To All,
Good Friday morning January 27, 2023.
A couple of articles to read. One from a P-51 Mustang Pilot and one from a NVN pilot.
Both are worth your time
World news will come later
Regards,
skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
Jan. 27
1778—During the American Revolution, the Continental sloop Providence, commanded by Capt. O. P. Rathburne, attacks New Providence Island, spikes the guns of the fort, captures small arms, holds off the sloop-of-war Grayton, and captures a privateer and five other vessels, while freeing 20 released American prisoners.
1942—Submarine Gudgeon (SS 211) becomes the first U.S. Navy submarine to sink an enemy Japanese submarine in action during World War II.
1945—Destroyer Higbee (DD 806) is commissioned. She is the first U.S. Navy combat ship to bear the name of a female member of the naval service.
1952—U.S. Navy carrier aircraft cut the Korean railroad, a constant target during the Korean War, in 165 places, a record for a single day's aircraft operations by Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 77).
1967—Tragedy strikes the Apollo space program when a flash fire occurs in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and (Navy LCDR) Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first space flight, die in this tragic accident.
1973—The Paris Peace Accords are signed, ending U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.
1988 - About 400 Marines and sailors from the 2d Marine Division, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, and 2d Force Service Support Group deployed for the Persian Gulf. The Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) CM 2-88 would relieve Contingency MAGTF 1-88 in the volatile Persian Gulf and provide the effective landing force capability to Joint Task Force Middle East.
Thanks to Ted
Skip,
It's not true that Ev Alvarez was the longest held POW in VN (and U.S. history), and we all should know that. Indeed, Ev does his best to disclaim the "longest held" title when asked, or is doing speaking engagements. Yes, he was the first pilot shot down over North Vietnam, and longest held there (although Floyd Thompson ended up there).
It's a notable disservice to the SpecOps soldier/pilot who was the longest held, and in gruesome circumstances, not to properly recognize him. Suggest we give credit where credit is due and correct the widespread, and accepted by many, falsehood about "longest held."
Cheers, Ted
1970 – U.S. Navy Lt. Everett Alvarez Jr. spends his 2,000th day in captivity in Southeast Asia. First taken prisoner when his plane was shot down on August 5, 1964, he became the longest-held POW in U.S. history. Alvarez was downed over Hon Gai during the first bombing raids against North Vietnam in retaliation for the disputed attack on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964."
"On March 26, 1964, the first U.S. service member imprisoned during the Vietnam War was captured near Quảng Trị, South Vietnam when an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and Captain Floyd James Thompson was brought down by small arms fire. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short of nine years in captivity, making him the longest-held POW in American history. The first fighter pilot captured in North Vietnam was Navy Lieutenant (junior grade) Everett Alvarez, Jr., who was shot down on August 5, 1964, in the aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident.[3]"
"Army Special Forces Capt. Floyd James Thompson, who was captured on March 26, 1964, was the longest-held POW. Navy Lieut. Junior Grade Everett Alvarez, Jr., shot down on August 5, 1964, was the first pilot to be captured in NVN."
"Floyd James "Jim" Thompson (July 8, 1933 – July 16, 2002) was a United States Army colonel. He was the longest-held American prisoner of war in U.S. history, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the jungle camps and mountains of South Vietnam and Laos, and in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War."
This Day in World History…
January 27
1695 Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Amhed II.
1825 Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears."
1862 President Abraham Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, setting in motion the Union armies.
1900 Foreign diplomats in Peking fear revolt and demand that the Imperial Government discipline the Boxer Rebels.
1905 Russian General Kuropatkin takes the offensive in Manchuria. The Japanese under General Oyama suffer heavy casualties.
1916 President Woodrow Wilson opens preparedness program.
1918 Communists attempt to seize power in Finland.
1924 Lenin's body is laid in a marble tomb on Red Square near the Kremlin.
1935 A League of Nations majority favors depriving Japan of mandates.
1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves the sale of U.S. war planes to France.
1941 The United States and Great Britain begin high-level military talks in Washington.
1943 The first U.S. raids on the Reich blast Wilhelmshaven base and Emden.
1959 NASA selects 110 candidates for the first U.S. space flight.
1965 Military leaders oust the civilian government of Tran Van Huong in Saigon.
1967 Three astronauts are killed in a flash fire that engulfed their Apollo 1 spacecraft.
1973 A cease fire in Vietnam is called as the Paris peace accords are signed by the United States and North Vietnam.
1978 The State Supreme Court rules that Nazis can display the Swastika in a march in Skokie, Illinois.
1985 Pope John Paul II says mass to one million in Venezuela.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip … … For The List for Friday, 27 January 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 27 January 1968… LBJ address to nation: Seizure of USS Pueblo by North Korea…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
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Thanks to Mugs
From a friend in Tennessee.
Mugs
Thought you'd be interested. Seems like a fairly balanced view. Hadn't heard about tire issues.
TK
I found this article informative.
Here is just another reason the electric car people are not able to sell their cars.
Tesla Experiment
So, the Tesla experiment 🔬 has come to an end.
Heather and I each had one for the past 3 months and here are some things from our experience. When gas prices were $5 per gallon it seemed like a good thing to try.
Here are some Pro's & Cons's!
Pro's:
1. Watching netflix on the huge screen looked and sounded like a movie 🎥 theater!! Amazing actually ! Using the internet to listen to radio stations on line was so cool.
2. These cars are really quick and very fast! Felt almost as fast 💨 as the corvette !
3. high end speed was also fast. Easy to go over 100 mph. I always got to places quickly.
4. All kids were in awe of the Tesla!!!!
5. I had some warranty issues. I scheduled through the app and tesla came to my house. This was cool other then I had to leave it there during that window of time. They fixed my issues at no charge and texted me what they did. Pretty cool!
Con's
1. My car said it would get 303 miles per charge. It really only get's 200 miles in my opinion!!! These cars drain so fast! But when it gets to 80 miles left you need to be concerned. So it really only gets 160-170 true miles. This is not good !
