TheList 5321

The List 5321 TGB




A few tidbits for Monday afternoon





Thanks to Tom

Great article

By the way as I was reading it I came to the picture of the F-4s and A-7s all dropping bombs together it looked very familiar. So I read the caption on the bottom and lo and behold There is my name as the one who took the picture 47 years ago flying an RF-8G from USS Midway CVA 41 Fred P. Leonard.

The date is not right since we finally returned home on 2 March 73

skip



Subject: Adapting to Disruption .... the Vietnam air war case

FYI. Analysis of the Vietnam air war from Joint Force Quarterly and National Defense University....

Does it get any easier with the re-telling?....

--Julio



---------- Original Message ----------
From: JAMES MUELLER
Date: May 7, 2020 at 10:32 AM
Subject: Adapting to Disruption .... the Vietnam air war case ....



https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2076617/adapting-to-disruption-aerial-combat-over-north-vietnam/



Actually scanned a recent back-issue of the ever- glossy Joint Force Quarterly journal from the NDU ... which I usually skip ... but there was one article of interest ... which I'll share ...as you probably don't read it either.

"Disruption" is a cool, relatively new 'in' term .... but 'they' used it here in a case study against an 'old' effort I can relate to - the Vietnam "War" .... and in particular the air war ....



Huge efforts by both the USAF and U.S. Navy air components - Army too - were engaged for years.

On paper, it seemed like a no-brainer. bombers, fighters, attack aircraft ..... helos, gunships ISR, cargo etc ..... all weighed in overwhelmingly on the 'good guys' side.



But early on, it didn't go that way .... as many would say ... the U.S. merely presented the Vietnamese with a"target-rich" environment" ....... over 9,000 U.S. aircraft (including helos) were lost.... to all causes... the North Viets ... only 150-200 ... in air-to-air !

... for your info and evaluation .....



Adapting to Disruption: Aerial Combat over North Vietnam

By Robert G. AngevineJoint Force Quarterly 96



Feb. 10, 2020 —





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One of My Life's Embarrassing Moments In Naval Aviation...



thanks to Shadow





I probably shouldn't admit this… but Dutch's recent post about the Aussie getting his family jewels caught in a plastic chair, woke up a faded memory from my past. It's a true story… and one I'm not especially proud of, but never the less I think worth sharing to a limited audience.



Was the last day of a weekend cross country with one of my favorite back seaters. The night before at dinner, we started talking about a recent high speed ejection of one of our sister squadrons aircraft… I'd talked to the pilot directly to get his account of what it was like. Pretty eventful and harrowing. At the conclusion of his narrative, he related one thing that struck me as informative; he said, "One thing is for sure, I will never fly with a loose torso harness again. When the damn chute opened, my harness went from loose to almost crushing my gonads… and for a few seconds, I couldn't decide what was worse… the 400 knot wind blast or the pain from the chute opening". Well, the next morning, that conversation was still on my mind as we suited up. I normally flew with a snug torso harness like I suspect most of us did… not loose, but not especially tight either. But with the previous night's discussion in mind, I decided that it was time I heeded the advice from someone who'd been there, done that. As I adjusted my torso harness, this time I bent over and pulled on the strap mightily, snugging up the harness far more than I ever had before. Felt a little weird, but I was now sure I wouldn't suffer the same fate of my friend if I ever had to punch out. I then put on my survival vest and we boarded up and took off to once again enjoy the wonders of flight.



I'd filed for Reese AFB as our first refueling stop. It was a Sunday morning and I looked forward to a quick turnaround. Climb out was normal, but about the time I reached cruise altitude… my body started sending me little messages… "Something ain't right down there"? In just a few minutes it went from just "Just ain't right" to "Holy chit… that hurts… and itches"! It seemed that in my exuberance to have the worlds tightest torso harness, I'd overlooked rule number one of common sense… If you're gonna have the world's tightest harness… you better make sure that any loose objects down there were not in contact with said torso harness strap! Dumb chit Marine that I was; I'd managed to trap the very items I sought to protect, under my left crotch strap! That one hour, plus fifteen, short hop, was one of my longest ever!



