4. Vietnam II

by C. R. Ryder

  An EF-111 got a kill on the first night of the war without firing a shot. While conducting electronic warfare and flying ahead of a strike package we became the target of a MiG-21. Several Vietnamese MiG-21s had come in and engaged the group of jets during their bombing run. One of them locked on and fired at our unarmed EF-111. In order to avoid certain death Captain Rand, our aircraft commander, immediately executed a tight turn and launched chaff. He was successful in avoiding the missile. The pursuing MiG locked on for another shot and Captain Rand reacted by piloting our EF-111 to the deck in order to shake the interceptor. As the EF-111 approached the ground he pulled the aircraft up hard and recovered. The MiG followed him, but I lost sight of him.

  “Do you see him?” I asked desperately searching outside the canopy.

  “No,” Rand said over the static on the interphone. “I see smoke.”

  “You guys alright. Say status.” Came over the radio.

  It was our F-15 escort. They had engaged and lost the MiG 21s buddies. They had finally caught up with us after losing sight of us in the engagement.

  “We’re okay.”

  “Did you see that MiG 21 we smoked?” The F-15 pilot said.

  I couldn’t believe my ears. They were trying to take credit for the shoot down.

  “Fuck you!” Rand said before I could.

  Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison

  U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer

  “AWACs is saying a MiG-21 flew into the ground after engaging an F-111 bomber flight with F-15 escorts.” I called out to the floor. “They are saying…”

  The weapons director was dealing with some kind of crisis over the phone patch.

  “What is it?” Dickens asked.

  Two Colonels and an Admiral were behind him giving me hard looks.

  “He says there is a lot of chatter on the radio.” I said.

  “Problems?” The Air Boss asked over the phone. It surprised me. I forgot about the other receiver against my ear. The four star on the other end was so quiet.

  “Wait. No. AWACs says that the F-111 pilot and the F-15 pilot are arguing about who deserves credit for the kill.”

  AIR ENGAGEMENT #7

  USAF F-15Cs vs. VPAF SU-17s

  Senior Airman William Lydecker

  E-3 SENTRY Weapons Director

  Two Vietnamese SU-17s fired multiple missiles at a flight of F-15Cs on bombing escort. The F-15Cs evaded the missiles and chased the interceptors. The SU-17 managed to outmaneuver and used ground clutter to escape their F-15 pursuers. A total of ten missiles were fired by the F-15Cs, but none hit the two targets.

  “2 V2 2. No joy.” I passed over the radio phone patch to Hickam.

  Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison

  U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer

  “Two SU-17s escaped after engaging and failing to shoot down a bomber flight.” I told the Air Boss over the phone.

  “Did the escorts pursue?” He asked.

  “They did. They got away.”

  “Did the F-15s at least fire?”

  “Yes.”

  “How many?”

  “Ten missiles.”

  “This war is getting expensive.” The Air Boss said in my ear. “Tell them to at least hit something if they are going to waste that much ordinance.”

  “I’ll pass it on.” I said not really knowing who to pass that on to.

  AIR ENGAGEMENT #8

  USAF F-111s vs. VPAF SU-17

  Senior Airman William Lydecker

  E-3 SENTRY Weapons Director

  The radio lit up. We had taken another hit.

  I checked my scope and sure enough there was a retrograde in action.

  “A Vietnamese SU-17 fired an air to air missile at an F-111 during its bombing run. The missile impacted on the aircraft’s skin, the bomber turned back to base. Only minutes later the same SU-17 struck again. Another F-111 took a hit and had to retrograde. They are struggling to make it back to base despite the severe damage to the aircraft.” I said into the radio.

  They were just outside of Hanoi on their bombing run.

  “Are they going to make it?” Came the distant voice from Hickam.

  Now here I am an E-3 with four years in the service and I’ve got headquarters asking me for assessments. I look over at the Mission Crew Commander and he is assholes and elbows busy.

