Today in 1967, in the skies over North Vietnam

With a MIG-21 kill during one of the biggest dogfights of the Vietnam War, US Air Force Colonel Robin Olds became the only ace of both the Vietnam War and World War II.  Colonel Olds was the commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at the time.

[January 2, 1967]

Today in 1972, in the skies above Hanoi,

After a 36-hour respite for Christmas, the U.S. forces in South Vietnam resumed Operation Linebacker II.  The extensive bombing campaign was resumed because, according to U.S. officials, Hanoi sent no word that it would return to the peace talks.

 

On December 13, North Vietnamese negotiators walked out of secret talks in Paris with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. President Nixon issued an ultimatum that North Vietnam send its representatives back to the conference table within 72 hours “or else.” The North Vietnamese rejected Nixon’s demand and the president ordered Operation Linebacker II, a full-scale air campaign against the Hanoi area that began on December 18.

 

During the 11 days of Linebacker II, 700 B-52 sorties and more than 1,000 fighter-bomber sorties dropped an estimated 20,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam–half the total tonnage of bombs dropped on England during World War II. Also on this day: U.S. headquarters in Saigon announces that American military strength in South Vietnam was reduced by 700 men during the previous week. The reduction brought the total U.S. forces in South Vietnam to 24,000, the lowest in almost eight years.

[December 25, 1972]

Today in 1965, in the skies over Vietnam

The EF-105F Wild Weasel made its first kill in the Vietnam War. 

Republic EF-105F Thunderchief (aka "Thud")

The EF-105F was a variation on the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force capable of achieving Mach 2.  Originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft, the F-105, or “Thud” as it was affectionately known by pilots, conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War and it was the only U.S. aircraft to be removed from combat due to high loss rates.  The Wild Weasel version was a two-seater later developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites.

F-105's and F-4's during refueling oepration

In Vietnam, the single-seat F-105D was the primary aircraft delivering the heavy bomb loads against the various military targets. The F-105F and F-105G Wild Weasel variants became the first dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) platforms, fighting against the Soviet-built S-75 Dvina (NATO reporting name: SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missiles. In fact, two Wild Weasel pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor for attacking North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile sites, with one shooting down two MiG-17s the same day. The dangerous missions often required them to be the "first in, last out", suppressing enemy air defenses while strike aircraft accomplished their missions and then left the area.

During the Vietnam War, over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (non-combat) losses (out of the 833 produced), and tthey were credited with 27.5 kills.  The Thud was later replaced as a strike aircraft over North Vietnam by both the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the swing-wing General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. However, the "Wild Weasel" variants of the F-105 remained in service until 1984 when they were replaced by the specialized F-4G "Wild Weasel V."

[December 22, 1965]