Sept. 6th 1965, North of the Kep airfield, North Vietnam
F-4s of VF-151 patrolling south the Chinese restricted zone gain radar contact on north bound flight of MiGs. As the F-4s closed in, it became apparent this was a VPAF training flight, 3 MiG-17s in close line ahead flying low.
The Phantom crews were a mix of experience the flight leader LtCmdr McIntyre had just converted to Phantoms from the F-8 Crusader and was fully versed in ACM with over 3000 hours in different fighter types his wingman on the other hand LtCmdr Ewall had come from the Navy's Interceptor community and was untrained in air to air combat tactics. The F-4s resolved their radar contacts into lock-ons, the VPAF pilots seemed blissfully unaware they were being stalked. But ground clutter was making the Sparrow shots difficult, but this was the shot they had.
The VADC's (Vietnamese Air Defense Command) incomplete search network and inexperienced controllers, suddenly put together that their training flight was in danger. A warning was sent to the flight leader but it was too late American Air Pirates missile were in the air. Frantically searching the sky, the flight leader Lieu, spotted the oncoming missiles, and breaks hard and down. The students; Hoc and Thang concentrating on not colliding with their flight leader, were surprised by his sudden turn, as Ewall's missiles streaked past Hoc's MiG. Lieu's sudden move just barely evaded the missiles fired by McIntyre.
The MiGs scattered and dived as the Phantoms raced in; their drop tanks falling away to free their final AIM-7s. The MiGs were now deep in the clutter, the Sparrows had almost no hope of tracking their targets and the VPAF pilots evaded just to make sure.
The ensuing battle the Phantoms used their power advantage to control the fight in the vertical while the VPAF desperately tried to close and engage the F-4s with guns. McIntyre controlled the fight from start to finish, forcing the MiG pilots out of attack positions, while his leader Ewall made a couple of near fatal mistakes. Thang, really wasn't ready to fly the agile MiG, his G-suit was too large, and he had a bad tendency of graying out during turns (not that he would tell his instructor, a sure way to get grounded). Hoc on the other hand, slightly larger and stronger, had only a few hours in the MiG-17, and was subject to making mistakes.
During the struggle the flight leader Lieu spotted an opportunity to setup Ewall, all it required was to pull of a maneuver he had seen demonstrated in flight school once, pulling the stick back, lighting the afterburners, and rolling the MiG, with his massive 125 hours in a MiG Lieu was going to show his students his skill as he executed the twisting Immelmann reverse. Not quite, was it left stick and right rudder or… The MiG tumbled in the sky.
Ewall's flat turn ended up in front of Thang, pulling as many Gs as he dared, Thang's sight's lined up on the Phantom, pulling the trigger rounds raced around the F-4, certainly a kill! But the F-4 flew on, a second burst, not luck, but he was learning, and that in the dangerous skies of North Vietnam was a victory in itself.
Lieu's MiG continued to tumble, unable to recover, he ejected to the rice paddies below, he was going to have some "'Splaining to do" to his Cuban flight instructor. While Hoc, the least experience pilot was in death struggle with McIntyre, just barely slipping out of the Phantom's early Sidewinder's arc, but unable to draw a bead on the expertly twisting F-4.
With fuel running low, Thang made his break for China, while McIntyre, unable to dispose of Hoc, set up a final shot at Thang, but he slipped cross the border. The Phantom's turned East towards the Gulf and the USS Coral Sea.
The game was played Saturday night at Cold Wars, the con was draining out all day, as threats of a massive snow storm on Sunday spooked people into leaving early. My larger game was set up but only Tom Anderson showed up, so we decided to play this smaller two player game called "In the Real World", from my upcoming "Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" book.
Vietnam special rules were used, such as F-4 High Power, allowing the Phantoms to fight in the vertical out powering the MiGs, Narrow Arc's for early Sidewinders and Atolls, "No Hassle" rule for Phantoms, due to poor training of F-4 crews, Physical Weakness, causing the VPAF player to possibly suffer a pilot who can not take Gs, and Survival of the People Air Force, where a near shot and survival is a small victory for the poorly trained VPAF pilots.
In the scenario the Navy Veteran +2 F-4 (McIntyre) and a Skilled +1 F-4 (Ewall) but he moved and plotted as Green, but took all checks as Skilled. The VPAF had two green (+0) pilots Lieu and Thang (who suffered from Physical weakness), and a poor (-1) pilot Hoc.
Tom played an excellent game as the F-4 pilots and really took advantage of the High Power of the F-4 to keep me from getting gun shots, but Ewall (who I was stalking) finally ran low on energy, and a go a great shot by VPAF standards of a 9 and later a 12 at his F-4 but missed both. Tom's opening Sparrow shot (I started at Surface Low TAL 3 already in minor clutter), before I dumped to the ground clutter from McIntyre almost got Lieu, he need a base 10, my break caused it to go to a 11 and he rolled a 10. Ewall shots where base 11's (being only +1).
The game ended with Thang's MiG diving and using AB to exit the friendly board edge on the last turn denying Tom his last shot with McIntyre.
Thank you for an excellent and exciting game.
Date: 6 October 1965 1030 hours
Location: Patrolling North of Kep Airfield. RP6
History: The VPAF had stood down at the end of June and retired to China and their protected airfields to train. For months the Americans had flown unopposed, but had monitored the operations in China, and aircraft flying back and forth between China and the protected airfields. Two F-4Bs of VF-151 off of USS Coral Sea were assigned to fly BARCAP covering a strike on the Vu Chau Bridge. Lt Cmdr McIntyre, the leader of the flight was one of the first F-8 drivers to convert to the F-4. McIntyre, with over 3000 hours in different fighter types, expected very little of the F-4 interceptor, instead he became a true believer in its possibilities. Setting up a racetrack at 2,500 ft. going East-West, the F-4s picked up contacts crossing, unsure if the contacts were MiGs or a flight of F-8s that were in the area. The F-4s had to close on the contacts until the formation resolved the targets as VPAF. Dropping into a hurried intercept formation, and nearly too close the F-4s spotted the MiGs, the situation wasn't ideal…
AFTERMATH
McIntyre spotted the MiGs before Ewall, and called; "Three MiG-17s, on the nose!" The MiGs were in line ahead, crossing to their front. Switchbox 107 had the lock, and fired a Sparrow that tracked perfectly, knocking a MiG out of the sky. The surviving MiGs turned into the F-4s. McIntyre knew he had no guns and had to gain separation; he lit his afterburner and sped towards a MiG, passing within feet of the surprised MiG pilot. Spooked the MiG reversed and fled towards the Puc Yen airfield. McIntyre climbed and reversed to setup an easy shot on the fleeing MiG, when he saw, Ewall, in trouble. Ewall had decided to get into a turning battle with a MiG-17 and was losing. The 17 was cutting inside the F-4's turn circle blazing away with cannon (but amazingly missing). McIntyre gave up his easy kill, to pressure the MiG chasing Ewall. McIntyre was unable to get lock or tone, but the MiG pilot saw the writing on the wall and fled to China.
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struggles to complete his SISI truck force.
