Action of 23 August 1967
Action of 23 August 1967 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Operation Rolling Thunder of the Vietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
North Vietnam | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Nguyễn Nhật Chiêu | Robin Olds | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
10 aircraft | 52 aircraft | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 aircraft damaged |
2 killed 3 captured 3 aircraft destroyed |
The action of 23 August 1967 was a major air battle which involved elements of the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF). The air battle took place over the skies of North Vietnam as part of Operation Rolling Thunder, during the Vietnam War.
On 2 January 1967, the United States Air Force launched Operation Bolo with the aim of luring North Vietnamese MiG fighters into an air battle, where they could be destroyed in an ambush. The operation, led by Colonel Robin Olds, turned out to be a major success after seven North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighters of the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment were shot down.
Stung by that devastating defeat, the North Vietnamese Air Force grounded their fighter force several times between June and August 1967, in order to work on their training and tactics. On 23 August 1967, the North Vietnamese Air Force employed their newly devised tactic against a U.S. strike formation, while it was conducting raids against a rail yard. The air battle concluded with the USAF losing three F-4D fighters.
Background
On 2 March 1965, the
However, by the end of the year, the United States had failed to achieve the objectives of Rolling Thunder, because North Vietnam continued to send its troops and military supplies down the
The third phase of the campaign was heavily favored by U.S. commanders, because it allowed them to destroy rather than just threaten Hanoi's nascent industrial infrastructures. Furthermore, the new targets approved by the Johnson administration enabled U.S. airpower to be used against the primary war-making capabilities of North Vietnam, by striking at military targets that were previously denied to the fighter-bombers of the U.S. Navy and Air Force.[5] Thus, in 1967 the United States also introduced more aircraft into the operation equipped with new technology, which gave American air units the assets to make a significant difference. However, as American bombers moved closer to Hanoi and Hai Phong, they were aggressively challenged by North Vietnamese MiG fighters.[5]
Prelude
The year of 1967 started badly for the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF). During the early years of the war, the rules of engagement prevented U.S. fighter-bombers from hitting North Vietnamese air bases, and that allowed North Vietnamese fighter pilots to attack American bomber formations as they were approaching their targets, thereby forcing U.S. pilots to jettison their bomb loads before they even reached their target. Then, instead of dueling with U.S. strike aircraft, North Vietnamese pilots would normally retreat to the safety of their bases.[6] To preempt further attacks on U.S. bomber formations by the North Vietnamese Air Force, the United States Air Force became interested in luring North Vietnamese MiG fighters up against a decoy target, and shoot them down in the air using missile-armed fighter aircraft. By 1967, the North Vietnamese Air Force had become more aggressive towards U.S. strike formations, and it indicated to U.S. commanders that it was the right time to launch a decoy operation.[7]
In what became known as
When the U.S. fighter formations were detected by North Vietnamese radar, MiG-21 fighters of the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment based at Phúc Yên Air Base and Kép Air Base were immediately placed on category one red alert, which was the highest state of alert. However, unknown to the U.S. pilots at the time, the VPAF High Command forbade their pilots from taking off until U.S. fighters were 40 kilometers (25 mi) away from Noi Bai.[8] Apart from the late reaction of the VPAF High Command, weather conditions over North Vietnam also favored U.S. aircrews; North Vietnamese bases at Noi Bai and Kep were covered by 10/10th cloud, which started at a height of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) and cleared at 3,000 meters (9,800 ft).[8] By the time the first wave of North Vietnamese MiG fighters had taken off, two additional flights of F-4C fighters from the 8th TFW had already flown into the area undetected. Due to their lack of radar equipment, North Vietnamese MiG-17 fighters were restricted to flying at cloud base, so they failed to detect the presence of U.S. fighters that were flying at a higher altitude.[8]
From above 10,000 meters (33,000 ft) U.S. F-4 fighters had a
Engagement
On 8 January 1967, the VPAF High Command convened a meeting to examine what had gone wrong. The actions of 2 January had exposed the flawed tactics employed by MiG-21 pilots; they broke through the clouds too quickly, and they did not join up with each other before they attacked the U.S. fighters waiting above them. The VPAF High Command then devised a new tactic which required the deployment of between two and four aircraft for each attack, with a maximum of ten aircraft for each mission to perform guerrilla-style attacks on U.S. bomber formations.[8] Furthermore, after they had examined U.S. air tactics, North Vietnamese commanders decided that MiG-17 pilots should attack U.S. formations from either side, while MiG-21 pilots would strike from above. Before the North Vietnamese Air Force could implement their new tactics, however, the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment was withdrawn from combat for several months to recover from the bloody defeat it had suffered as a result of Operation Bolo.[8]
In April, North Vietnamese MiG fighters were back in the air to challenge
In response, the
The VPAF High Command immediately scrambled two flights of four MiG-17 fighters from the VPAF 923rd Fighter Regiment, followed by two MiG-21 fighters from the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment at 2:51 pm.
Initially the first MiG-17 flight fell behind the U.S. strike formation, so Tinh and his formation climbed with full afterburner and they immediately played their part in the attack, by attacking the F-105 formation with their cannons.
As a result, Coc's MiG-21 was damaged but the controls were still working properly, so he requested to carry on with the mission. However, ground controllers ordered him to return to base, and the MiG-21 could only fly at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour (370 mph) due to the damage.
