Worst Mission that you managed to survive

[+JonathanRL 973]

A Recent Mission in my Formosa Straights Installation got me thinkin - what is your most disasterious mission that you actually managed to survive? We toppled the most glorious ones in previous threads but, do you remember them?

 

In my case, the mission was a Escort Mission. I was flying the F-11F Tiger, leader of eleven other Aircraft. We was going to escort eight of Super Sabres on their Strike Mission while a pair of A-1Hs provided SEAD.

 

Then the Chinese Appeared.

 

Three Squadrons of MiG-17s tore straight into the formation, destroying two Huns, marking the mission as a failure as the F-100Ds broke formation and engaged the fighters. There was none left to actually bomb the target. Two MiGs swept right past my wing, destroying no-3 before my Tigers even had dropped tanks and breaked formation. I make a lousy squadron commander, but I honestly did not see them coming. After this, it all became a Furball with the majority of the Fighters beeing MiGs. A Few Fox-Twos over the radio seems to imply there might have been some casulties on their side apart from the one I shot down with guns.

 

After a prolonged gunfight and noticing that all F-100Ds had been destroyed, I gave a return home order by section - with one of the sections not even complying to my orders. I hit the deck, flying low and fast and got home with about 1/3 fuel. I never actually saw any other following me, but mission debrief said I lost 9 F-11Fs.

 

The mission ended with the SEAD Element beeing wiped out (as far as I could determine, by the AA they was supposed to knock out), All but three (including me) F-11Fs and none F-100D manage to return home. Mission failure.

 

So, let me hear your glorious disasters :)

[Viper6 3]

nuff said lol

[Lt. James Cater 62]

I've had so many missions of that sort that it's hard to find the absolute worst.

 

Flying A-6s off the USS Independance, i took off with a flight to knock out a target on the Vihn harborfront. No big deal since i really wanted to hit the "Arrowhead" about 40 miles south on the coast. The initial mission is easily done and so i get everyone together and down the coast we go.

 

Arriving overhead i check out the targets (multiple AAA sites) and go to work. The first indication of bad news is a frantic call from my wingman. I look up from my own bomb run and see his plane going down in flames.

 

OK, that's life in a combat zone.

 

A few minutes later i get a call from #3 that he is taking damage. Checking up on #4 i get no response. After expending ordnance and recovering back at the Boat, i get news in the debrief that #2 was shot down (which i already knew) and that #3 and#4 both crashed within seconds of each other. Considering that conditions were as favorable as can be, i've always wondered just how things could have taken such a rough turn.

Edited May 23, 2009 by Lt. James Cater

[i fight by 1 0]

In a Mi-35 Heli with 15 others and about 8 Mig 21s, I tried to do a Strike mission when 10 F4D Phantoms and iunno how many F8 Crusaders came. Outcome? Rape. We didn't stand a chance, the Helis shot down a few, but the migs were useless and the last few fled or something. I almost made it back in my heli, but I ran outa fuel and had to eject. Made Wounded but lived, too bad everyone else was either KIA or POW... No idea what happened to the Migs...

Edited May 23, 2009 by i fight by 1

[Rambler 1-1 9]

a strike in A-4Cs, lost #4 and on the way there to a SAM, told #2 to take out the radar, not realising that it had 2 ZSU-23-4s on either side of it. #2 kaput. Lost somebody else to AAA (lucky shot), then got jumped by MiG-21F-13s. Lost two before they RTB'd. The target (GODDAMMCOMMBUILDING) had 23mm guns all around it, and I went in to take one of them out, but didn't realise I had the ripple set to "double". The other guys missed the GODDAMMCOMMBUILDING completely, so we RTB'd in shame. Then we got jumped by two MiG-17s and bafore I knew it I was flying solo. Then I ran out of gas on final and landed less then gracefully in the desert.

[+daddyairplanes 9,897]

i had just downloaded bunyaps wep pack and was trying out the nuclear falcon. gave both flights order to rtb after spotting squadron of Bears. set up and launched my nuke but knuckleheads all went after the bombers instead of going home. net result 20 kills and one hell of a friendly fire call.

