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  • Tankers at War: Air Refueling in Southeast Asia

    Refueling in flight made long-distance flying operations possible in Southeast Asia. Heavily-laden aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom and B-52 Stratofortress needed fuel on the way to and from their targets. Getting gas from tankers allowed them to carry maximum bomb loads, and search

  • Airman 1st Class William H. Pitsenbarger

    Born in 1944 in Piqua, Ohio, William H. Pitsenbarger was an ambitious only child. He wanted to quit high school to join the U.S. Army Special Forces' "Green Berets," but his parents convinced him to stay in school. After graduating in 1962, Pitsenbarger joined the Air Force.A1C Pitsenbarger learned

  • Combat Search and Rescue in Southeast Asia

    During the war in Southeast Asia, the U.S. Air Force's air rescue improved dramatically. Beginning in 1962 with just three officers and three enlisted Airmen at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, the mission grew into powerful teams with astounding capabilities for rescuing downed aircrew deep in

  • River Rats

    The Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association was formed in Thailand in 1967 to improve tactics and coordination among aircrews flying over North Vietnam. Rich in tradition, it grew into a fraternal organization which has lasted far beyond the Southeast Asia War.Early in 1967, Col. Robin Olds, 8th

  • Brig. Gen. Robin Olds: Combat Leader and Fighter Ace

     Brig. Gen. Robin Olds' hallmarks were boldness, courage and leadership. A World War II ace and Air Force Cross recipient, he gained widespread fame and respect as the aggressive commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing during the Southeast Asia War. Robin Olds grew up amongst military aviators

  • Tracking the MiGs: EC-121 Airborne Early Warning

    EC-121s played a key role by monitoring airborne North Vietnamese MiGs and guiding USAF fighters to intercept them. Orbiting securely outside the border, EC-121 crews used the aircraft's radar and enemy radio communications to detect and locate MiGs within North Vietnamese airspace. These operations

  • USAF Southeast Asia War Aces

    Three USAF F-4 Airmen, Capts. Charles "Chuck" DeBellevue, Richard "Steve" Ritchie and Jeffrey Feinstein, became aces during the Southeast Asia War. Ritchie was the only USAF pilot ace (DeBellevue and Feinstein, backseat weapon system officers [WSO], received equal credit for victories as the pilot

  • OPERATION BOLO

    Led by Col. Robin Olds, OPERATION BOLO used a brilliant deception tactic that destroyed half of the North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter force, with no USAF losses.In late 1966, the USAF was not permitted to bomb North Vietnamese airfields and could only destroy enemy fighters in the air. Complicating

  • Countering MiGs: Air-to-Air Combat Over North Vietnam

    The key mission for U.S. Air Force fighter escorts (or MiGCAPs) over North Vietnam was to prevent enemy MiG fighters from interfering with American strike aircraft. The MiG pilots' primary goal was to force strike aircrews to jettison their bombs early, thereby disrupting the bombing mission.In

  • Reconnaissance and Retaliatory Strikes

    President Johnson ended the bombing of North Vietnam in October 1968. believing that USAF unarmed reconnaissance aircraft would be permitted to fly over the country unopposed. When North Vietnam fired on some of these planes, newly elected President Richard Nixon ordered several retaliatory strikes