F-111 Aircrews

[+Dave 2,322]

Does anyone know where I can get a listing of the Linebacker II F-111 air crews? I have been looking for weeks.

[Skyviper 1,101]

This is all I could find ... a whoping nothing. Only a report about the what aircraft were used (I'm sure you may already know this) and those lost.
 
 

Constant Guard/Linebacker (September 27, 1972 to Mid-June 1973)
When the North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam in the spring of 1972, the 474th TFW began seeing indications of a possible deployment, since their F-111As were the only combat-ready F-111s at the time. It was decided that when the deployment occurred, a record for the elapsed time between the alert order and the bombs on target would be attempted. The 429th TFS was the first squadron to deploy.
They divided into three groups to deploy. The first two groups acted as ferry crews moving the aircraft from Nellis to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. The third group flew directly to Takhli and prepared to fly the first combat missions. The combat crews had about 24 hours of rest before the airplanes arrived. The 12 aircraft deployed on September 27,1972. The record was set with F-111As in combat 55 miles northwest of Hanoi - 33 hours after leaving Nellis. However, one of the aircraft, (67-0078), was lost in the first night of operations. The aircraft made it to the target, but did not return home. The first mission package was scheduled for six aircraft and assigned targets in the western part of North Vietnam. The aircraft had been on the ground about four hours before launching on their bombing missions. Three of the aircraft ground-aborted the mission with equipment failure, the fourth aircraft aborted in the air after ECM equipment failed; the fifth airplane (67-0078) never returned from mission; and the sixth aircraft couldn't get to its primary target and was forced to bomb an alternate.
The deployment occurred in three phases.
The first phase consisted of twelve 429th TFS F-111A's deploying from Nellis on September 27,1972.
The following F-111As deployed Tahkli RTAFB in the first phase: 67-0060, 67-0065, 67-0068, 67-0070, 67-0072, 67-0074, 67-0075, 67-0078,67-0079, 67-0083, 67-0084, and 67-0086. These aircraft arrived at Tahkli on October 1,1972.
The second phase was an additional twelve 429th' aircraft.
The following F-111As also left Nellis AFB for Tahkli on September 27: 67-0059, 67-0061, 67-0063, 67-0064, 67-0066, 67-0069, 67-0071, 67-0076, 67-0080, 67-0087,0088,and 67-0090.

The third phase consisted of twenty-four 430th TFS aircraft.
The following F-111 As left Nellis on September 29,1972:67-0073,67-0077, 67-0085.67-0091,67-0092.67-0093,67-0094, 67-0095, 67-0096, 67-0097, 67-0098, 67-0099, 67-0100, 67-0101, 67-0102, 67-0103, 67-0104, 67-0105, 67-0106,67-0107,67-0110,67-0112, 67-0113, and 67-0114. The aircraft arrived at Tahkli on October 4,1972. 67-0092 and 67-0110 had minor problems enroute and arrived on October 5,1972.
Replacement aircraft 67-0062 and 67-0067 arrived on October 23, 67-0058 arrived on November 21, 67-0089 arrived on November 25, 67-0109 arrived on December 11, and 67-0081 and 67-0111 arrived on May 8 of the following year 1973.
 
68-0078 on September 28 - was lost the first night of bombing raids ;
67-0066 on October 17;
67-0063 on November 8;
67-0092 on November 21;
67-0099 on December 18;
67-0068 on December 22
67-0066 on December 27.
67-0071 and 67-0098 were involved in a mid-air collision on February 17, 1973. while changing lead and acting as pathfinders for a flight of F-4 Phantoms. There were also two operational non-combat losses (67-0072 on February 20 and 67-0111 on June 16, 1973). The 428th TFS replaced the 430th on January 2,1973.
 
POW/MIA/KIA
 
 
 
F-111A 67-0078 28 Sep 72. Maj. William Clare "Bill" Coltman and 1LT Robert Arthur "Lefty" Brett Jr. Callsign RANGER 23. Aircraft lost on the first night of F-111 operations, only hours after deploying to SEA. Target was in Route Pack 1. Major Coltman was promoted twice to the rank of Colonel whilst listed as missing before being pronounced presumed killed in action.  POW/MIA Reference # 1929-0-01 / -02.
Loss co-ordinates: 21 35 51N  104 59 21E are of target position (North Viet Nam).
Wreckage positively identified by JTF-FA team in Laos in late 1990's, and recovery of bone fragments in 2000. (2) 
Honolulu Star newspaper article. (3)

• 
  F-111A 67-0066 16 Oct 72. CAPT James A. Hockridge and 1LT Allen U. Graham POW/MIA reference # 1939-0-01 / -02. Remains returned 30 September 1977. Possibly hit by a SA-2 Guideline SAMs after being acquired by Fansong radars due to necessary climb to MSRH for Mk-84 LDGP delivery whilst attacking the Phuc Yen airfield. Reported as having been found dead in the module by the NVN.
  Bill Wilson (see Jackel 33 below) has reported to F-111.net that the remains of CAPT Hockridge and 1LT Graham were identifed and recovered to the US some years ago.
• 
  F-111A 67-0063 7 Nov 72. MAJ Robert M. Brown and CAPT Robert D. Morrissey. POW/MIA Reference # 1945-0-01 / -02 Presumptive finding of death.
• 
  F-111A 67-0092 21 Nov 72. Capt. Donald Dean Stafford and Capt Charles Joseph Cafferrelli. Crashed post target, going "Feet Wet" into the Gulf of Tonkin, off the N. Vietnamese coast. Crew never recovered. POW/MIA Reference # 1948-0-01 / -02 Reported KIA, bodies not recovered. In 1998, three Vietnamese witnesses described the 'shooting down' of F-111 aircraft which crashed off coast near Hai Trach village. Reports of NVN knowledge of wreckage 'with skeletons inside' in 8 metres of water off the Vietnamese coast. (XX) Improbable that remains exist due to the catrastophic effects that high speed impacts have on the forward fuselage of the aircraft.
• 
  F-111A 67-0099 18 Dec 72. LTCOL Ronald J. Ward and MAJ James R. McElvain killed. POW/MIA Reference # 1952-0-01 / -02 Presumptive finding of death.
• 
  F-111A 67-0068 22 Dec 72. Target in vicinity of Hanoi.   Shot down after an assumed lucky shot to an engine gearbox. After a valiant escape and evasion lasting a few days, including a near rescue by a HH-53C (tail # 69-5788, call sign Jolly Green 73, from the 40th ARRS, NKP, Thailand--info via Chuck Rouhier http://www.jollygreen.org), under heavy ground fire, the crew CAPTs Bill Wilson and Bob Sponeybarger become P.O.Ws. (POW REF# 1966-0-01 / -02).  They were repatriated on 29 March 1973.

474 TFW F-111A's were assigned to the 347th whilst in SEA Ops

Tail codes in SEA Operations

NA - 428th TFS - Blue tail fin retained - --- NA NB - 429th TFS - Yellow changed to - HG NC - 430th TFS - Red & white - applied prior to SEA deployement

 

 

[+ST0RM 145]

How about contacting some of the F-111 groups?

 

F-111.net and FB-111A.net

 

They have reunions and might be of some help.

 

Good luck!

Jeff

[Skyviper 1,101]

How about contacting some of the F-111 groups?

 

F-111.net and FB-111A.net

 

They have reunions and might be of some help.

 

Good luck!

Jeff

 

 

Yep they do (that's where I got the information in the spoiler but it looked pretty inactive so I didn't bother with linking them)