| Date: 4 September 1966 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4369 |
| Military Unit: 357 TFS, 355 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Ronald Glenn Bliss (POW) |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 61-0085 |
| Military Unit: 354 TFS, 355 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Thomas Mitchell McNish (POW) |
| The Takhli Wing sent its bombers against a large POL storage facility at Nguyen Khe, six miles north of Hanoi. As 1Lt Ron Bliss climbed up to 5,000 feet to start his dive on the target his aircraft (call sign Tampa) was hit by a 57mm shell and was badly damaged. He flew about 40 miles towards the west before ejecting. Ron Bliss was captured and spent the next six and a half years as a POW before being released on 4 March 1973.
Twenty minutes later Nguyen Khe was hit by another wave of Thunderchiefs. The ‘pop up’ manoeuvre that the bombers performed before the aircraft dived onto the target was a vulnerable point in the flight and another aircraft was lost during this manoeuvre. 1Lt McNish’s aircraft (call sign Lover) was hit by AAA and started to burn. He ejected and was soon captured. He was shot down on his 45th mission and was released on 4 March 1973. Thomas McNish took a medical degree after his return, became a flight surgeon and eventually retired from the Air Force as a Colonel. |
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