  I decide not to make an assessment at all and just pass facts.

  “The aircraft commander is radioing looking at ejection options. Standing by for more words.”

  Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison

  U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer

  “A SU-17 just scored two hits against F-111s.”

  “Casualties?” The Senior asked.

  “Standby.” I said.

  “Casualties?” The Air Boss asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  The next hour passed slowly. Everyone was looking at me like it was my fault. Finally the F-111s flew out of the AWACs radar range and no one knew what had happened to them.

  “Well?” The Air Boss asked on the phone.

  I didn’t know how to answer.

  “Someone needs to find those planes.” The Senior announced on the floor. “Do we have casualties or not?”

  “None. Both aircraft made it back to base.” Colonel Smith, the maintenance representative, spoke up for the first time that night. “I’ve got the pro super on the line. Maintenance says both F-111s are severely damaged and are probably out of the fight.”

  The incident would prove to be one of Vietnam’s only successful use of the SU-17 during V2.

  AIR ENGAGEMENT #9

  VPAF MiG-21 vs USAF F-111 and B-52G

  Major Wesley Clinton

  B-52 Aircraft Commander

  We were headed home when the worst part of the mission happened.

  “We’re locked up! We’re locked up!” The radar navigator screamed into the interphone.

  An F-111 had just taken a missile to the north of us and was limping back to base. It was the third F-111 attack of the night. We had been listening to it on the radio wondering where the bandit had gone.

  “Where is it?” I said not wanting to turn into the missile.

  “Break right. Missile 030.” Was all he could get out before the impact.

  A Vietnamese MiG-21 pilot had us locked up good. The impact of the R60 missile just about shook some teeth out of my head. However, the tough B-52, flown by my experienced crew of course, managed to stay in the air.

  Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison

  U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer

  “MiG-21 took another F-111 out of the fight…” I announced and then paused as the AWACs guy starting vomiting information into my ear.

  “Is there more?” The Senior and the Air Boss asked simultaneously.

  “Same MiG then engaged a B-52G several minutes later during its bombing run.”

  “I hope this guy gets a medal before we blow him out of the sky.” The Senior said.

  “Casualties?” The Air Boss asked.

  Everyone was nervous. The B-52 carried a crew of six.

  “No sir. The B-52G was able to stay aloft as well, but its fuselage is severely damaged and its limping home.”

  “I want to know the moment that aircraft is on the ground.”

  It was over. At least for that day.

  We had flown over 1300 sorties of which 80% were effective with only a single loss, the F-18 from the Saratoga.

  It was not bad for the first day of the war. We had done significant damage to their air forces.

  The first day was over and we had dropped hundreds of bombs.

  The Vietnamese government did not respond through their channels. Nothing was moving diplomatically. In my experience nothing would happen at all and then when it did happen it would happen all at once.

  The news that night was filled with the so-called peaceful Vietnamese going to work and having their day interrupted by American bombers.

  I
n total we had hit 800 targets to include the Hoa Binh Dam, the North-South Railway and the Da Nhim Hydroelectric Power Station which was totally destroyed. When I left that night after thirty six hours on my feet the planners were making coffee and planning for more. They would end up working all day looking for more targets.

  The Vietnamese would get no such break. During daylight hours Tomahawk missiles from naval vessels pounded targets across the country.

  For now though the Air Force’s job was on pause. The goal was 1000 sorties a day. So far we were mission accomplished.

  19 January 1991

  AIR ENGAGEMENT #10

  USAF F-16s vs. VPAF MiG-25s

  Major George Garfield

  F-16 Fighting Falcon Pilot

  “Bandits ten o’clock low.” Lead announced breaking the boredom with thunderous words.

  We were escorting F-111s on a bombing raid.

  “Two,”

  My eyes raced to the skies. I saw nothing.

