Mission: 720510 Hai Duong Bridges
Weather: Broken Cloud 12000 VIS 30Nm
TOT: 09:30 Hrs
Aircraft: (4) A-7B Corsair VA-146 (CVA-64)
Flight Time: 47 Minutes. This incredible Alpha Strike has flights of Corsairs hitting the bridges and docks and Phantoms flying SEAD. The enemy have SAMs, AAA and Migs flying intercept...
After Action Report: The Corsairs of Tuna flight leave the deck of the USS Constellation at one-second intervals, forming up seconds later as we climb above the clouds. As part of a sizeable Alpha Strike, we are fragged to hit the Hai Duong Bridges, while the VA-147 take the docks and the F4-Js of VF-96 fly TARCAP and SEAD.
Ahead of us the first flights run into the SAMs as soon as they radio feet-dry. We hear the ominous calls as the pilots report enemy contact. I scan ahead, looking for the familiar smoke-trails, ready to break-turn and drop for the deck. Too soon we cross the coast and suddenly it is members of our flight calling;
“SAM Launch, SAM Launch!”. The formation breaks as we scatter and go evasive.
At full power I approach the river and line up for the run on the bridges, activating the ECM and setting up the Mk82s for release. Low enough to avoid the SAMs I am now flying into the teeth of the heavy flak around the bridges. One blast is close enough to really rattle the windows, it’s no good, I can’t line it up for a good drop, the Corsair pulls for the clouds again.
Approaching from the west on a reciprocal course, I notice several things; The AAA is really loud and fierce, the docks have been hit to the north, and the rest of Tuna Flight is slow rejoining, leaving me a little isolated out here, a single target.
No time to think, the SAMs don’t seem to be tracking me for the moment, I level out and put five pairs of Mk82s across both bridges, shack!
Low down and running for the coast now I prepare to dump the remaining pair of bombs out to sea and join up with other aircraft on egress. We are getting MiG calls! Somebody ahead reports sighting a MiG along the coastline, right where I am, there he is!
We are both surprised initially, passing in opposite directions at high speed. I dump the ordnance along with the racks and pull up rolling over at the top.
The MiG is there, as anticipated, I would not expect him to turn down an easy looking kill, a strike aircraft running for home.
What he gets instead is another high-speed game of chicken, facing the business-end of the A-7B. I tear it apart with 20MM, dipping the nose to avoid ingesting the wreckage, and turning back once more for the boat. We hear later that somewhere overhead, during this mission, a Phantom crew nailed three MiGs today, but I am really pleased with my surprise catch!
Oh yes, Cunningham and Driscoll were there too! Thanks to ‘Sundowner’ for the authentic skin and Yankee Air Pirate for the authentic F-4J loadout, perfect!
