| Date: 5 December 1969 |
| Aircraft type: F-4C Phantom |
| Serial Number: 63-7444 |
| Military Unit: 558 TFS, 12 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Cam Ranh Bay |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Benjamin Franklin Danielson (KIA) |
| 1Lt Woodrow J Bergeron (Survived) |
| A pair of Phantoms was sent on a raid on a choke point on the Trail near the village of Ban Phanop in southern Laos. The number two aircraft (call sign Boxer 22) was pulling up from its first high angle dive bomb delivery when it was struck by a 37mm shell at about 6,000 feet. Capt Danielson turned to the east but the crew had to eject just a few miles from the target when the aircraft became uncontrollable. The two men landed in a valley less than 200 yards apart but on either side of the Nam Ngo River. Voice contact was made with both men and the rescue forces were called in on what became one of the largest rescue efforts of the war. However, the crew had landed in one of the best defended areas of the Trail and the North Vietnamese had geography and time on their side.
On the 5th no less than seven SAR helicopters from Nakhon Phanom and Udorn made attempts to rescue the survivors but each time they came close they were hit by ground fire and had to withdraw, some suffering considerable damage. On that first day a total of 88 sorties were flown including 47 by A-1s, 12 by F-105s, seven by F-4s, two by F-100s, 10 by various helicopters, seven by FACs and three by HC-130P King airborne mission control aircraft. From first light on the 6th until midday, Sandys and other aircraft hosed down the area around the downed airmen in the hope of suppressing ground fire. During the morning 1Lt Bergeron radioed that he heard shouts and gunshots across the river and then heard a scream after which he could no longer contact Capt Danielson. It was assumed that the North Vietnamese had discovered his hiding place and killed him in a shootout. A huge smoke screen was put down to protect the helicopters as they made their run in towards the remaining survivor. The first helicopter to make the attempt was hit and lost part of its flight control system while the second got stuck in the branches of a tree as it backed towards 1Lt Bergeron. The pilot only managed to free the HH-53 by backing further towards the tree and breaking off a branch with its badly damaged tail boom. More fighter attacks took place and another smoke screen put down for further attempts after midday but three more helicopters were damaged by enemy fire during the afternoon. Another attempt just before dusk also failed and 1Lt Bergeron had to spend a second night on the ground as North Vietnamese soldiers with dogs searched for him in the long grass and bamboo. A total of 154 sorties had been flown on the second day including 74 by Sandys, 50 by fighters, 14 by FACs, five by HC-130Ps and 11 by HH-53s. At dawn on the 7th F-4 FACs directed flights of F-105s to strike anti-aircraft gun positions in the valley while Sandys attacked enemy troops who were close to the survivor. The first helicopter was driven away by ground fire and more air strikes were called in. A smoke corridor was built up again and Jolly Green 77, a HH-53C flown by Lt Col Shipman of the 40th ARRS, started its run in with flights of Sandys on either side blasting away at muzzle flashes from the enemy’s guns. 1Lt Bergeron saw the helicopter draw near and made a dash for the river waving a white escape and evasion map. The PJ lowered the rescue hoist and Bergeron grabbed hold as the helicopter started reeling him in. Woodrow Bergeron was at last rescued from almost certain death. The entire operation had lasted 51 hours during which a total of 366 sorties had been flown resulting in severe damage to 12 helicopters and five A-1s as well as the tragic death of a PJ, A1C David M Davison, who was shot and killed in HH-53C 68-8283 on the 5th. This SAR operation gives an indication of the extent to which the US forces were willing to go to rescue those in peril. Although the Bat 21 rescue in April 1972 received more publicity, the rescue of Woodrow Bergeron remains as one of the most outstanding rescues of the war in Southeast Asia. In 2003 human remains together with Capt Danielson’s ID tag and some survival equipment were handed over to US authorities, apparently having been found by a Laotian who was fishing on the banks of the Nam Ngo River. In 2007 the remains were identified by the use of mitochondrial testing as being those of Capt Danielson. |
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