May 19th 06, 02:41 PM
Today marks the 39th anniversary of the first attack on "Downtown"
Hanoi. Two F-4Bs, one A-6A and, one RA-5C were lost in that strike.
If you have ever watched the shows produced about the Vietnam air war
that discuss John McCain and feature footage of aircraft debris being
retieved from Hanoi lake, you may not be aware that the flotsam is
actually not from his aircraft. If you look closely (or better yet slow
it down with DVR) you will see a "602" on a piece of wreckage in the
lead boat, and then in the tethered 3 boats behind you will see more
wreckage with "NH" in a faux asian style popular in the 1960s and the
Bureau Number (BuNo) 150826. Also some shows feature a prominent shot
of a piece of the vertical stab emblazoned with "Kitty Hawk".
NH were the tail letters for CVW-11 deployed on the Kitty Hawk, and 6XX
series were the side numbers for the RA-5's
http://geta-o.maxs.jp/USMIL/A/A-5/150837(nh601)ra-5c-0296.jpg
http://www.bobjellison.com/Vigilante_photos/vigi_cat3.jpg
In this case the aircraft belonged to RVAH-13 "Bats" being flown by Jim
Griffin and Jack Walters. Because it was Ho Chi Minh's birthday, the
NVN were eager for a propaganda coup and made sure the cameras were
rolling to capture a shootdown. They were not disappointed.
Griffin and Walters were on the post strike BDA and left their F-4
escort behind to meet them on the other side of a dogleg into and back
out of the target area (F-4s could not keep up with a Vigi' going the
speed of heat, so this was a routine tactic.)
602 reported ingressing at 700 KIAS and flew into a wall of 57 mm fire.
Other parts of the NVN footage shows the guns firing both from the
grounds of what is now the war museum and from rafts on the lake, and
then it cuts to the aircraft pitching up and ripping apart into a
fireball.
Griffin and Walters both survived the ejection (one thing the Vigi had
were some truly excellent ejection seats made by NAA)but were badly
injured and were captured immmediatley.
Both were taken to the Hilton, and of course right to the Heartbreak
Hotel. The spring and summer of '67 was the period of the worst
brutality of the war meted out to the POWs and these two were not
spared in spite of their injuries. They were forced to make a statement
to a French journalist (donchyah just luv the French) which was
subsequently played in the press.
By the next day they were both dead but they were listed as MIA until
the end of the war. While it is known they were tortured, no one is
sure if they died directly from it. However, it is fairly certain that
if their injuries had been treated they would have lived.
There is now a plaque commemorating the shootdown on the wall of the
war museum in Hanoi and one of their helmets is on display as well.
http://www.virtualwall.org/dg/GriffinJL01a.htm
http://www.virtualwall.org/dw/WaltersJx01a.htm
Hanoi. Two F-4Bs, one A-6A and, one RA-5C were lost in that strike.
If you have ever watched the shows produced about the Vietnam air war
that discuss John McCain and feature footage of aircraft debris being
retieved from Hanoi lake, you may not be aware that the flotsam is
actually not from his aircraft. If you look closely (or better yet slow
it down with DVR) you will see a "602" on a piece of wreckage in the
lead boat, and then in the tethered 3 boats behind you will see more
wreckage with "NH" in a faux asian style popular in the 1960s and the
Bureau Number (BuNo) 150826. Also some shows feature a prominent shot
of a piece of the vertical stab emblazoned with "Kitty Hawk".
NH were the tail letters for CVW-11 deployed on the Kitty Hawk, and 6XX
series were the side numbers for the RA-5's
http://geta-o.maxs.jp/USMIL/A/A-5/150837(nh601)ra-5c-0296.jpg
http://www.bobjellison.com/Vigilante_photos/vigi_cat3.jpg
In this case the aircraft belonged to RVAH-13 "Bats" being flown by Jim
Griffin and Jack Walters. Because it was Ho Chi Minh's birthday, the
NVN were eager for a propaganda coup and made sure the cameras were
rolling to capture a shootdown. They were not disappointed.
Griffin and Walters were on the post strike BDA and left their F-4
escort behind to meet them on the other side of a dogleg into and back
out of the target area (F-4s could not keep up with a Vigi' going the
speed of heat, so this was a routine tactic.)
602 reported ingressing at 700 KIAS and flew into a wall of 57 mm fire.
Other parts of the NVN footage shows the guns firing both from the
grounds of what is now the war museum and from rafts on the lake, and
then it cuts to the aircraft pitching up and ripping apart into a
fireball.
Griffin and Walters both survived the ejection (one thing the Vigi had
were some truly excellent ejection seats made by NAA)but were badly
injured and were captured immmediatley.
Both were taken to the Hilton, and of course right to the Heartbreak
Hotel. The spring and summer of '67 was the period of the worst
brutality of the war meted out to the POWs and these two were not
spared in spite of their injuries. They were forced to make a statement
to a French journalist (donchyah just luv the French) which was
subsequently played in the press.
By the next day they were both dead but they were listed as MIA until
the end of the war. While it is known they were tortured, no one is
sure if they died directly from it. However, it is fairly certain that
if their injuries had been treated they would have lived.
There is now a plaque commemorating the shootdown on the wall of the
war museum in Hanoi and one of their helmets is on display as well.
http://www.virtualwall.org/dg/GriffinJL01a.htm
http://www.virtualwall.org/dw/WaltersJx01a.htm