Rolling Thunder (SF2V)

[+ST0RM 145]

Day 1 of the war for me was more than I expected. I was a Lt jg, newly assigned to VA-46 'Clansmen' flying the A-4E(67). For my cherry ride, the skipper decided to have me lead a 4-ship strike on an Industrial Complex on the Vietnamese coast, approx. 50 miles south of Haiphong Harbor.

 

Being south, and on the coast, one would think that it was an easy target. Nope. It was well within the threat rings of the numerous SA-2 sites around the area to the north. Plus the thousands of AAA pieces that dot the whole country. This was not going to be a walk in the park.

 

Being junior and very green, I took the liberty of discussing the loadouts with our Weapons Chief, KB. He recommended a mixed load between all four Scooters. I was to carry a pair of Mk.83 1000lbs bombs, along with 4 Mk.82 w/fuse extenders on outboard TERs. My wingman (the Skipper) would be bringing a pair of AGM-45A Shrikes, plus 4 Mk.82 slicks in case I missed. 3 & 4 would be allowed to roam and hit targets as necessary. Kind of like the German Luftwaffe term Frie Jagd or to free-hunt. They carried CBUs and rockets. Since the drive out to the target was within our unrefueled range, we each carried a centerline aux tank. We'd hit a tanker coming off target and recover aboard the ship.

 

The catshot was normal, although my adrenaline was pumping pretty good. After all, I was carrying more destructive power than a B-17. Forming up at FL150 (15,000ft), we cruise silently across the water toward land. Just before our decent to the IP, we check in with the Red Crown destroyer. NSTR, or Nothing Substantial to Report, so we press in. 20 miles out from the coast, our RHAW gear starts chirping, alerting us to the southern most SA-2 site. Time to start the music, so we turn on the ECM systems. That bought us some time, as the chirping ceased. 12 miles from the target now, the RHAW gear begins to alert us again, but this time, from two Fan-Song radars. I immediately lock up the closest radar and order my wingman to take it out with the Shrike. He calls "Shotgun" and the -45 is off toward the radar. 7 seconds later, it's off the air. No suppressing anything. It's dead!

 

Still closing toward the primary target, I order the second pair of A-4s to start their own hunt for ground targets nearby. They peel off and start hitting some of the gunsites around the southern edge of the harbor. Meanwhile, the Skipper and I are 5 miles from the complex, with one more SA-2 actively pinging us. I lock him up and he fires his last Shrike. At first I thought it would miss, but a long 9 seconds later, it too goes silent. Now it's my turn.

 

I roll the jet inverted, picking out the building I'm to hit. It's a long building, running North/South. To increase my odds of hitting it, I decide to roll the Skyhawk back toward the south and will set up my run from the south, going north. A minute later, I'm where I want to be, 3 miles south of the building and in a 45 degree dive. Throttle back to 65%, pop the boards, center up the building in the sight...bomb away at 5000ft. Retract boards, throttle to the stops, climb and jink away to the East, looking over my shoulder for AAA or anything that can kill me, all the while keeping an eye on the target. To my dismay, the Mk.83 falls short about 300 yds and only seems to scare...well no one.

 

Going against the lessons from the many smarter men who have come before me (Lt. Cater, Jugs and FC), I opt for a second pass. This time, I set up for an opposite direction drop. That way my egress will be toward the south and to safety. As I climb back up toward the north/west, the Skipper calls out that he's caught some flak and his jet is smoking pretty good. No sense in keeping him around, I release him. A quick call to Red Crown on the secondary frequency, informs them that a damaged Scooter is headed back toward the ship, and alerts the SAR dudes in case he has to ditch. Amazing how your brain can function and perform multiple taskings when it's needed, all while flying a jet in hostile airspace.

 

At my designated point and altitude, I again roll the jet into a left turn, 45 degrees nose low. I check my switches to make sure I'll be dropping everything on this pass. I'm not that stupid to risk a third pass. Throttle to 65% again, pop boards, center up the building, but putting it a bit farther below the sight this time. Glance at the altimeter, 5000ft, pickle all 5 bombs, pull, retract boards, full throttle and start a roll toward the south/east. The jet is super light now without that extra weight. It's responding nicely. Watching over my shoulder for threats and the target, I see all 5 bombs hit in a nice stick. And I get a secondary oil tank along with the building. But, not to go out without a fight, I feel a couple of thumps in the right wing, bringing me back from my mini-celebration. I look over and I've got a few holes in the outer right wing. No leaking fluids and no fire. Close call.

 

As I begin the flight back to the ship, 3 & 4 check back in and inform me they are "Winchester" and they form back up on me. Since we aren't fuel critical, we bypass the awaiting KA-6D tanker and catch up with the Skipper as he limps home. It wasn't hard to pick him out. His trail of smoke could be seen for miles. We all recover aboard safely (I caught the 2-wire) and watch as the last A-4 recovers. Debrief, then chow. It's Sunday, so it's Sliders and Fries.

 

-Storm

[JediMaster 451]

It's amazing how intense some of those missions can be in SF2V. I'm also in a Rolling Thunder campaign, albeit with the F-105.

I can't believe those guys used to do Iron Hand missions for real! Nothing but CBUs vs AAA units firing at you from all directions in a plane that rolls ok but has the pitch authority of a C-5...until you get hit when you get the roll rate of a C-5 and NO pitch authority.

[+Jug 99]

Careful lest you besmirch my much beloved Thud..............

 

If you are pitching and rolling around expecting F-5 performance, that is not the Thud. Why do you think the pilots called it "Thud". It is a fast, dirt-mover. Try to do anything else with it and you are dogmeat. Best pilots don't try to take their jet where it can't go.

 

If you're lucky enough to end up behind a MiG in the Thud punch your tanks, fire what missiles you have, empty your gun, keep the throttle against the stops, drop your bombs someplace appropriate, and haul your little pink ass to the egress point as low as you can go. There's always tomorrow, but tomorrow's a long way off resting in the Hanoi Hilton.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Jug