2. Range anxiety is a real thing. This past weekend we took the car to new jersey. Made it there with 60 miles left. Plenty to get us to charging station. Went to the charging station I found in my phone and it was a mall!!! No charging station. Put the next one in my phone!!! Go to this station and had 6 miles left. Im glad it was not another mall. So yes this creates unwanted anxiety 😦. So, I would not want to go below 100 miles ever again. So really this is a 120-140 mile car when its not winter.
3. I heard when winter comes the anxiety is worse. Imagine running electric heat. I heard the numbers go way down from normal usage from other tesla owners. I cant imagine what this will do?!?!
4. The tires on this car can easily get damaged. My wife had two flat tires In her 3 months. And flat tires are a pain in the ass. She had to schedule through the tesla app. Only tesla could fix the tire. She needed a new one ☝ the first time $412. The next time it was a hole and it was $150. They will only fix a tire one time so the next time on that tire it needs a new one. Only tesla can fix tires. Not cool 😎 These tires cut like butter. Dont drive off road at all and dont nick a curb at all!! This tire situation was a deal breaker for heather for sure because she hits curbs every day!!!
5. The car is too fast 💨. I was bound to get a speeding ticket or an accident. Heather said I drove way too fast everywhere! Driving a 100 mph in this car is not a good thing.
6. I charged this car on Sunday, and it was $43 to charge it at a tesla super station. This price to drive 170 mph is insane. The charging was free for me because of the rental program I was in. But I would never pay $72k for this car then pay that amount to charge it on trips!
7. My electric has gone so sky high at my house these past two months so its hard to actually know how much it is to charge a tesla at home. My guess is its between $75-$100 for one car for a month. I had thought it would be closer to $50 month. I can only see this cost rising.
8. Running electric to my garage was not cheap. My brother did it for $1,000 in materials but it would have been much more if we hired it out. This prob would have been a $3,500 job.
9. Winter was coming, and we show/look at alot of houses. We could not risk driving a tesla based on charge or bad tires in this situation.
10. When going to a tesla super charging station it will charge the tesla to 80% in 25 min. But it takes another 25 min to get to 100%. 50-55 min is too long for a full charge. They also dont like you to fully charge the car all the time. What the heck!
Overall, I think 🤔 electric cars are not ready for us. They really lack what you need if you really have to drive somewhere. And its risky getting a flat tire on any road.
So we turned in our leases and bought 2 - 2021 dodge limited trucks with 30k miles on them. They were $54k each and with 100% bonus depreciation still in effect the real cost was $36k each. These trucks now are $78k brand new which is why buying used made sense. These just came off monthly rental programs. These will be safer, more reliable and more durable especially going into winter.
Peace ☮ out Tesla for now!
Let me know if you have any other questions about the Tesla!
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Thanks to Chuck
These are hilarious!! Great Moments in Unintended Consequences - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSwMEtuL-GQ&list=PLBuns9Evn1w9XhnH7vVh_7C65wJbaBECK&index=10
Thanks to Dr. Rich
MUSTANG PILOT'S MISSION: A DAY IN THE LIFE ...
"You're on tomorrow," Captain John Poyen, 357th Squadron intelligence officer, tells me the day before the mission. It's November 25, 1944, and I'm a 20-year-old first lieutenant P-51 pilot from Brooklyn, New York, assigned to the 357th Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and based at Station 122, in Steeple Morden, England.
That night I sleep in wool long johns over a T-shirt and boxers. The less I need to suit up tomorrow, the better. I also put on the first of three pairs of socks, since layers mean warmth. At high altitudes—bomber escort levels—cockpit temperatures can dip to minus 60 degrees.
I sleep soundly, unlike before my first mission. Then I was a replacement pilot who'd just been thrown into a group of strangers. Now, with 26 missions under my belt, I know I'm part of a high-spirited team, men who will fight to the death for each other.
Pilots of the 357th pose outside their barracks at Steeple Morden in October 1944. Standing (from left) are William Reiff, Elmer H. Riffle, William J. Cullerton and Lyons; kneeling (from left) are Phillip M. McHugh, Kenneth J. Miller and Kenneth M. Michels.
RISE AND SHINE
At 7:15 a.m., Poyen is tapping my shoulder. I say, "Okay, John." I can hear the B-17s warming up at the Bassingbourne airfield, five miles away. Phil McHugh, nearest the door, gets wakened first. Next Ken Miller. Willy Reiff groans and has to be shaken awake. Bob Crandall politely says, "Thanks, John." Buzz Lamar lets out an expletive. Charley Kelley, in the bunk next to mine, says, "Yes sir!" as if on parade. Ted Ludeke rolls out of bed and starts dressing before Poyen even reaches him.
I put on my shirt, pants and belt, second pair of socks and heavy high lace-up shoes. Then I head for the latrine to brush my teeth and wash up. I don't have to shave so my oxygen mask will fit snugly: I still don't shave but once every two or three days.
I climb into my overall flight suit. On the left thigh there's a 4-by-4-inch clear glassine patch beneath which a mini-map of Germany is inserted. On my right shin is a zippered cargo pocket to hold my escape kit, on my left shin a sheathed knife. Next I strap on my shoulder holster, with a loaded .45-caliber pistol. Finally I pull on my A-2 flight jacket and officer's cap. I'm ready for breakfast.
Today there are 16 of us from the 357th riding to the officers' mess. Two years ago few of us had ever been in a plane. Now we're privileged to be flying state-of-the-art fighters. Most of us are in our early 20s. Although our backgrounds vary, we share the same motivations: patriotism, optimism and loyalty to each other.
At the mess hall I eat as much as I can—orange juice, oatmeal with thick cream, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes, plateful of SOS and hot cocoa—for two reasons: I won't get hungry if it's a long mission. And I won't need food too soon if I'm shot down.
THE BRIEFING
Inside the big Quonset briefing hut are a dozen or so long benches, quickly filled by about 50 pilots. A cloth shroud covers the back wall, and an intelligence officer faces us, holding a wooden pointer. At first there's some conversation and smoking. Then a loud "Ten-HUT!" announces the entry of the mission commander, Major Emil Sluga, who's built like a wrestler.