  I stopped peering at the skies ahead and watched as my lead moved to wingtip distance. Across the short stretch of air space that separated us I could make out his helmet and nervous hand signals in the cockpit. His hands seemed frantic with energy and I saw the flush of excitement as he pointed. I looked ahead of us, and squinted hard. All I got for my efforts was an ache in my eyes. There was nothing but the glare of the setting sun descending down in the west. There was nothing on radar. His imagination had gotten away from him clearly.

  Then I saw them!

  "They could be Navy planes headed in on a bombing run." he murmured through the radio.

  Even as he spoke the words, however, I knew that he was simply whistling in the dark. They were at the wrong altitude and wrong place.

  “AWACs, Bolt 56 Flight, we are tracking two fighters north east of our position heading west. Are they friendly?” Lead called out to the command and control aircraft.

  This was a formality that was set in place to prevent fratricide. We both suspected what the answer would be.

  “Negative, Bolt 56 Flight,”

  So there was only one answer. They were PAV fighters, and the Intel Officer’s words about the PAVs not being stupid were bearing fruit. Our air attacks had damaged the Vietnamese command, control and communications. Here were two PAV jets tearing out to do something drastic about it.

  “Permission to engage,” Lead asked.

  For a moment or two I took my eyes off the two dots on my radar display rushing up out of the surface clutter and glanced at the F-111 formation clawing toward the target. Ice coated my heart, and my throat became dry and tight.

  “Permission granted. Bolt 56 Flight cleared to engage.”

  “AWACs, Bolt 56 Flight copies all.”

  The wave of excitement vanished just as quickly as it came. A cold calmness swept over me.

  The dots on the horizon were no longer dots. They had grown and taken on definite shape and outlines. As I expected they were MiGs hugging the deck hoping that the ground cover would protect them. If they had seen us they gave no indication.

  Lead moved to his position for the attack.

  Few words were spoken between us. There were no need for any. This is what we trained for and training had become reflex. We slammed straight at the center of the enemy formation as though it were only a single entity and we were bent on its immediate destruction.

  When the missile lock sung out in my headset I opened fired and sliced an AIM-7 at the enemy MiG across the sky. Lead did the same.

  I never saw the impact of the missiles. Just that there were two bandits on my radar and then there were none.

  Senior Airman William Lydecker

  E-3 SENTRY Weapons Director

  The first dogfight of the day was between two F-16s and a pair of MiG-21s. The MiGs engaged the F-16s and the American fighters shot them both down with AIM-7 missiles.

  The command center was getting their information from somewhere else that day. It was back to business as usual. I suspected that headquarters at Hickam had worked out their communications problems and they were getting whatever they needed from satellites.

  Just as I was thinking about the crazy phone patch the night prior I spotted a pair of MiG-21s pop up from near Old Saigon. I looked for some blue air to send their way.

  Our business today was killing.

  And business was good.

  AIR ENGAGEMENT #11

  USAF F-15Cs vs. VPAF MiG-21s

  Captain William Bell

  F-15 Driver

  West and I were guided to a pair of MiG-21s by AWACs. The Vietnamese aircraft turned and engaged, surprising us. West and I turned our F-15s into the fight and thus began the most dramatic dogfight of the war.

  We and the MiGs flew straight at each other’s throats. West fired an AIM-7 and the lead MiG took it right in the face. There was a massive midair explosion. The MiG pilot must have died instantly and his fighter, or the wreckage from it, fell into the Central Highlands in a flaming mass of metal debris.

  The other MiG gained a lock on West’s aircraft. West and I went defensive with a dive to low altitude in order to clutter the PAV’s radar in order to break the lock-on. Then West dropped flares to counter his adversary's MiG infra-red search-and-track. It was unnecessary as the MiG disengaged after his wingman was shot down. The MiG fled north.

  We turned south. The F-15 did not carry a lot of gas. Maneuvering in a dogfight burnt it up at twice the usual rate. We sought to rendezvous with a tanker. A KC-135 over the gulf was happy to oblige. We checked in, ran our checklists and moved to precontact with the tanker.

