Vietnam War" has a personnel break down The Silver Star is the third-highest military combat decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Armed Forces. a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate. Be sure that you are always searching This Collection in the box to the left Click on a collection item to view the complete original document and its associated metadata. It was, according to some records, the first day the U.S. launched airstrikes on the capital city of Hanoi. List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War, Dark Eagles: A History of the Top Secret U.S. Aircraft (1999). Lt.Gen. The toll among those who flew for a living: 2,002 pilots killed and 2,704 crew chiefs and gunners dead. I wish more of my old squadron mates, the Fighter Squadron 143 Pukin Dogs, would have come to that interesting and awesome meeting with our former enemies, but they didnt. Some sources have included other crewmen aboard those shot Kenny was a pilot flying in the back seat on an orientation mission over the Ho Che Minh trail over Laos on November 18, 1968. I believe the F-4s purpose in 1972 was to repel the North Vietnamese Armys invasion of South Vietnam in April of 1972. During interrogation, he was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. See Richard Keyts article called Thank You Martin Baker., Iservedonboard the USS Chicago(CG-11)in 1971 and1972in the Tonkin Gulf whereI was the Air Intercept Controller Supervisor. Thus began one of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Commands worst Broken Arrow nuclear incidents of the Cold War.. 9. Phng Vn Qung. See also Unbroken Will: The Story of Lance P. Sijan. : The backseater who ejected from this F-4 is a pilot named Kenny Boone. In small suburbs and country towns people talked about these men. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered 1 of his guards and crawled into the jungle, only to be recaptured after several hours. 5. You said the Vietnam War series also promotes false leftist narratives such as the claim that Tet uprising and the Easter Offensive were American defeats. I havent gotten to the Easter Offensive yet, but the series did not portray Tet as a victory for the north. Sometimes, however, we did bad work. The 29-year old combat pilot was a member of the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. Saving lives by taking lives, changed them forever.. Even after years I unearth new names and heroic exploits every week. MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War. Introduced in late 1960 with the U.S. Navy, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II has been an incredibly versatile and effective aircraft for numerous national militaries around the world. When the Vietnam War ended in 1973, Mohawk losses were: one shot down by a MiG, one destroyed by mortar fire, 27 lost to ground fire and 36 destroyed in operational accidents. Lemay, Harkins, Westmoreland, Abrams, and Maxwell Taylor, were WWII What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam? It is fair to acknowledge the Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a plane thrust into a mission that was largely misunderstood, frequently evolving, and very different from what the Thud was originally designed for, low-level, supersonic nuclear strike missions. 532 aircraft were lost in combat and 329 more to operational causes, resulting in the deaths of 401 naval aviators, with 64 airmen reported missing and 179 taken prisoner of war. 6. The North Vietnamese Air Force began sending it's student jet This nine minute video by General Ritchie describes in detail his memories ofthe day Roger Locher and Bob Lodge were shot down and Rogers rescue 23 days later. SAR missions (Callsign Sandy) A-1 Skyraiders were tasked with locating and protecting any pilot who was downed by hostile ground fire, while leading and directing the entire rescue effort. He had been the Chief of Staff of the Viet Air Force at one time as was in on a lot of the big thinking. Id had enough by 3:30 so I took the rest of that day off and rejoined them around noon the next day at MCAS Miramar for the air show. There were about 2530 American former aviators in all. We sometimes dropped bombs use a procedure we called sky puking. This was not dive bombing. Here are three F-4 in combat in the Vietnam War books you can buy on Amazon: On June 2, 1972, at approximately 1330 hours, Brenda 01, a hard-wing F-4E, tail number 68210, flown by Major Phil Handley shot down a MiG-19 with the 20mm cannon approximately 40 miles northeast of Hanoi. Thats when our day went from bad to worse. It was an orientation ride for Kenny as he was newly assigned to my unit. It is a day when we recalibrate what it means to be an American. I saw that quickly, and anybody with eyeballs could see it., The U.S. decision to fight using conventional means also made victory impossible, McPeak says. After a lot of thought he was able to adequately mentally insult the unknown pilot. Bandits coming into the strike route 350 for 53. Translation: MiGs are 53 miles almost due north of Hanoi approaching the F-4 bombers that were being escorted by Lark flight, a flight of four strike escort F-4Es lead by the commander of the 35th TFS, Lt. Col. Lyle Beckers (he also shot down two MiGs that summer). Mr. Nguyn Nam Lin 910th Fighter RegimentInterpreter, 1. (j.g.) To say the least, he was VERY surprised but ejected successfully. It was blindingly obvious to me, and to a lot of other people in my squadron, that we were trying to prop up a government that had almost no chance of surviving on its own, McPeak says. two weeksOver 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. Click on the hotlinks for more information. The 35th TFS was permanently based at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, but was on temporary duty (TDY) at Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, to assist in Operation Linebacker I. "It's pretty gruesome. William Reeder Jr., who served two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army pilot, was shot down on May 9, 1972, while flying a mission in a Bell AH-1 Cobra . Ok, this article is not about flying the F-4 in combat, but as a person who sat on nuclear alert at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, in 1972 and 1973 with a nuke bomb on my F-4 I found it very interesting. Lt.Col. 30 B-52s Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot . If we had small losses compared to the enemys large losses we won the battle. U-8 losses need added I was lucky to have served with Busch in the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat Air Base, Thailand, in 