The intelligence officer pulls back the shroud, revealing a map of central Europe, and the room falls silent. There are two black cords dotted with pushpins, starting at Cambridge (10 miles north of us) and ending at today's target in Germany. The cords show the bomber groups' routes to the target. Attached along the cords, each group has a cardboard cutout resembling a bomber, with its group number. I count 12 bomb groups. Red cords show the routes of the nine escorting fighter groups. Where red and black cords meet are the rendezvous points of each fighter group with its assigned bomb group. Adding it all up, it looks to be a raid of about 1,000 bombers, with escort of about 450 fighters.
"Today we're going to escort the bombers to…Misburg," says Major Sluga, pointing to mid-Germany. The city is covered by overlapping circles of red, which show the target's anti-aircraft strength. The more red, the heavier the enemy flak. As homeland Germany's largest oil refinery complex, Misburg has sizable red areas.
Sluga points to the lead B-24 group and says: "We've got the first box of '24s. We pick them up at 10:45…here at Ijmuiden," pointing to the Dutch coast. "We cover them to the target and take 'em back to Dummer Lake. We hand 'em off there to the 339th Group. I'll be leading the group in the 358th Squadron, Captain Fortier has the 354th, Captain Bille the 357th. Any questions? No? Good."
Sluga doesn't mention our role: to protect the bombers no matter what. That's taken for granted. While he talks I draw our 355th Group's route in crayon pencil on my flight suit's glassine patch over the mini-map of Germany, along with the timing points and compass headings. So do the others.
"We take off at 10:05," Sluga tells us. "Check your watches. It is exactly…9…and …20…now! Good luck."
Outside we pause for prayers. Around midpoint in my tour I stopped praying, having noticed none of my squadron leaders joined in. I also noted that some of those who had prayed most fervently got killed. I saw that praying gave comfort, but no favor whether one lives or dies. I also knew my mom was praying for me—and she had surely earned more points with God than I. And weren't the Germans praying to the same God as our side?
Checking the schedule board, I find that I'm in Yellow flight today, flying Yellow 2 off Captain Fred Haviland's wing. Yellow 3 is Lieutenant Barney Barab. His wingman is my barracks mate Lieutenant Charley Kelley, Yellow 4.
We fly as a team in combat until necessity separates us. Each pilot is responsible for his flight's welfare, with the flight leader loosely in charge. The wingman's primary responsibility is to protect the pilot off whose wing he's flying, so he can focus on shooting, knowing his back is covered (No. 2 covers No. 1, No. 4 covers No. 3). The wingman flies to the side and slightly to rear of the pilot he's protecting, covering his blind spot, his tail—and vice versa, as necessary. Improvisation is vital.
Captain Frederick Haviland Jr.'s P-51D displays the flags representing seven enemy planes destroyed in the air and on the ground.
The mood in the ready room seems nonchalant, but I know we're all thinking about the mission—fuel supply vs. target distance and estimated time in the air, who's in my flight, my position in the flight, target flak. But there's no talk about enemy fighters. No need: They're why we exist.
I hang up my jacket and .45, and take my flying gear from my locker. First I put my escape kit (containing K-rations, aspirin, water purifier, matches, razor, dime-size compass, etc.) into my flight suit's left leg cargo pocket and zip it shut. Then I put on my third pair of socks and re-lace my shoes. Next I zip myself into my G-suit, which fits from waist to ankles. I strap on my pistol and don my jacket.
I tie the straps of my Mae West inflatable life jacket over my A-2, put on my helmet (with attached RAF flat-plane goggles and radio intercom earphones) and clip it to my oxygen mask with microphone inside and connector hose. I put on three pairs of gloves: chamois, silk and finally leather gauntlets. Then I strap on my parachute harness, which has a first-aid kit sewn onto the right shoulder strap, leaving the leg straps loose so I can still walk. I'm now maybe 40 pounds heavier, ready to waddle out to the jeep that's taking me and eight or nine others to our planes.
ON THE FLIGHT LINE
The Mustang I'll be flying belongs to another pilot who's not on duty today. (Soon after this mission I'll get my own, a P-51D that I name Tiger's Revenge for my cousin, Major Sylvan Feld, CO of the 373rd Fighter Squadron, Ninth Air Force, KIA in France.) I climb up on the wing, clip my parachute leg straps to the seat harness and slide into the cockpit. Space is tight even though I'm small (5 foot 6, 125 pounds). I adjust the seat full-high for maximum forward visibility and so I can see over the front and back of the wings. I also adjust my position relative to two rear¬view mirrors atop the forward windscreen, facing rearward 30 degrees left and right (these are excellent additions, put on by Steeple Morden crew chiefs).
The crew chief plugs my G-suit hose into its cockpit floor receptacle and also the hose leading to my oxygen mask. I hook up the earphone wire from my helmet into 355th Group's intercom radio frequency. Then I wigwag the joystick to check the right and left wing ailerons, check the tail elevators by pushing the stick back and forth, and push on the rudder pedals right and left, to check the tail rudder. I also confirm that the fuel selector is feeding from the internal rear fuselage tank for takeoff, and the two internal wing tanks are full. Of course, the crew chief has already checked it all out beforehand.
When an engine is running on an external tank, it stops when there's no more fuel. The pilot must instantly switch to an internal tank, then lower the fighter's nose to hold airspeed and keep the prop rotating, so the engine can restart and pull gas from the internal tank. Once you learn this lesson, you never forget it.
After I pull my seat belt tight, the crew chief tightens it further. I shake his hand and say, "Thanks a lot." He nods, does a thumbs-up and jumps down off the wing. I switch the engine on, and the 1,650-hp Rolls-Royce kicks in with its distinctive roar. I eyeball all the instrument readings one more time, then wave for the chocks to be removed and slip in behind Fred Haviland's Yellow 1 on the perimeter track.
TAKE OFF
As the 50 355th P-51s taxi toward takeoff, several hundred other Eighth Air Force fighters are doing the same thing at bases all over East Anglia. We will catch up with the roughly 1,000 B-17s and B-24s already heading toward Germany.
