660630 Bac Giang POL
YANKEE AIR PIRATE - AAR
“This mission derives from the historic raid on the Petroleum/Oil storage facility (POL) at Bac Giang by VA-212, from the deck of the USS Hancock, led by their commander Homer Smith. As always, fly it on ‘full real’ settings and turn the sound up!”
660630 Bac Giang POL (VA-212 Rampant Raiders)
Weather: - Scattered Clouds 7500 Ft VIS 30 Nm
TOT: - 0730
Aircraft: - (4) A-4E Skyhawks
Flight Time: - 35 Minutes
After Action Report:
My ass is back inside my favorite ‘Bantam Bomber’, an aircraft I have some experience with now, and a whole lot of confidence, a safe place from which to go to work. This is the A-4E model, an upgrade over the previous ‘C’, a little more powerful with almost 1,000lbs of extra thrust.
I’m late off the cat this morning, the first three of the flight are up and away, making one circuit of the task force to allow me to launch and form up. She’s heavy on launch, loaded with 4 Mk83s and a 300 Gallon Drop-Tank. Once airborne and cleaned-up though, the aircraft is very lively. I crank it over as the flight passes the ship and neatly slot into place.
As we begin the flight up north together, everyone backs off, there is no need to fly too tight and wear out the pilots before the strike. We saunter in a loose formation for just over fifteen minutes until almost feet dry. I concentrate on trim, weapons check, targeting, also noting the return heading, no autopilot programming for this flight. Then it gets serious, we all tighten up and lead drops us down as we cross the coast.
(Previously with YAP, we have hit Bac Giang in the Hyper-Hogs, coming in from the west off Thud Ridge. This time our Scooters are crossing the coast near Kien An for a run on the target area from a northerly direction.)
Going feet-dry I hear the first call “SAM launch! SAM launch!” Question:-What’s worse than seeing a dirty great telephone pole flying at you? You got it, NOT seeing it! I’m scanning left and right, I don’t see it, but it had to be launched at us! I don’t see a damn thing, but some long seconds later I am not blasted into a million pieces, lucky that time, it must have stopped tracking us.
Next I note laconically that our approach to the POL will take us over the town of Bac Giang. A great sprawling brown lattice of low-rise buildings packed with AAA positions, and many armed locals, whose express purpose this morning is to use my nuts for target practice!
SAMs are rarely set within built-up areas, AAA and small arms are more likely to be here and are more dangerous at low level. Therefore, we take it up a bit, climbing as we step into attack. In a deadly illusion, the flak gently blossoms around the Skyhawks as they race overhead.
There’s the POL! Drop tanks, check ripple again, select a pair of those lovely Mk83s and get ready to pickle! The main flight is ahead of me as I hang back and watch carefully, I will hit whatever they miss. In one pass they smash the rail-yard, drop the bridge and scorch the big fuels tanks. All three break left at a mad speed and disappear east along the river as I roll in.
Wham! Practice pays, there go the tanks, you beauty! As I pass the pumping machinery, close enough to flip the bird at the workmen running around below, I remember the pair of Mk12 20mms sitting in the nose with 100 shells each. Let’s go back across, real low, one more pass, try out those guns and break right.
Well I emptied the magazines and aside from scaring the hell out of those guys it seemed to do little damage. So, let’s go, break right and back out into SAM country. Dropping down into the weeds, I wonder where the others are. “SAM Launch, SAM Launch!” They must be up ahead.
Soon enough I catch up to the strike flight on their way east and flash past them at high speed! For some reason this puts a huge grin on my face, I like the A-4E!
We meet up again over the sea and I fly back obediently in formation. This part of the flight provides enough of a respite to allow us all to calm down sufficiently for recovery. The radar works as advertised, and the fleet picket ships are first to appear on the scope. Soon enough she’s sitting pretty back on the deck, that’s a punch! Time to get the coffee on!
Next up:660701 Dixie Station