By the time I went into the break at Reese… I was in agony… for some crazy reason, I kept thinking about a line in a Jerry Clower routine… "Wooo, shoot this thang… one of us had got to get some relief"! I couldn't wait to get on the ground! As I taxied in, I was already releasing my Koch fittings and working on my garters when I pulled into the transient line. Once chocked, I hastily shut down, only to be greeted by the lineman below with; "Sorry Sir, but we don't have boarding ladder for the F-4"!



All of a sudden I knew that the "Big Guy" was paying me back for some indiscretion from my past… ever hear the phrase of "The genies of fate urinated on the best intentions of man"? Well I was now confronted with it. Everyone knows that all F-4's had a self contained boarding ladder… simply push a little button or switch in the cockpit and it would self deploy. But unless you flew it, you wouldn't know that the RF-4's boarding ladder was different. We had an aerodynamic boarding ladder… it was wedge shaped at the bottom like a little airfoil. We used to joke we had a "Supersonic" boarding ladder… designed to not increase any drag if it inadvertently deployed in flight. Over time, with continued use, they started to experience wear and tear and sometimes fail... and then we found out there were these little BB sized ball bearings associated with the design that would fall out if it did deploy in flight and could possibly FOD the port engine. Being Marines, we always looked to simple solutions. Now we always had boarding ladders at every Navy and Marine base we landed at… so we simply riveted the damn things shut! Can't deploy, can't FOD an engine. No problem.



But what happens when there is no boarding ladder available? Well, there was a solution for that too… we simply stood up in the front cockpit, grabbed the canopy rail and did an E&E maneuver to extricate ourselves from said cockpit. It was a piece of cake for the back seaters in that the intake was right alongside their cockpit. They just stood up and stepped out on the intake. But a bit more complicated for us in front, especially if we were vertically challenged. No way could we step from the front cockpit canopy rail to the intake unless you were Wilt Chamberlain… way too long a stretch! What we had to do was stand on the canopy rail and hold onto the canopy along side your head for dear life…. Stretch out to reach the splitter plate on the intake ramp… then without letting go of the front canopy, grab the edge of the rear canopy and then swing yourself backward until you could stand on top of the intake itself. Sounds simple enough; until you tried it. Your brain bucket was about fifteen feet above the ground and any fall from there, portended an unpleasant landing on the concrete down below. Not as easy as it sounds. Anyway, this was the situation I was faced with as my airplane was one of those with the riveted shut boarding ladder.



I performed the E&E maneuver in record time, motivated by my need for relief. I walked back along the intake and then straddled the turtleback behind the rear cockpit. Off came the survival vest, torso harness and G-Suit that I discarded on the wing below. And I unzipped my flight suit from the bottom up and stood there, like the guy in "Titanic" standing on the bow, proclaiming he was "King of the World"! For I knew, the immediate solution for both maladies, the pain and itch; was the same… they required immediate massaging! One to return circulation to the formerly entrapped loose items and the other to assuage what felt like a terminal case of jock itch! I standing up there, groveling and uttering blissful noises like one making love when all of a sudden, I hear… "Sir, could we look at your plane". Holy chit! WTF… Over? I look over my shoulder with both hands still in my crotch… groveling... and there below the front cockpit stands a brand new Air Force 2ndLt… with young bride and in laws in tow. My back seater added insult to injury when he said out loud, "Real Class act Shadow"!. It was humiliating! But, my sarcastic self came through and I simply said, "Sure kid, knock yourself out". I then slid over the turtleback and down to the opposite wing, then slid down the flap to the ground below and immediately sought refuge in the line shack. Once there, I was not going anywhere until those nice folks departed! Talk about embarrassed!



They finally started to leave and headed toward Base Ops and all of a sudden the father in law splits off and starts heading toward the line shack. Holy chit, figured I had an ass chewing coming! So as soon as he came in the door I was prepared and explained to him what happened and why I was up there looking like I playing with my privates. He was a gentleman and let me finish and then identified himself as retired Colonel so and so… and then he smiled and said… "Over my career in the Air Force, I heard a lot of wild stories about you Marines, but until today I thought they were all exaggerations… now I know better". With that, he turned and left… and he still had a smile on his face!