While taxiing, I adjust flaps 10 degrees down, to get extra takeoff lift for my fully loaded P-51 (469 gallons of gas and 1,750 rounds for six .50-caliber machine guns). Fred and I line up on the taxi strip behind Captain Henry Bille's 357th Red flight, which is behind the last of Sluga's four 358th Squadron flights.
Now it's the 357th's turn. Bille and his wingman, Red 1 and 2, start out, followed by Red 3 and 4, as Fred and I roll onto the runway. I push fuel mixture to full rich and propeller pitch to full forward. We hold until we see Red 3 and 4 lift off, and then Fred pours it on and I throttle to redline, staying tucked in close to him as we lift off. Within about four minutes the entire 50-plane 355th Group is airborne.
Our three squadrons form up in V-formation flights, following group leader Sluga toward the rendezvous point at Ijmuiden. On the way up I check and recheck every instrument, hearing every imaginary engine roughness. I put on my oxygen mask at 8,000 feet. The supercharger automatically kicks in with a jolt at about 15,000 feet, adding extra power.
Ijmuiden comes into sight right on time. Our box of B-24s is there at 26,000 feet, leading the bomber stream into Germany. The 355th flights then move from close V formations to spread-out-wide combat formations—standard procedure entering enemy territory. We slide about a quarter mile apart between planes, with roughly half a mile separation between flights.
As expected, anti-aircraft fire comes up from the Dutch coast. We fighters jink back and forth to throw off the Germans' aim. We also radio warnings to whoever can't see flak bursts creeping up behind them. Meanwhile the bomber stream plows straight ahead through the flak.
We parallel the bombers' preplanned feints, which attempt to mask which city is our target. Our speed is twice theirs, and we zigzag at a cruising speed of about 250 mph over our B-24 bomber box from one flank to the other. Fighter groups fly near the bomb group they are assigned to. German fighters usually bunch up to attack the bombers when they find a gap in the fighter screen—or whenever they outnumber us.
Our 357th Squadron is positioned at the bomber stream's head. As we near the Dummer Lake landmark, I look back, noticing that the stream, with escorts, stretches all the way back to the Dutch coast, about 100 miles' distant.
On the radio we hear urgent shouts and warnings, some sounding close, others way off. More enemy fighters are hitting the bombers, though I can't see them. Just now the sky seems empty of planes except our Yellow flight and the bomber stream far above us.
Suddenly Kelley yells, "Yellow 2, SIX!" I pull back sharply and left, then I hear Barney Barab slowly saying, "I…got…him." Looking back, I glimpse Barab following down a smok¬ing Me-109, with Kelley trailing them. Then it hits me: Yellow 3 and 4 just saved my life.
TRAGEDY STRIKES
As we climb back toward the bomber stream, a 109 dives straight down almost directly ahead of us. Fred does a split-S to follow him, and during our dive we spot three more 109s on the deck, heading east. Fred corkscrews toward the trailing plane, with me following, but his dive is too steep and he has to pull out early. His target whips to the left while the leading 109 below turns right and comes in behind Fred, shooting up at him 200 to 300 yards ahead of me at about 30 degrees. I fire, landing many strikes on the German. There's smoke and the 109 goes out of control, crashing into the deck. The rest of the 109s then disappear, heading east.
I follow Fred's low, climbing circle, and we're joined by Yellow 3 and 4. At 500 feet Fred turns due west: We're heading home.
Kelley is flying funny, though his speed seems OK. Engine oil blackens his fuselage, but we can't tell whether there's damage to his plane. Now he drifts off formation, shifting erratically. Something's wrong. The three of us radio him, but there's no answer.
Barab goes in close to take a look. Suddenly Kelley swerves into him, and they both explode in a cloud of aluminum confetti! No possibility of survival. Horrible.
Fred and I circle around the silvery shards slowly floating down, looking for any positive sign, but we see nothing hopeful. We head toward home in a grim mood. Our transit over Germany to the North Sea coast is uneventful, though there's flak over the Frisians. Fred and I are first ones back. I tell my crew chief about Kelley and Barab so he'll tell their crew chiefs not to expect them.
Coming home. P-51 Mustangs perform a combat break to prepare for landing, over ground support vehicles and the control tower of Steeple Morden Airfield.
DEBRIEFING
Back at the ready room Poyen debriefs us separately. Neither he nor anyone else shows any surprise about Barab and Kelley. Some make brief comments, or shake their heads sadly. Losses are expected.
Of the original cadre of 28 men, only eight 357th Fighter Squadron pilots survive the war unscathed, a 71 percent loss rate. Of the 128 replacement pilots, 70 come through unscathed, a 45 percent loss rate. Subtracting those who were shot down and became POWs or evaders, one-third of all 357th Squadron pilots are killed in action in the war.
Gun-camera film later confirms that Fred destroyed two Me-109s and I destroyed one. I report Barab's 109 shootdown, and Fred attests to it. We learn that there were 26 victories today for the 355th Group, versus three losses.
Fred later tells the others I was a "tiger" and saved him, the genesis of my nickname, "Tiger" Lyons. I tell everyone how Barab and Kelley saved me.
I'm credited with five hours' mission time for the Misburg raid. My total now stands at 121 hours, 45 minutes, toward a required 300 combat hours before I'm eligible for a 30-day leave in the U.S.
The November 26, 1944, mission turned out to be one of the largest aerial battles of the war. Dogfights raged all along the bomber stream against 300-plus Me-109s and Fw-190s that day, with the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command claiming 121 victories for 10 losses. Although our bombers were hit hard, the oil refinery at Misburg was largely demolished.
I don't feel up to the officers' club ritual. Instead I write my mom about my day. Today's lie is that I went to London again.
We've both been lying in our letters. I say I'm going to London, or at the club playing ping-pong or billiards, or watching a movie. And mom always asks what she can send me, but never mentions she has a job at the Brooklyn Army Base—to put aside money "for when Billy goes to college." A couple of weeks after today's mission, the "Home Talk" column in our Brooklyn newspaper runs my picture and reports that I shot down an Me-109. Mom gets phone calls, but she'll never write a word to me about it—or about my next shootdown, which gets mentioned in The New York Times.
