85 What could you guys see from up there? Targets, people, what? I'm wondering how many were killed that night. (United States Air Force Gunships in the Vietnam)
Description
This article is from the Vietnam FAQ, by Brian Ross, John R. Tegtmeier, Edwin E. Moise, Frank Vaughan, John Tegtmeier with numerous contributions by others.
85 What could you guys see from up there? Targets, people, what? I'm wondering how many were killed that night. (United States Air Force Gunships in the Vietnam)
It was quite beautiful over the trail at night. The ground was pitch
black, except where fires burned. You could see the moon's reflection
in the bomb craters. It was not uncommon to be able to see B-52
strikes in the distance - not the planes, but rather the flashes from
the long strings of bombs that were dropped. We could see our own
ammunition impact, and see the fires and explosions that we caused.
The crew manning the electronics in the booth could see incredible
detail on the ground, and actually determine if a truck was a
previously bombed hulk, a decoy, or an actual supply vehicle that
had recently been moved.
Naturally, we could all see the arc of tracers as the AAA came up and
reached for us, the IO and right scanner could spot the muzzle
flashes. Later, when heat-seeking SAMs were more prevalent, we could
all see them when they launched.
As far as casualty claims go, we used to claim "things" destroyed or
damaged, such as trucks, boats, barges, etc, but usually tried to get
casualty counts from the folks on the ground.
Continue to:
My Books
