US Navy F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War 1969-73 (Combat Aircraft) by Peter E. Davies

Author:Peter E. Davies [Davies, Peter E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472823618
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-05-30T23:00:00+00:00

MAYHEM IN MAY

Public impatience over America’s continued costly support for the failing South Vietnamese government compelled President Nixon to continue his drawdown of ground troops, placing an increased reliance on air power to fulfil his defence obligations to Saigon. A new campaign of air attacks on North Vietnam was also discussed in detail. USS Saratoga (CVA-60, which was re-designated CV-60 on 30 June) departed from Mayport, Florida, on 11 April for its only WestPac cruise. It had CVW-3 embarked, which included the F-4Js of VF-31 ‘Tomcatters’ and VF-103 ‘Sluggers’. Midway had set out from Alameda, California, the previous day, returning to battle for the third time and making its second cruise with VF-151 and VF-161 embarked as part of its CVW-5.

An unprecedented period of air-to-air successes for US Navy Phantom II squadrons began 6 May, with 16 out of their total of 26 MiG kills in the year from January 1972 occurring in a 20-day period. In May USAF F-4s also accounted for 11 MiGs, which, together with the destruction of others on airfields, constituted the sort of serious attrition of VPAF strength that US pilots had hoped to inflict since the beginning of the conflict. In that month TF 77 had its Vietnam War maximum of six carriers on station with ten squadrons of F-4B/Js – VF-51 and VF-111 on board Coral Sea, VF-151 and VF-161 on board Midway, VF-92 and VF-96 on board Constellation, VF-31 and VF-103 on board Saratoga and VF-114 and VF-213 on board Kitty Hawk, together with Hancock’s two very successful F-8J units, VF-24 and VF-211.

All of them were eager for an aerial victory, although many of their missions would as usual involve duties that did not put them in potential contact with enemy fighters. After his MiG kill, Jerry Houston recalled, ‘As happy and self-content as I was upon returning to the ship, it was also an embarrassing moment because I knew how desperately everyone else wanted their own MiG’.

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