Coming back to my bunk after a bath, I see that Kelley's mattress is already folded over. Awfully fast, I think, but it's the usual.
I write mom that today I saw Buckingham Palace. Then I write to Kelley's parents. He was such an outgoing, warm, friendly guy. A good, brave man. My friend. I can still see him in my mind, hear him warning me, "Yellow 2, SIX!" I rewrite the letter several times.
On the way to dinner, I pass Captain Poyen, who tells me I'm not on tomorrow. Maybe I will go to London."
William Lyons completed his 300-combat-hour tour on March 28, 1945, ending the war as a flight leader with 63 missions and the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, five ETO Battle Stars and two Presidential Unit Citations.
LIVE STREAM BROADCAST!
THURSDAY, January 26, 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT
A MUSTANG OVER EUROPE
William Lyons
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Gist of Nguyen Duc Soat's diary ...
Thanks to Cookie via Barrett … and Dr. Rich
Hi BT,
Finally got through Soat's book and some interesting stuff in it. Also added in things I picked up when working for NSA in 1971-73 to give a bit of context.
Share freely with anyone who would be interested.
Cookie
"Nhat Ky Phi Cong Time Kich" (Diary of an Interceptor Pilot)
Nguyen Duc Soat
Ben Tre Publishing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 2021
438 pp.
ISBN 978-604-1-17585-3
GIST
Nguyen Duc Soat was born on 24 June 1946 in Nam Phong, Phu Xuyen, Ha Tay near Hanoi. He joined the military on 4 July 1965 and having had three years of Russian language in school was accepted for pilot training in the USSR at Krasnodar. While there he trained to fly the Yak-18, An-2, Li-2, L-29, MiG-17 and MiG-21, being rated for the MiG-21PFM. Along with his best friend Nguyen Van Minh, they graduated on 22 April 1968 and returned to Vietnam the next day.
On 3 May 1968 he reported to Phuc Yen Airbase (also called either Noi Bay or Da Phuc) where he was assigned to the 2nd Company, 921st Fighter Regiment, as a MiG-21PFM pilot. His squadron trainer was was Vo Sy An and commander was Le Trong Huyen. At that time (the MiG-17s were now the 923rd Fighter Regiment) the 1st Company had shot down a number of US aircraft by the 2nd Company only had two claims and the 3rd Company only one. Counting MiG-17 claims, from 1965 to 1968 the regiment had claimed over 100 US aircraft shot down.
Full strength of each company was 14 pilots, and the regiment had a full strength of 50 pilots. Initially the regiment only had MiG-21F-13 fighters, but by 11 May 1968 they were using the "Type 94" (the MiG-21PFM) as their newest fighter. However, after Operation BOLO on 2 January 1967 the VPAF seems to have been leery of committing their MiG-21s to combat and only sparingly flew missions with them during 1968. In February 1969 Soat was among 12 MiG-21 pilots who flew to Yen Bai Airfield to stage their aircraft out of sight of the US. They returned on 24 February but moving them around was a Vietnamese tactic from then on with the MiG-21s flying from Phuc Yen, Yen Bai, Kep, Dong Suong, Kien An, Tho Xuan and other airfields. Vinh was used on occasion but had been heavily bombed by the US in 1967.
Soat apparently did not get many missions to fly at that time but he does mention one incident which would affect him later. Apparently in November 1969 a pair of MiG-21s on defensive patrol spotted an OV-10 over Laos working as a FAC and moved to attack it. The OV-10 pilot spotted then coming down and dove for the ground, flying along a riverbed while slowing his aircraft down by dropping flaps and landing gear. The MiG pilots frantically dropped wheels, flaps and air brakes but could barely stay in the air in that condition, but did engage and fired all four of their ATOLL missiles at the OV-10. After watching them lock on to ground heat return and destroy defenseless trees and rocks, the OV-10 pilot cleaned up, pulled an Immelmann turn and opened up on the MiGs with his four M60 machine guns. The Vietnamese were shocked and cleaned up to scram out of there at once.
The result was for more than a year after that incident the VPAF used an An-2 as a target "mule" and MiG-19s (thanks to their three 30mm guns they had no problems with ground heat return) to shoot down any future encounters.
In 1970 Soat was flying as a No. 2 in an element and as such would cover his leader in combat, so had no claims on US aircraft at that time.
On 19 January 1972 Soat was flying lead with Ha Vinh Thanh as his wingman when radar company C?53 vectored them after unknown aircraft at 1448 hours. At 1452 C53 identified them as hostile and Soat – after asking permission – fired on a target which he could not see clearly but was only 1500 meters away. An explosion took place and a fireball and parachute fell from the sky. Soat and Thanh celebrated for their victory but… Unbeknownst to them radar company C50 at Moc Chau was conducting a dissimilar aircraft intercept training mission with an An-2 and a pair of MiG-19s from the 925th flown by Nguyen Tu Dung and another pilot were intercepting it. Soat fired on and shot down Dung's MiG-19 but happily he was able to bail out of the stricken aircraft.
Within minutes C50 called Hanoi to report one of the MiG-19s was missing and – putting 2 and 2 together – General Tran Manh, commander of the VPAF immediately called Soat to ask if he had fired a missile. Prior to this Soat was happily noting he had a good missile, it tracked true and it blew the Imperialist air pirate out of the sky. When he reluctantly admitted he had, all hell broke loose.
The cause was quickly determined to be the fact that C50 and C53 were using different IFF settings, and as a result the MiG-19 was "painted" as a enemy. Manh berated C50 but they steadfastly noted they were using the (incorrect) setting they were given. When Manh asked why they could not determine the correct setting, their answer was classic: "Moc Chau is not a mind reader."
At an after action meeting with Colonels Dao Dinh Luyen, Le Van Tri, and Phung The Tai they moved to get to the bottom of this and at that point Soat was notified he was in trouble. Once the problem with the IFF settings came up, Soat was found not to be responsible and returned to duty.