1972. So, we continued an idiotic intervention on behalf of a corrupt regime.. Most of the other ten pilots had American kills. COMPUTER RECORDS OF AMERICAN PILOTS SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. Even more so than the F-104 Starfighter, the F-105 Thunderchief was what most Americans visualized when they heard the term Jet Fighter in the 1960s. He had successfully bombed his target and was exiting the area when his aircraft was struck by an SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile (SAM). At one point I did hear him say the day at the Miramar air show reminded him of taking the kids to Disneyland. Thereafter, I was moved into a 2060 foot cell with Dave Grant, Bill Beekman, and more than 400 pumpkins. It looks like the USAF Warthog attack planes are rapidly moving across eastern Europe: after deploying to Germany, as [], The air inlets were the key factor that helped the J-58 engines to provide 32,000 pounds of thrust and allow the Blackbird to reach Mach 3.2. The series clearly said Tet was a major defeat for the north and that the north lost 40,000 58,000 people. During Operation Linebacker II, 741 B-52 sorties were dispatched to bomb North Vietnam; 729 completed their missions. Conversely, the Soviet Union sources claim to have shot down 800 UN aircraft, while the US claims to have lost only 100 aircraft in combat. The multipurpose fighter saw extensive combat duty during the Vietnam War, including serving as Major Gary L. Retterbush, the pilot of Finch 3, an F-4E Phantom II. He was without food, with very little water, and no survival kit; nevertheless, he evaded enemy forces for 46 days. How many helicopters did America have in Vietnam? 8. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. During yard time in the week or so that followed, I developed a friendship with one of the prisoners shot down earlier in the war, and we shared a great deal of our personal information and military history with each other. He said at the end of any sortie where we dropped bombs on what we called trees in contact because there was nothing important down there we would always get bomb damage assessment such as twelve supply sources destroyed, two structures collapsed. He said the BDA was phony, just a waste of time.. My telephone is. I suspect Jacks work and attention to detail was the primary cause the event went so well and was so much fun for the rest of us. Kenny landed in high trees in Laos. It is awarded for gallantry in action while . When the Blues took off the Viets were all eyes to the skies and you could see by their smiles and gestures that some of them were flying right along with the Blues. Isnt it a very powerful statement about what kind of people we are? FYI: Red Crown was the call sign of a Navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin that had very sophisticated radars and electronics that allowed it to track all airplanes (friend and foe) airborne over North Vietnam. Jim Fox USN RIO, F-4J 13 July US Marine Corps McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B-3 Harrier II, BuNo 161582, c/n 512014/14, of VMAT-203, crashed at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. "dog-fights" in the Vietnam War. Brigadier General Steve Ritchie (five MiG kills), Colonel Chuck Debellevue (six MiG kills) and Lt. Nguyn Vn By MiG-17 7 victories Matt Connelly USN F-4J, 2 victories. out all the other choppers used in the war such as the OH-58 B-52s dropped 15,237 tons of ordnance on 18 industrial and 14 military targets (including eight SAM sites) while fighter-bombers added another 5,000 tons of bombs to the tally. Im headed back to Port Orange after a fantastic adventure in San Diego with some of my old fighter squadron friends and others from my days at NAS Miramar. Lt. Karl W. Richter was shot down on July 28th, 1967 at the age of 24. . It documents the flight of a civilian who got a two hour ride in the backseat of anAlabama Air National Guard 30 year old F-16 Falcon. We called the A/S light the awe shit light because if it came on it meant the bad guys were about to fire a 35 foot long supersonic flying telephone pole at the F-4. Kiowas, OH-6 Cayuse, AH-1 Cobras, CH53, Chinooks, H21 Shawnees, The Viet pilot was an accomplished combat pilot and took control of the plane. They were at about 18,000 feet south of Hanoi and headed south. He was very animated and smiled a lot and was told a good story. Final loss: C-7B 62-12584 (483d TAW) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, all 4 crewmen survived. Capt. Here is Bills USAF bio: Sad to report that Gary Busch Retterbush, one of the true heroes of the Vietnam war, slipped the surly bonds of earth on July 25, 2022. Bell Helicopter built 10,005 Hueys from 1957 to 1975. There were several cloth covered round tables which seated ten each situated all around the room, each with note pads and pens at place. He was a hero. Here are some facts he mentions about Thud missions and pilots in 1965: I just ordered the F-4E model shown below. After about an hour they went to the rostrum and told their stories by one pilot talking a few minutes then the interpreter doing her work, then the other pilot taking his turn talking with the interpreter doing her work again. We followed the emergency proeedures, pulled the stabilator trim circuit breaker and engaged the autopilot. A few seconds later Col. Beckers radioed Lark 3 break left. Beckers was checking Lark 3s six oclock and saw the missiles come off the rails. Soon thereafter, he managed to incapacitate a guard and escape into the jungle, but was recaptured several hours later. The leading AAF ace is Richard Bong, who shot down forty enemy airplanes. Aircraft losses were also grim: 10, 561 planes of varying types were shot down, 4754 of those were B-17 heavy bombers. Nguyn Kim Cch MiG-21 6 victories There was a cloud under-cast so the steady lights from the airplanes caused the clouds below to be illuminated with an eerie light. COMPUTER RECORDS OF AMERICAN PILOTS SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. After I published this post Ray Seymour sent me the following message: Dave Lowder and I supplied the photos and I put it together for the Rats Phoenix convention in May of 2012. This was the only MiG-19 shot down by an F-4 gun during the Vietnam War and is believed to be the highest speed gun kill in the history of aerial combat. Paul was picked up by a MacDill rescue helicopter, and flown to the MacDill base hospital. Samuel E. Waters was that his image, and the similar images of men, fighter pilots, like him shaped my impression of what a real man truly was.
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