[fougamagister 24]

North Korea, winter 1952, attack of a truck convoy, everything was ok and the mission complete, til near the target area I flew over a hidden Flak cannon .. Only one straight shot..

I managed to RTB safely but without my left flap and aileron, left and tail landing gear, tail rudder, left elevator, left airbrake and a severe engine failure !

Luckily I managed to land, finishing my run in the snow.. Then I walked away and had a beer at the squadron bar with two shaking legs and a twisted fist

 

Edited May 23, 2009 by fougamagister

[JRA 0]

I was once assigned a CAS mission. Everything went fine until I don't know how many Mig-21's came to their boys' rescue. There were 8 guys in my flight (including myself). After one hell of a time, I realised I lost everybody. I decided to RTB since I was the only one left. The bad news is that now I had maybe 8 or 9 Migs on my tail. One shot up my right wing and tore it off. A second one fired a bird at me while I was falling towards the ground. I didn't want to die considering I already had 11 kills so I just poped open my canopy and ejected...

[Miracles 0]

Was playing the Aces of North Vietnam campaign flying the MiG-17F

 

My survivability is around 1.5 missions on average.

 

 

Anyway I was tasked with intercepting enemy flight toward an airbase I believe.

There were so many RED planes that I saw on my map view. This time I flew low skimming the surface actually at high speed to avoid being tracked and engaged by the F-4 Phantoms radar and their deadly AIM-7. The enemy flight came in phases. The first phase was the escorting flight which I avoided by continuing to fly in opposite direction parallel to them about 10 to 15 miles. The second phase was the enemy strike package consisting of 8 A4s. I turned only after the last trailing enemy flight had past me so to avoid being sighted too early.

 

So finally I turned to their direction positioning my MiG-17F behind the enemy A4s flight which by now had been scattered. There were 8 of them flying in formation and a few were trailing behind. They were just about a minute or two from their target.

 

So sneaking from their six in the end I managed to down 4 of them while another mate leader downed 3. I even chased the last few planes when they were egressing out of target area. Anyway some Phantoms shot a couple AIM 7 at me and a couple of sidewinder which I dodged by always flying very low from the ground. I thought skimming the earth would give their radar minimum capability to lock on me while the earth heat signature would help me spoof the sidewinders. IT WORKED.

 

I bailed out in the next mission after downing another A4 and was killed in the after next mission lol. It's hard to be a Charlie pilot.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Miracles

[macelena 1,070]

16 Thuds, strike on a bridge, Vietnam. Ordered them to attack ground targets, wasted the bridge and i was

about to stay looking for secondary targets (Seading a while) until getting out of ammo. All 16 shot down within

3-4 minutes, no migs AAA alone. Strafing run on SAM site, thought there was only ONE zsu

[pistitom 0]

single mission, F-18/F Super Hornet, another one for wingman and 2 F-14s for backup...anti ship mission, year 2000...on the way we had some minor dificulties with the wast amount of SAM launchers near the beach, but engaged in low alt. flight and survived... when almost reaching the sea, suddenly 4 Su-27 appear at 9, dist around 150 miles...give the orders engage air to flight one, I go on for the ship...in a matter of minutes my entire squadron is gone....reach objective point, no ship around...start flying around, meanwhile engaging the enemy, who, after having finished my squadron came for me....I had 2 amraams, 4-6 sidewinders and some harm missiles...ok, the fight is on, no ship, take down 3 Su-s, still no ship....run out of AA ammunition, the remaining Su on my 6....still no ship !!! for some reason the enemy is quite determined to shoot me down , can bearly escape his missiles with flares and maneuvres....I gave up on the ship, started to call for help- btw : why on Heavens name I never get any help sent ???!!!- and headed home...full throttle, all weapons and ext. stores jettisoned, alt. ranging from 100 feet above ground to 25000 as I try to loose him.... near my home base he finally gave up...my left rudder was missing and left engine not working ( perhaps ran out of fuel?? ) but I SURVIVED ...what a mess....