On 3 February 1972 the 921st Fighter Regiment was split in two to form the 921st and the 927th Fighter Regiments. 28 pilots from Companies 3 and 9 formed the 927th, and Companies 1, 5 and 7 formed the 921st. Operationally, they would move back and forth between the two regiments as the tactical situation arose.
On 1 May 1972 the VPAF numbered four fighter regiments – 921st, 923rd, 925th and 927th – with a total of 150 aircraft and 150 pilots. Many of them were from Class 3. 30 aircraft were designated as "interceptors" based on pilot skill: 10 MiG-21, 14 MiG-17 and 6 MiG-19.
When Operation LINEBACKER I started on 10 May 1972, things became hectic for the VPAF. Admitted losses on that date were 2 x MiG-21, 1 x MiG-19 and 3 MiG-17 (actual totals were 4 MiG-21, 1 x MiG-19 and 7 x MiG-17 plus 2 x MiG-19s lost in accidents).
On 23 June 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captains David Grant and William Beekman as observed by Intercept Control Point 421 of the 366th Air Defense Division.
On 27 June 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captains John Cerak and David Dingee as confirmed by Control Point 308.
One source indicated that Soat shot down an F-4 on 30 July 1972 but there is no record of this in his diary.
On 26 August 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4J flown by Cordova and Borders.
On 10 October 1972 six MiG-17 pilots from the 923rd Fighter Regiment were recommended for conversion training on the MiG-21 for their skills and aggressiveness. One of the pilots included was Nguyen Van Tho; he now appears to have been the MiG-17 pilot flying against Cunningham and Driscoll who became their 5th Victory. Tho also appears to have been trained by Soviet advisor General-Major Nikolay Sutyagin, who was the top Soviet ace in Korea with 20 victories and a master of vertical combat.
On 12 October 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captain Miron Young and Major Cecil Brunson. This was the 379th victory claimed by the VPAF.
During November 1972 Nguyen Van Tho completed his conversion training and was assigned to Company 9 of the 927th Fighter Regiment. Five more pilots were assigned to the 3rd Company: Han Vonh Tuong, Nguyen Van Nhuong, Hoang Tam Hung, Dinh Van Bong, and Nguyen Thanh Quy. Hoang Tam Hung was credited with shooting down two US aircraft on 28 December 1972, one being an RA-5 Vigilante flown by Agnew and Haifley but was shot down and killed in the process.
On 22 December 1972 Soat was reported shot down by some sources, but his diary indicates that instead the two MiGs lost were flown by Nguyen Van Minh (Soat's best friend) and Ho Van Quy, with the latter originally noted as "sacrificed". However, the next day Quy returned to the base none the worse for wear.
Comments: Soat was credited by the VPAF with one other victory: an F-4D flown by Brooks and McAdams on 30 July but there is no mention of this in his diary. He also lists a number of AQM-34 drone shootdowns which were not listed elsewhere.
In Vietnamese there are three terms used to describe shootdowns (here with Vietnamese tones and diacritical marks given in telegraphic format:
- Bawns rooif – he shot down
- Bij bawns rooif – he was shot down
- Bij hy sinh – he was sacrificed (e.g. KIA)
This makes it easy to sort out who shot who in a dogfight.
To describe VPAF operations, here is what we knew when I worked as an analyst at NSA from May 1971 to January 1973.
The VPAF was organized into divisions, regiments, and companies based on function and mission.
371st Aviation Division
921st "Sao Do" Fighter Regiment – Organized 3 February 1964
1st Squadron
5th Squadron
7th Squadron
Special Missions Unit
923rd "Yen The" Fighter Regiment – organized 7 September 1965
? Squadron
2nd Squadron
? Squadron
Powerful Attack Unit (ground/naval attack trained pilots)
925th Fighter Regiment – Organized February 1969
927th "Lam Son" Fighter Regiment – organized 3 February 1972
3rd Squadron
9th Squadron
929th Bomber Squadron
910th Training Regiment
919th Transport Regiment (includes fixed wing and helicopters)
Organization was similar to Soviet VVS regiments but numbers varied drastically – the 929th had only six Il-28 aircraft. Also the 919th had a mixture of Li-2, An-2, An-24, Mi-2, Mi-4 and Mi-6 aircraft.
Fighter regiments were roughly homogenous. The 921st was split into the 921st and 923rd so all of the MiG-17 and MiG-21 airframes would be in harmonious units for maintenance and for assigning pilots. The 925th flew MiG-19s or F-6s based on source. The 927th apparently was organized to fly starting with the MiG-21PFMA aircraft vice a mixture of MiG-21PF/MiG-21PFM. A diary kept by the VPAF of missions flown exclusively by MiG-21PFMA shows most of the pilots were from the 927th but there were split missions with both 921st and 927th pilots flying together.
VPAF pilots usually did not use the side or "bort" numbers of the aircraft for callsigns but rather what were termed pilot billeting suffices (PBS) which was a three digit number assigned to each pilot and each regiment had a separate first digit. On the infamous 19 January 1972 mission flown by Nguyen Duc Soat and Ha Vinh Thanh, Soat had PBS 123 and Thanh PBS 125. I worked on the reports of that disaster.
On 10 May 1972, all four regiments were active: the 921st used PBS 2xx series, the 923rd PBS 1xx series, the 925th 8xx series, and the 927th 3xx series. Dang Ngoc Ngu flew with PBS 328 and Soat with PBS 342. Nguyen Van Tho was flying as PBS 162 when shot down by Cunningham and Driscoll.
Pilots usually flew in pairs with only the leader being called on the radio, so wingmen often were not reported unless shot down.
Most of the time the fighters would work under the control of one of the radar companies such as C50 at Moc Chau. But under times of stress and need for coordination, "the Senior Controller" – High Command Hanoi (HCH) – would take over and run the air battle. Such was the case after Soat shot down the MiG-19 and HCH took control from radar company C53.