Aftermath
The battle concluded as the worst day for the United States Air Force in Vietnam since 2 December 1966, when they had lost five aircraft over the skies of North Vietnam in a single day. Consequently, the actions of 23 August became known as "Black Wednesday" amongst U.S. pilots who participated in air operations over Hanoi on that particular day.[13] The USAF officially confirmed the loss of three F-4D fighters during the raid against the Yen Vien rail yard, which resulted in the deaths of Weapon Systems Officers Captain Ronald N. Sittner (66-0238, 8th TFW) and First Lieutenant Charles Lane (66-00247, 8th TFW).[17] Major Charles R. Tyler, Captain Larry E. Carrigan, Major Robert R. Sawhill and First Lieutenant Gerald L. Gerndt ejected safely from their aircraft, but they were captured alive and became prisoners of war. Major C.B. Demarque and his Weapons System Officer, First Lieutenant J.M. Piet were rescued shortly after they ejected from their malfunctioned aircraft over Thai airspace.[17]
In contrast to their opponents, the action of 23 August gave the North Vietnamese Air Force their first major victory since Operation Bolo. The USAF's confirmation of the loss of 'Ford 4' to a MiG aircraft gave Nguyen Van Coc his second air-to-air victory, and he eventually became the leading ace pilot of the war with nine kills.[14] Earlier in the engagement, flight leader Nguyen Nhat Chieu claimed to have destroyed an F-105 with a missile, but the USAF have not confirmed his claim. Nonetheless, Chieu also became a ranking ace pilot with six kills attributed to his name.[17] The USAF also claimed one victory against a MiG-17 fighter, attributed to First Lieutenant David B. Waldrop, but the claim was not confirmed by the North Vietnamese because all their MiG fighters returned to base safely.[16]
Following their defeat at the hands of the North Vietnamese Air Force, Colonel Robin Olds learned that Seventh Air Force intelligence had watched North Vietnamese MiG fighters practicing their new tactics for ten days prior to the battle of 23 August, but had not passed that information on to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing and other units. Thus, it soon became clear to U.S commanders that the reason the North Vietnamese repeatedly stood down their fighter force was because they were working on their new tactic.[13] In the first half of 1967, the North Vietnamese had realized they could not directly confront U.S. fighters in air-to-air combat, so they changed their procedures for the deployment of their numerically inferior MiG units. To take advantage of the MiG-21's speed and small size, pilots flying the type were instructed to intercept targets only at high speed behind or above U.S. strike formations.[18]
Then, as they approached their target, the MiG-21 pilots would make a supersonic diving pass against trailing or isolated flights, so they could position themselves for a missile kill. The action of 23 August demonstrated that the North Vietnamese Air Force had successfully executed their new procedure, which was helped by more skilful ground controllers who directed the MiG fighter towards their targets.[18] Indeed, the new procedure gave North Vietnamese MiG pilots the ingredient they needed to achieve a kill over their U.S. opponents; between August 1967 and February 1968, the North Vietnamese Air Force achieved a kill ratio of 1.1:1 against the USAF, with the loss of 20 aircraft for 22 victories.[19] In the same period of time, Operation Rolling Thunder had cost the United States approximately $900 million ($5,640 million at 2010 prices) with the loss of more than 700 aircraft.[20] The bombing campaign continued until 31 October 1968, when it was abandoned by the U.S. Government.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b McNeill & Ekins, p. 14
- ^ a b Vego, p. 78
- ^ a b Hosmer, p. 28
- ^ Hosmer, p. 29
- ^ a b Frankum, p. 56
- ^ a b Hannah, p. 118
- ^ Michel, p. 73
- ^ a b c d e f g Toperczer (b), p. 13
- ^ a b Michel, p. 74
- ^ a b c d Michel, p. 128
- ^ Michel, p. 127
- ^ Thompson, p. 72
- ^ a b c d Thompson, p. 86
- ^ a b Toperczer (b), p. 15
- ^ Toperczer (a), pp. 47–48
- ^ a b c d Toperczer (a), p. 48
- ^ a b c d e Toperczer (b), p. 16
- ^ a b Michel, p. 130
- ^ Davies, p. 83
- ^ Comparison based on the Consumer Price Index, Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present, MeasuringWorth, Samuel H. Williamson, accessed 30 July 2011.
References
- Davies, Peter E. (2004). US Air Force F-4 Phantoms II MiG Killers, 1965–68. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-656-9.
- Frankum, Ronald B. (2005). Like Rolling Thunder: The Air War in Vietnam, 1964–1975. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 0-7425-4302-1.
- Hannah, Craig C. (2002). Striving for Air Superiority: The Tactical Air Command in Vietnam. Texas: Texas A & M University Press. ISBN 1-58544-146-5.
- Hosmer, Stephen T. (1996). Psychological Effects of U.S. Air Operations in Four Wars, 1941–1991: Lessons for U.S. Commanders. Santa Monica: RAND. ISBN 0-8330-2336-5.
- McNeill, Ian; Ekins, Ashley (2003). On the Offensive: The Australian Army in the Vietnam War, January 1967 – June 1968. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-304-3.
- Michel, Marshal L. (2007). Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam, 1965–1972. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-519-6.
- Thompson, Wayne (2005). To Hanoi and Back: The United States Air Force and North Vietnam, 1966–1973. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 978-1-58834-283-6.
- Toperczer (a), Istvan (2001). MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-162-1.
- Toperczer (b), Istvan (2001). MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-263-6.
- Vego, Milan N. (2009). Joint Operational Warfare Theory and Practice and V.2, Historical Companion. Washington D.C.: Department of the Navy. ISBN 978-1-884733-62-8.