Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #335… WILD WEASELS front and center… but first…
Good Morning: Day THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE of thoughts and events from fifty-years ago, refreshed…
3 FEBRUARY 1967…The New York Times HEAD LINES on a cold, cloudy Saturday in the Big Apple…
Page 1: “U.S. Continues to Probe For a New Signal From Hanoi”...”President Johnson’s comment yesterday that he was not aware of any serious North Vietnamese peace feelers has not ended the discreet probing underway between Washington and Hanoi. While the State Department reasserted today that North Vietnam had not given any indication of a genuine desire for peace, the Administration was understood to see an opportune climate for bargaining with the enemy. Washington’s approach is influenced by the assessment that four factors are pushing Hanoi for a settlement. They are the turmoil in Communist China, the view that the North has been badly hurt by American bombing, the private pressure of Eastern European Communists on Hanoi to move toward peace, and progress toward political stability in South Vietnam.”...Page 2: “Rabbi Describes Meeting in Hanoi”… “Abraham Feinberg, rabbi emeritus of Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple said he found Ho Chi Minh to be a warm almost puckish man who asked to be called ‘Uncle Ho.’…He reported a statement that Ho wanted delivered to President Johnson: “Mr. Johnson has said that he would meet anyone, anywhere, anytime to talk about peace. I invite him to come here as our guest, sitting where you are. Let Mr. Johnson come with his wife and daughters, his secretary, his doctor, and his cook. Let him not come with a gun or his generals or admirals. As an old revolutionary I pledge my honor that Mr. Johnson will have complete security.” Page 1: “Ruether Resigns Posts in AFL-CIO in Widening Rift”… “Walter Ruether, president of the United Automobile Workers resigned today from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. His withdrawal widened a rift within the merged labor federation almost to the breaking point. The rift began last year with disputes between Mr. Ruether and Mr. George Meany, president of the AFL-CIO over United States policy in Vietnam and domestic policy.”…
Page 1: “Chinese Embassy Accuses Russians of Beating Aides”…”The dispute between Communist China and the Soviet Union was intensified tonight…Soviet policemen had removed from the sidewalk at the Chinese Embassy display cases containing photographs of a clash in Red Square last week between Russian and Chinese students…Premier Aleksie Kosygin has sent a message to Chou En Lai, the Chinese Premier, urging that dependents of Soviet personnel be permitted to leave without trouble…100 Soviet plainclothesmen had removed the cases and beat 30 embassy staff members who had rushed to protect the propaganda displays.”... “Page 1: “Maoists Increase Reliance on Arm’s Developments in Communist China pointed today to an increased reliance on military force by partisans of Mao Tse-tung in their campaign to gain control of the country. At the same time Mr. Mao, chairman of the Chinese Communist party, himself, came into public notice for the first time since November…Displays of armed force in Shanghai and other centers and new pledges of readiness for action by military units in many parts of the country built up a picture of growing military activity to attain Maoists domination of China against opposition from entrenched Communist Party elements the Maoists are trying to replace.”…
3 February 1967… The President’s Daily Brief… CIA (TS sanitized) SINO-SOVIET RELATIONS: Peking continues its all-out effort to provoke Moscow, but the latter still seems to be resisting the temptation to respond by a formal and complete break in relations. Moscow could, however, be preparing for something just a little short of such a break… (the rest is still classified???)... SOUTH VIETNAM: The rice situation continues to worsen as people stock up for the Tet holiday; prices have rises 30 per cent during the past month and stocks are at very low levels. Ky has yet to follow through with his promise to try to negotiate a rice deal with Thailand…
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… MAJOR WILLIAM P. ROBINSON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE… AIR FORCE CROSS…
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS to WILLIAM P. ROBINSON, MAJOR, U.S. AIR FORCE, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force near Hanoi, North Vietnam, on 5 July 1966. On that date, MAJOR ROBINSON, piloting a specially equipped F-105 Thunderchief, led a flight against hostile SA-2 surface-to-air missile sites which threatened other strike aircraft tasked to destroy a high priority target. With complete disregard for his personal safety, MAJOR ROBINSON responded professionally in the face of continuous heavy and intense ground fire of all types and attacked four separate missile complexes. Three of the four sites were completely destroyed, and the remaining site sustained extensive damage. This courageous and aggressive action considerably reduced the missile threat against the other strike force. through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, MAJOR ROBINSON reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
