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Aircraft losses in Vietnam
- Thread starter TacticalTaco
- Start date
Wow, just wow.
My uncle flew recon missions to do bomb damage assessments. Never got shot down. He ditched his issue .38 and replaced it with a Ruger .357magnum.
He takes great pride in saying that as he was being shot at, all he could shoot back with was his camera!
My uncle flew recon missions to do bomb damage assessments. Never got shot down. He ditched his issue .38 and replaced it with a Ruger .357magnum.
He takes great pride in saying that as he was being shot at, all he could shoot back with was his camera!
Those FN Russians and their SAM Sights. Did you know that our airmen weren't allowed to attack the sights until they were up and fully operational? Because killing the russians that were building them would have started another war.
thats probably why we shot down less planes?
look up our kill ratio with the bombing runs, bet that figure is a **** load higher
And look at the AF vs. Navy Stats. AF lost a buttload of planes to combat....the Navy, 3/4 or more were "operational losses".
And, thank you for your service. Not a very popular police action but you did it anyway. Thanks, you might have saved my father or father in law given the chance.
Balls, great big balls...That is what you have, sir.
Yea but........."I loved the smell of Napom in da morning"
Air Force had more aircraft in the operation than the navy. The F4 was used for ground support, so it was a lot closer to the ground more often.
While stationed at Minot AFB (late 80s) there was a story shared about a new aircraft commander (B-52G). It's tradition for the new commander to sign the aircraft somewhere. After he'd fulfilled his responsibility they looked over the names of the earlier commanders and found his father's name - from the dad's time in Vietnam.
While stationed at Minot AFB (late 80s) there was a story shared about a new aircraft commander (B-52G). It's tradition for the new commander to sign the aircraft somewhere. After he'd fulfilled his responsibility they looked over the names of the earlier commanders and found his father's name - from the dad's time in Vietnam.
That was the tone implied.
My Dad was in the AF stationed in Pleiku. He flew gunships (C47 with a gattlin gun on the side). At first they were called "Spooky" ...later the newer ones were called "Puff". For those unfamiliar with Spooky/Puff, Some Colonel figured out mathematically/theoretically that at a certain altitude and in a tight "orbit" or circular flight path, that one could lower a bucket on a rope out of plane and have it hit a target location on the ground. No practical use for this idea since we have helicopters, he then got wondering...bring it down a bit and widen the circle a bit..and open up a gatlin gun...wow...devastation indeed. The galin gun didn't sound like typical gun fire, it was more a whirrrrrrr sound and a LOT of muzzle flash and tracers..At night, it just looked like a big blaze of fire and then everything was dead or had holes in it. The reason the name change later to "Puff or Puff the Magic Dragon" was because a North Vietnamese document was captured. It was a warning to Vietcong troops. It stated, "Do not engage the dragon. You will only infuriate it". They actually thought a dragon was lighting them up at night lol. So dad didn't get shot at much. They actually flew low and slow trying to draw fire. They were pretty accurate and deadly with those gats and claimed a LOT less friendlies than napalm did. The only times dad got shot was shrapnel through and through just above the knee...about the time it healed, he got hit just above the other knee almost exactly matching wounds. Then the third time he was hit, a vietcong woman hit him in the eyebrow with a .22 short zip gun. He pulled the bullet out. It didn't break bone...just stuck there above his eye and gave him a nice little conversation piece scar that made his eyebrow look like it had a part. His men dragged her off and she was never seen again. He didn't ask and they didn't tell.
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