  Surprising the shit out of us the now lone MiG reappeared. As we made their way to the orbiting KC-135 the MiG showed up on our and AWACs radar at about the same time.

  The MiG had feinted north and then reversed course chasing us. We broke off from the tanker and turned to meet him again leading to a head on confrontation. I could only hope that our fuel would hold out.

  The MiG maneuvered and I lost visual.

  “I lost sight of him. Do you at least have him on radar?”

  “Two,” I said indicating I did.

  “Bell take him out.” West ordered.

  “Two,” I responded indicating my IFF could not verify he was not coalition.

  “We know it’s him. Engage!” West ordered.

  “Two,” I said reminding him of the rules of engagement.

  “Fine,” West said knowing he was in the wrong. “Have it your way.”

  “Two,” I said trying to make him feel better.

  Missing out on a kill was better than shooting down a Navy jet that decided not to communicate. They often did so we had to be careful. After all if the MiG attacked we could maneuver.

  As if on cue the MiG sliced right through our formation. Now visually identified positively as a MiG West turned left to get in firing position and the PAV matched his turn. The maneuver brought all of us very close to the ground. I was not comfortable with it at all, but I backed West’s play. At last we both had him locked on and West was about to pickle an AIM-9 at him when the PAV tried to escape using a Split S maneuver. This was some World War I dogfighting stuff. They taught it during the first month of pilot training in every air force around the world. It still worked if it was done right.

  Unfortunately for the PAV pilot and fortunate for us he screwed it up. We watched him fly his MiG-21 right into the ground.

  Mission accomplished on MiG number two and we didn’t even have to fire a shot.

  Did I feel bad about all these aircraft and pilots we shot down? I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t. Thing is these MiG-21s were relics from the North Vietnam Air Force that had bloodied us pretty bad in the sixties and seventies and caused a lot of fliers to become MIAs and POWs. I had no problem doing the same to them.

  We didn’t have to be in the AWACs or the command center to know that the air war was going well. Pretty much one sided at that point.

  What could go wrong?

  Majo
r Ben Arthur

  F-16 Fighting Falcon Pilot

  I took off shortly after noon and formed up with the rest of my group, led by our squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Boone, as we hit the tankers. There were a group of F-15s flying combat air patrol above us on the lookout for MiGs that day. We were kicking ass in the air, but we still had to be prepared to protect our strike packages from enemy fighters. There were also four F-111s out there searching for SAM sites.

  We were part of the largest daylight bombing mission of the war. It was called Package R and we were striking targets in and around downtown Hanoi.

  Air refueling was critical to making these missions a success. By the time the strike package was scheduled to land back in Thailand each aircraft would have refueled four times. The tankers are airline type aircraft with big fuel tanks inside instead of passengers. They could not get too close to enemy territory. Typically they accompanied us to about 50 miles from the Laotian/Former North Vietnamese border and then they would stay on station to give us fuel on the way back out.

  We all searched for a string of mountains the V1 pilots nicknamed Thud Ridge as we made our way north. It had served as a visual landmark during the first Vietnam as they approached the target area. None of us had been around for the first war and films of it are spotty. The old gun cameras were awful and any surviving footage was in bad shape. Supposedly it pointed right at Phuc Yen, which was lightly defended. I think I spotted it a couple of times, but every peak here looked the same. The landscape may have changed due to erosion. Old Thud Ridge may be lost to history.

  We pressed on using GPS.

  The F-111s went in first. They used their jammers to confuse the tracking systems on the enemy SAM sites.

  We would start taking AAA as the strike force crossed the Red River. As soon as the enemy gunners saw us they opened fire. We followed Boone’s lead and jinked our aircraft, commencing a series of random and unpredictable movements, in order to throw off the PAV gunners. Other than flying high and moving fast, jinking was the only way to dodge the hail of bullets those PAVs put out.