3 FEBRUARY 1967…Operation Rolling Thunder…New York Times (4 Feb reporting 3 Feb ops) Page 2: “U.S. Jets Hit Rail Yard”… “United States Air Force jets streaked through intense antiaircraft fire yesterday to bomb a major railroad yard and a railroad bridge north of Hanoi…a break in the bad weather of recent weeks allowed pilots to strike north of Hanoi where they encountered heavy fire. There were no reports of downed aircraft…Navy fliers from the three carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin concentrated their strikes on coastal vessels and bridges in the southern end of North Vietnam.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses”: (Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia on 3 February 1967…oohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #335... Among the bravest of the warriors who led the way in the air war were the Iron Hand and Wild Weasel gladiators, one of whom I have saluted above, Major William Robinson. His 5 July 1966 Air Force Cross mission was one of the early F-105F Wild Weasel successes. The story of how the Air Force hustled a SAM “Hunter Killer” to the war is an amazing story of how to get an operational requirement on a fast track. Dan Hampton’s :”THE HUNTER KILLERS: the extraordinary story of the first Wild Weasels, the band of maverick aviators who flew the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam War,” tells the story. “Hunter Killers” is a great read--history come to life… and if you did any flying in the Red River Valley or anywhere in SAM country you will enjoy every page… I have selected the following passage that coincides roughly with the first months of 1967… Dan Hampton’s first 170 pages make the case for the painful need for a weapons system to deal with the SA-2. The Air Force was losing the technology fight… I pick it up and quote:(pages 173-4)
“Determined to catch up, the USAF began testing an improved version of its pod at the Air Force Proving Ground Center in Florida in early 1966. Designated QRC-160A-1, by the fall it was ready for field evaluation and, with fixed wing combat aircraft losses mounting, twenty-five pods were shipped to the 355th TFW at Takhli for testing.
“The results of the program, called ‘Vampyrus,’ were startling. Earlier that year (1966), seventy-two F-105s had been lost all over North Vietnam, with fifty-two Air Force planes going down in Route Pack Six alone. This equated to a loss rate of 28.3 aircraft per 1,000 sorties. In September, following the pod employment, the rate fell to 16.4 per 1,000 sorties. Of course, the monsoon season had arrived so there were fewer missions, but clearly pods helped. As Colonel William Chairsell of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing stated to Seventh Air Force Director of Operations:
‘The introduction of the QRC 160A-1 pod to the F-105 weapons system represents one of the most effective operational innovations I have ever encountered. Seldom has a technological advance of this nature so degraded an enemy defensive posture. It has literally transformed the hostile air defense environment we once faced, to one which we can operate with a latitude of permissibility.’
“This was fortunate, since the year had been as lethal as it had been confusing and would get worse. Just as the U.S. military was studying SAMs, exploiting their weaknesses, and developing new technology, the enemy was also striving to stay ahead of emerging American Systems. With every countertactic comes a counter-countertactic, and SAMs were no exception. The coming year, 1967, would be the bloodiest yet. Wild Weasels would need every edge they could get to keep killing the missiles and the guns.” end quote…
It is written that there are only two things that don’t change about war. The unchanging heart of man. He loves to fight, always has and always will. The “principles of war” also remain unchanged century after century. What changes is technology. The side that can bring new technology to the battlefield where it changes the tactics and gives fresh application to the “principles” gains advantage in a contest where “there are no points for second place.” Of course, if the cockpit is void of a brave heart in a warrior imbued with fighting spirit, the technology is inconsequential… The Wild Weasels were warriors of brave heart and fighting spirit… oohrah…
(But, what if??? the Soviets had leased a few of their SA-3s to Ho and his shooters???)
CAG’s Quotes for 3 February: THOMAS PAINE: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”… PATTON: “The language of war is not polite.” …
Lest we forget… Bear