Friendly coordination mostly came from the RED CROWN EC-121 radar picket aircraft orbiting off the coast as well as indirectly from the COMBAT APPLE EC-135 also airborne; as that was a SIGINT aircraft its reporting was usually more restricted. Also SIGINT support was provided from carriers with NSG personnel onboard as well as selected smaller vessels, and also from USAFSS sites at Nakhon Phanom and Udorn in Thailand. NSA served as overseer and SIGINT support and clearing center for operations in Vietnam.
Most of the time the system worked well, but we still could miss stuff. After they split the 921st into the 921st and 927th we did not catch it as both were MiG-21 units. Also in Vietnamese it is easy to garble a 1 for a 7 if the one is a European style "flagged" 1 and the 7 is missing the crossbar to differentiate it.
The MiG-21PFMA aircraft appear from photographic evidence to have flown as standard weapons loads with two ATOLL missiles even though the aircraft all came with four rails. Only one incident of a possible use of the GSh-23 gun pack on that aircraft for a shootdown was noted in their after action report but so far no way to confirm it.
The MiG-21MF aircraft did not show up until very late in the war when on 9 October 1972 two Il-28s attacked a CIA radar site in Laos; top cover was flown by at least one MiG-21MF as radar intercept picked up its unique JAY BIRD radar vice the SPIN SCAN carried by the other MiGs. Sadly all intel sites missed the bombers on their approach and only the radar emanations from the MiG-21MF attracted any attention until it was too late.
For anyone wanting to do further research on the VPAF and the air war, NSA has declassified most of the records held in SIGINT and these are available for Freedom of Information Act inquiries. Most of the work there was done by NSA offices B31 (analysis) and B34 (decryption and translation). My office was B3422 which dealt with VPAF air operations as well as VPAF SAM, AAA and radar operations as well. Note that NSA has gone through at least five reorganizations and changes since 1973 and as a result none of these offices or structures still exist.
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This Day in U S Military History
27 January
1778 – Marines landed at New Providence, Bahamas; the American flag flew over foreign soil for the first time. The first American soldiers sent forth from the fledgling nation's shores were a detachment of Marines. That amphibious raid–the first in what remains today a Marine specialty–aimed to seize guns and gunpowder from a British fort.
1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, the P-38 was used in a number of roles, including dive bombing, level bombing, ground-attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, the exhaust muffled by the turbo-superchargers. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day.
1942 – USS Gudgeon is first US sub to sink enemy submarine in action, Japanese I-173.
1943 – 8th Air Force bombers, dispatched from their bases in England, fly the first American bombing raid against the Germans, targeting the Wilhelmshaven port. Of 64 planes participating in the raid, 53 reached their target and managed to shoot down 22 German planes-and lost only three planes in return. The 8th Air Force was activated in February 1942 as a heavy bomber force based in England. Its B-17 Flying Fortresses, capable of sustaining heavy damage while continuing to fly, and its B-24 Liberators, long-range bombers, became famous for precision bombing raids, the premier example being the raid on Wilhelmshaven. Commanded at the time by Brig. Gen. Newton Longfellow, the 8th Air Force was amazingly effective and accurate, by the standards of the time, in bombing warehouses and factories in this first air attack against the Axis power.
1945 – The Ledo Road to China is finally cleared when Chinese troops from Burma and Yunnan province link up near Mongyu. General Sultan, who leads the British, American and Chinese in the area, has in fact announced the road as open on January 22nd. Sultan's forces are now moving south toward Mandalay and Lashio by several routes.
1967 – A launch pad fire during Apollo program tests at Cape Canaveral, Florida, kills astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee. An investigation indicated that a faulty electrical wire inside the Apollo 1 command module was the probable cause of the fire. The astronauts, the first Americans to die in a spacecraft, had been participating in a simulation of the Apollo 1 launch scheduled for the next month. The Apollo program was initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) following President John F. Kennedy's 1961 declaration of the goal of landing men on the moon and bringing them safely back to Earth by the end of the decade. The so-called "moon shot" was the largest scientific and technological undertaking in history. In December 1968, Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to travel to the moon, and on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. walked on the lunar surface. In all, there were 17 Apollo missions and six lunar landings.
1973 – The Paris Peace Accords are signed by officials from the United States and North Vietnam, bringing an official end to America's participation in its most unpopular foreign war. The accords did little, however, to solve the turmoil in Vietnam or to heal the terrible domestic divisions in the United States brought on by its involvement in this Cold War battleground. Peace negotiations between the United States and North Vietnam had been ongoing since 1968. Richard Nixon was elected president that year, largely on the basis of his promise to find a way to "peace with honor" in Vietnam. Four years later, after the deaths of thousands more American servicemen, South Vietnamese soldiers, North Vietnamese soldiers, and Viet Cong fighters, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, and America's participation in the struggle in Vietnam came to a close. On the military side, the accords seemed straightforward enough. A cease-fire was declared, and the United States promised to remove all military forces from South Vietnam within 60 days. For their part, the North Vietnamese promised to return all American prisoners of war within that same 60-day framework. The nearly 150,000 North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam were allowed to remain after the cease-fire. The political side of the agreement was somewhat less clear. In essence, the accords called for the reunification of North and South Vietnam through "peaceful means on the basis of discussions and agreements between North and South Viet-Nam." Precisely what this entailed was left unsaid. The United States also promised to "contribute to healing the wounds of war and to postwar reconstruction of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam [North Vietnam] and throughout Indochina." Most Americans were relieved simply to be out of the Vietnam quagmire. The war against communism in Southeast Asia cost over 50,000 U.S. lives and billions of dollars, in addition to countless soldiers wounded in the line of duty. At home, the war seriously fractured the consensus about the Cold War that had been established in the period after World War II–simple appeals to fighting the red threat of communism would no longer be sufficient to move the American nation to commit its prestige, manpower, and money to foreign conflicts. For Vietnam, the accords meant little. The cease-fire almost immediately collapsed, with recriminations and accusations flying from both sides. In 1975, the North Vietnamese launched a massive military offensive, crushed the South Vietnamese forces, and reunified Vietnam under communist rule.
1977 – Pres. Carter pardoned most Vietnam War draft evaders.
