| Date: 4 April 1965 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4217 |
| Military Unit: 44 TFS, 18 TFW on TDY |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Carlyle Smith Harris (POW) |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 59-1754 |
| Military Unit: 354 TFS, 355 TFW attached to 2 AD |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Maj Frank Everett Bennett (KIA) |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 59-1764 |
| Military Unit: 354 TFS, 355 TFW attached to 2 AD |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Capt James Adelbert Magnusson (KIA) |
| As the BDA photographs of the Dragon’s Jaw showed very little structural damage to the bridge from the raid on the 3rd, it was decided to mount another strike the following day. This time the ineffectual Bullpups were left behind and only 750lb bombs carried. The strike force consisted of 48 F-105s supported by eight F-100s for flak suppression and two more for weather reconnaissance. Lt Col Risner led the mission again but from the very beginning things started to go wrong. Problems with the initial refuelling rendezvous and hazy conditions at the target disrupted the plan and caused the strike aircraft to bunch up close to the target zone. Several flights of F-105s were forced to orbit south of Thanh Hoa to await their turn. At the bridge Capt ‘Smitty’ Harris flying as Steel 3 was shot down although he ejected safely and was captured. Harris is credited with instituting a ‘tap code’ while in prison which enabled the POWs to communicate to each other secretively, as the penalties for being caught attempting to talk or pass messages were severe. ‘Smitty’ Harris was released from prison on 12 February 1973. The cause of Harris’s loss was probably ground fire although this was not confirmed, however, there was no doubt as to the cause of the next two Thunderchiefs to be brought down.
Four MiG-17s had been vectored to the bomb-laden F-105s orbiting near Thanh Hoa and dived through the clouds to attack the US aircraft. Maj Frank Bennett’s Zinc flight became the centre of attention for the MiGs and the North Vietnamese flight leader, Capt Tran Hanh, fired at Capt Magnusson’s aircraft which immediately caught fire and crashed into the sea near Hon Me Island to the south of Thanh Hoa. Meanwhile Hanh’s wingman, Le Minh Huan, fired at Maj Bennett’s Thunderchief scoring several hits in the fuselage. The MiGs then disengaged from their attack and dived away to the north before any of the US aircraft could react. This ‘hit and run’ method would become a favourite tactic of the MiGs as it limited their exposure to the missiles and guns of the US aircraft and usually enabled them to escape to fight another day at a time and place of their choosing. Maj Bennett’s fatally damaged aircraft headed out to sea but eventually crashed some 30 miles from Thanh Hoa near the island of Hon Me. Maj Bennett was seen to eject from his aircraft but he drowned before help could reach him. These two F-105s were the first US aircraft to be shot down in air-to-air combat in the war in Southeast Asia. Curiously, three of the MiGs that attacked Zinc flight were lost with their pilots (Pham Giay, Le Minh Huan and Tran Nguyen Nam) during the mission. An F-100D pilot (Capt D Kilgus) from the 416th TFS claimed one MiG but was only allowed a probable by the USAF and no one claimed the other two. It is likely that North Vietnamese AAA brought down the other MiGs in error. Ground fire was usually very intense and the North Vietnamese gunners’ aircraft recognition was probably not too good at this early stage of the war so friendly fire incidents such as this may have been a fairly common occurrence until a more integrated air defence system was developed. In addition to the tragic losses incurred, the results of this raid were disappointing. Over 300 hits were thought to have been scored on the bridge but it still appeared to be functional and would have to be struck yet again. |
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