Chit happens… Shadow



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Thanks to Todd S. ...and Dr. Rich



Aircraft Carrier Ambush!



Arm wrestling contest anyone?



Hard to figure out how they shot the video, as several shots show no connection between the 'pilot' and the camera.



Impressive!!

Amazing — this guy has to have strong arms



<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoFlqIaDJ8U&feature=youtu.be>





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This Day in American Military History May 11



1942 – The Air Medal was authorized by President Roosevelt by Executive Order 9158 and established the award for "any person who, while serving in any capacity in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States subsequent to September 8, 1939, distinguishes, or has distinguished, himself by meritorious achievement while participating in an aerial flight." Executive Order 9242-A, dated 11 September 1942 amended the previous Executive Order to read "in any capacity in or with the Army". The Air Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States, shall have distinguished himself/herself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or heroism, or for meritorious service. Award of the Air Medal is primarily intended to recognize those personnel who are on current crew member or non-crew member flying status which requires them to participate in aerial flight on a regular and frequent basis in the performance of their primary duties. However, it may also be awarded to certain other individuals whose combat duties require regular and frequent flying in other than a passenger status, or individuals who perform a particularly noteworthy act while performing the function of a crew member but who are not on flying status. These individuals must make a discernible contribution to the operational land combat mission or to the mission of the aircraft in flight. Examples of personnel whose combat duties require them to fly include those in the attack elements of units involved in air-land assaults against an armed enemy and those directly involved in airborne command and control of combat operations. Involvement in such activities, normally at the brigade/group level and below, serves only to establish eligibility for award of the Air Medal; the degree of heroism, meritorious achievement or exemplary service determines who should receive the award. Awards will not be made to individuals who use air transportation solely for the purpose of moving from point to point in a combat zone.



1945 – On Okinawa, American forces conduct a coordinated attack on the Japanese held Shuri Line. The forces deployed include the US 3rd Amphibious Corps on the right of the line and the US 24th Corps on the left. Only minor gains are achieved. At sea, Kiyoshi Ogawa, Japanese pilot, crashed his plane into the US carrier Bunker Hill near Okinawa. 496 Americans died with him and the ship was knocked out of the war. Two destroyers are also damaged by kamikaze attacks.





1945 – Four days after Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, the Coast Guard-manned destroyer escorts USS Vance and USS Durant, underway off the Azores escorting their last convoy to the Mediterranean, sighted a light ahead of the convoy. They closed to investigate. The Durant illuminated the target, which was the surfaced German submarine U-873, which had been at sea for 50 days. Vance, while screened by Durant, hailed the "erstwhile enemy" over her public address system, established her identity, and then ordered her to heave to. On board were seven officers and 52 enlisted men. Vance placed a 21-man prize crew on board the captured U-boat and delivered their prize at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 16 May 1945.





1945 – On Luzon, elements of US 1st Corps make contact on Kapintalan Ridge. The US 25th Division advances on Santa Fe. On Mindanao, elements of US 40th Division advance to hills overlooking Del Monte airfield. Units of Filipino guerrillas liberate Cagayan. The US 24th Division mops up the area northeast of the Talomo river, near Mintal. On Samar, a small American contingent is landed to spot Japanese artillery sites firing on Davao on Mindanao. Fighting continues in the western mountains on Negros.







Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

These men were amazing in courage and determination,





McKlNNEY, JOHN R.
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Private), U.S. Army, Company A, 123d Infantry, 33d Infantry Division. Place and date: Tayabas Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 11 May 1945. Entered service at: Woodcliff, Ga. Birth: Woodcliff, Ga. G.O. No.: 14, 4 February 1946. Citation: He fought with extreme gallantry to defend the outpost which had been established near Dingalan Bay. Just before daybreak approximately 100 Japanese stealthily attacked the perimeter defense, concentrating on a light machinegun position manned by 3 Americans. Having completed a long tour of duty at this gun, Pvt. McKinney was resting a few paces away when an enemy soldier dealt him a glancing blow on the head with a saber. Although dazed by the stroke, he seized his rifle, bludgeoned his attacker, and then shot another assailant who was charging him. Meanwhile, 1 of his comrades at the machinegun had been wounded and his other companion withdrew carrying the injured man to safety. Alone, Pvt. McKinney was confronted by 10 infantrymen who had captured the machinegun with the evident intent of reversing it to fire into the perimeter. Leaping into the emplacement, he shot 7 of them at pointblank range and killed 3 more with his rifle butt. In the melee the machinegun was rendered inoperative, leaving him only his rifle with which to meet the advancing Japanese, who hurled grenades and directed knee mortar shells into the perimeter. He warily changed position, secured more ammunition, and reloading repeatedly, cut down waves of the fanatical enemy with devastating fire or clubbed them to death in hand-to-hand combat. When assistance arrived, he had thwarted the assault and was in complete control of the area. Thirty-eight dead Japanese around the machinegun and 2 more at the side of a mortar 45 yards distant was the amazing toll he had exacted single-handedly. By his indomitable spirit, extraordinary fighting ability, and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous odds, Pvt. McKinley saved his company from possible annihilation and set an example of unsurpassed intrepidity.





*TERRY, SEYMOUR W.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company B, 382d Infantry, 96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Zebra Hill, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 11 May 1945. Entered service at: Little Rock, Ark. Birth: Little Rock, Ark. G.O. No.: 23, 6 March 1946. Citation: 1st Lt. Terry was leading an attack against heavily defended Zebra Hill when devastating fire from 5 pillboxes halted the advance. He braved the hail of bullets to secure satchel charges and white phosphorus grenades, and then ran 30 yards directly at the enemy with an ignited charge to the first stronghold, demolished it, and moved on to the other pillboxes, bombarding them with his grenades and calmly cutting down their defenders with rifle fire as they attempted to escape. When he had finished this job by sealing the 4 pillboxes with explosives, he had killed 20 Japanese and destroyed 3 machineguns. The advance was again held up by an intense grenade barrage which inflicted several casualties. Locating the source of enemy fire in trenches on the reverse slope of the hill, 1st Lt. Terry, burdened by 6 satchel charges launched a l-man assault. He wrecked the enemy's defenses by throwing explosives into their positions and himself accounted for 10 of the 20 hostile troops killed when his men overran the area. Pressing forward again toward a nearby ridge, his 2 assault platoons were stopped by slashing machinegun and mortar fire. He fearlessly ran across 100 yards of fire-swept terrain to join the support platoon and urge it on in a flanking maneuver. This thrust, too, was halted by stubborn resistance. 1st Lt. Terry began another 1 -man drive, hurling grenades upon the strongly entrenched defenders until they fled in confusion, leaving 5 dead behind them. Inspired by this bold action, the support platoon charged the retreating enemy and annihilated them. Soon afterward, while organizing his company to repulse a possible counterattack, the gallant company commander was mortally wounded by the burst of an enemy mortar shell. By his indomitable fighting spirit, brilliant leadership, and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous odds, 1st Lt. Terry made possible the accomplishment of his unit's mission and set an example of heroism in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.





*WAUGH, ROBERT T.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 339th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tremensucli, Italy, 11-14 May 1944. Entered service at: Augusta, Maine. Birth: Ashton, R.I. G.O. No.: 79, 4 October 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy. In the course of an attack upon an enemy-held hill on 11 May, 1st Lt. Waugh personally reconnoitered a heavily mined area before entering it with his platoon. Directing his men to deliver fire on 6 bunkers guarding this hill, 1st Lt. Waugh advanced alone against them, reached the first bunker, threw phosphorus grenades into it and as the defenders emerged, killed them with a burst from his tommygun. He repeated this process on the 5 remaining bunkers, killing or capturing the occupants. On the morning of 14 May, 1st Lt. Waugh ordered his platoon to lay a base of fire on 2 enemy pillboxes located on a knoll which commanded the only trail up the hill. He then ran to the first pillbox, threw several grenades into it, drove the defenders into the open, and killed them. The second pillbox was next taken by this intrepid officer by similar methods. The fearless actions of 1st Lt. Waugh broke the Gustav Line at that point, neutralizing 6 bunkers and 2 pillboxes and he was personally responsible for the death of 30 of the enemy and the capture of 25 others. He was later killed in action in Itri, Italy, while leading his platoon in an attack.