1980 – Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper, the popular name given to the joint covert rescue. The "caper" involved CIA agents (Tony Mendez and a man known as "Julio") joining the six diplomats to form a fake film crew made up of six Canadians, one Irishman and one Latin American who were finishing scouting for an appropriate location to shoot a scene for the nominal science-fiction film Argo. The ruse was carried off on the morning of Sunday, January 27, 1980, at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. The eight Americans successfully boarded a Swissair flight to Zurich and escaped Iran.
2003 – During Operation Mongoose, when a band of fighters were assaulted by U.S. forces at the Adi Ghar cave complex 15 miles (24 km) north of Spin Boldak, 18 rebels were reported killed with no U.S. casualties. The site was suspected to be a base for supplies and fighters coming from Pakistan. The first isolated attacks by relatively large Taliban bands on Afghan targets also appeared around that time.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day ROBINSON, JAMES H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 3d Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Brownsville, Ark., 27 January 1865. Entered service at: Victor, Mich. Birth. Oakland County, Mich. Date of issue: 4 April 1865. Citation: Successfully defended himself, single-handed against 7 guerrillas, killing the leader (Capt. W. C. Stephenson) and driving off the remainder of the party.
*EVANS, DONALD W., JR.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 12 Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Place and date: Tri Tam, Republic of Vietnam, 27 January 1967. Entered service at: Covina, Calif. Born: 23 July 1943, Covina, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. He left his position of relative safety with his platoon which had not yet been committed to the battle to answer the calls for medical aid from the wounded men of another platoon which was heavily engaged with the enemy force. Dashing across 100 meters of open area through a withering hail of enemy fire and exploding grenades, he administered lifesaving treatment to 1 individual and continued to expose himself to the deadly enemy fire as he moved to treat each of the other wounded men and to offer them encouragement. Realizing that the wounds of 1 man required immediate attention, Sp4c. Evans dragged the injured soldier back across the dangerous fire-swept area, to a secure position from which he could be further evacuated Miraculously escaping the enemy fusillade, Sp4c. Evans returned to the forward location. As he continued the treatment of the wounded, he was struck by fragments from an enemy grenade. Despite his serious and painful injury he succeeded in evacuating another wounded comrade, rejoined his platoon as it was committed to battle and was soon treating other wounded soldiers. As he evacuated another wounded man across the fire covered field, he was severely wounded. Continuing to refuse medical attention and ignoring advice to remain behind, he managed with his waning strength to move yet another wounded comrade across the dangerous open area to safety. Disregarding his painful wounds and seriously weakened from profuse bleeding, he continued his lifesaving medical aid and was killed while treating another wounded comrade. Sp4c. Evan's extraordinary valor, dedication and indomitable spirit saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers, served as an inspiration to the men of his company, were instrumental in the success of their mission, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 27, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
27 January
1911: At an Aero Club show in San Diego, Calif., Lt Theodore G. "Spuds" Ellyson (U. S. Navy), a student at the nearby Curtiss School, took off in a Curtiss "grass cutter" plane to become the first Naval aviator. With a blocked throttle, this ground plane was not supposed to fly, and Ellyson was not proficient enough to fly. He slewed off left, cracking up the plane somewhat by making a wing-first landing. Ellyson wasn't injured, but from then on he was considered to have made his first flight. (21) (24)
1912: MACKAY TROPHY. Clarence H. Mackay established the Mackay Trophy. Aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year, or the War Department could award the trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year. (24)
1928: The Navy airship Los Angeles (ZR-3) landed on the carrier USS Saratoga at sea near Newport, R.I., to transfer passengers and take on fuel and supplies. (24)
1943: Eighth Air Force's 1st Bombardment Wing and 2nd Bombardment Wing conducted the first American bombing mission against Germany. In this mission, 53 B-17s and B-24s hit the naval base, the U-boat construction works, power plant, and docks at Wilhelmshaven. Two other bombers hit the submarine base at Emden. Afterwards, the bomber returned to the United Kingdom with the loss of three aircraft. (21) (24)
1954: Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team launched Redstone missile No. 2 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. (24)
1955: TRAINING IN FORMOSA. During the latter part of November 1954, the Commander-inChief of the Pacific Command invited Far East Air Forces to rotate fighter squadrons to bases on Formosa on a training and familiarization basis. The 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing completed its move to the island today. (17)
1967: APOLLO FIRE. USAF Lt Cols Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom and Edward White, and Navy Lt Cmdr Roger B. Chaffee died when their Apollo spacecraft caught fire at Cape Kennedy, Fla. They were rehearsing for a 21 February flight. (9)
1968: Operation COMBAT FOX: After North Korea seized the S. S. Pueblo on 23 January, the Military Airlift Command supported USAF and Army deployments from the U.S., Pacific, and Southeast Asia to South Korea and Japan. During the next three weeks, the Military Airlift Command moved 7,996 passengers and nearly 13,700 tons of cargo in over 800 missions to the region. (2) (17) (18)
1971: Cmdr Donald H. Lilienthal (USN) flew a P-3C Orion to a world speed record for heavyweight turboprops. Over 15-25 kilometers, he reached 501 miles per hour to break the Soviet I1-18's May 1968 record of 452 miles per hour. (5)
1973: VIETNAM PEACE ACCORDS. After the 11-day B-52 bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong, North Vietnam signed a peace accord. (1) (2)
1977: A Delta booster launched the NATO III-B satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Fla. (5)
1982: At the Utah Test and Training Range, an Air Launched Cruise Missile coated with 3/4-inches of ice, showed its all-climate capabilities after its launch by a B-52G. (6)
1991: Operation DESERT STORM. After 10 days of aerial combat, US-backed coalition air forces attained air supremacy over the Iraqis. F-111 Aardvarks delivered guided bombs on the Al Ahmadi oil refinery to close oil manifolds opened by the Iraqis. This attack stopped the flow of crude oil, the biggest deliberate oil spill in history, into the Persian Gulf. (16) (21) (26)
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World News for 27 January thanks to Military Periscope
I will send it later when it arrives
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