| Date: 7 July 1972 |
| Aircraft type: A-6A Intruder |
| Serial Number: 155690 |
| Military Unit: VMA(AW)-533, MAG-15 |
| Service: USMC |
| Home Base: Nam Phong |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Alan Joseph Kroboth (POW) |
| Capt Leonard Robertson (KIA) |
| The enemy threat to US bases was particularly severe at Da Nang which was frequently under attack from enemy sappers even before the Spring Invasion. The ever-growing concern for security of MAG-15’s aircraft and personnel drove the Marines to move the Group to an austere airfield in the middle of Thailand. The airfield at Nam Phong had been built by the Americans in 1967 as an emergency landing base and had rarely been used except as a Special Forces camp for the training of Laotian guerillas. It had a 10,000 feet paved runway and little else to commend it before the Marines moved in. The Marines formed Task Force Delta to open up the airfield and the first troops arrived on 24 May. VMFA-115 was the first squadron to arrive, transferring from Da Nang on 16 June. By the 20th VMFA-232 and VMA(AW)-533 had also arrived at Nam Phong. These were joined later by a detachment of KC-130s from VMGR-152 and four CH-46s of H&MS-36 for SAR duties. Although undeniably more secure than any of the bases in South Vietnam, Nam Phong’s greatest drawback was its distance from MAG-15’s targets, which necessitated in-flight refueling and turnarounds at Da Nang before return missions to Nam Phong.
The first aircraft lost after the move to Nam Phong was an Intruder (call sign Tiny) that was shot down during a raid on a storage area five miles south of Khe Sanh. The aircraft was pulling up from its first pass over the target when it was hit in the starboard wing by AAA and set on fire. Only the pilot, 1Lt Kroboth, ejected and survived, although he was captured. His captors told him that his navigator had died in the crash. He was repatriated from North Vietnam on 27 March 1973. |
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