Dogfights in Vietnam

Did United States air and naval air forces actually engage in that
many Dogfights with North Vietamese aircraft during the Vietnam war ?

Where did these planes take off from ? Bases in China ?

Mike wrote:

Did United States air and naval air forces actually engage in that
many Dogfights with North Vietamese aircraft during the Vietnam war ?

Several hundred. Just in the Dec. 1971 - January 1973 period, Red Baron
lists 127 combat incidents.

Where did these planes take off from ? Bases in China ?

Bases in the DRVN, although there may have been some combat missions
launched from Chinese bases. U.S. sources claim that Chinese bases were
used as dispersion fields and emergency recovery fields.

Guy

Recommend you find Lou Drendel's " . . . and Kill MIGs," which gives
accounts of a number of dogfights by American fighter pilots, Air Force,
Navy, and Marine Corps. Included is a list of all air-to-air shootdowns
officially credited.

"Mike" wrote in message
m...

Did United States air and naval air forces actually engage in that
many Dogfights with North Vietamese aircraft during the Vietnam war ?

"Steve Langner" wrote:

Recommend you find Lou Drendel's " . . . and Kill MIGs," which gives
accounts of a number of dogfights by American fighter pilots, Air Force,
Navy, and Marine Corps. Included is a list of all air-to-air shootdowns
officially credited.

"Mike" wrote in message
om...

Did United States air and naval air forces actually engage in that
many Dogfights with North Vietamese aircraft during the Vietnam war ?


And might also refer to Marshall Michel's "Clashes" as well as Wayne
Thompson's "To Hanoi and Back" which offers some good statistical
summaries. From the other side there's also Toperczer, but as a US
participant I find his analysis a bit lop-sided.

North Vietnamese aircraft operated almost exclusively from NVN
airfields at Kep, Phuc Yen, Hoa Lac, Cat Bi and during some years at
Yen Bai as well as very sporadically as far south as Vinh.

As Guy pointed out, they occasionally moved aircraft N. to China, but
didn't launch operational sorties from N. of the border.

What raised this question in the first place? There's more than enough
published history and statistical data to answer it easily.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (ret)
***"When Thunder Rolled:
*** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam"
*** from Smithsonian Books
ISBN: 1588341038

Ed Rasimus wrote:

"Steve Langner" wrote:

Recommend you find Lou Drendel's " . . . and Kill MIGs," which gives
accounts of a number of dogfights by American fighter pilots, Air Force,
Navy, and Marine Corps. Included is a list of all air-to-air shootdowns
officially credited.

"Mike" wrote...

Did United States air and naval air forces actually engage in that
many Dogfights with North Vietamese aircraft during the Vietnam war ?

And might also refer to Marshall Michel's "Clashes" as well as Wayne
Thompson's "To Hanoi and Back" which offers some good statistical
summaries. From the other side there's also Toperczer, but as a US
participant I find his analysis a bit lop-sided.

In his account of Rolling Thunder (1994, Air Research
Publications), John T. Smith offers a chronological listing of A/A
claims by US fighter crews during the campaign. He says it was
compiled from material by Tillman, Francillion, and Drendle.


Billy

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