Action of 16 June 1968

The Action of 16 June 1968 was an air battle which involved elements of the Vietnam People's Air Force and the United State Navy’s aircraft carrier . The air battle took place over the skies of southern North Vietnam as part of Operation Rolling Thunder, during the Vietnam War.
From the beginning of 1968, the future of Operation Rolling Thunder seemed uncertain as poor weather limited U.S. bombing operations against North Vietnam. The Tet Offensive further hindered U.S. strikes operations against targets in North Vietnam, as U.S. fighter-bombers were diverted to defeat North Vietnamese and Viet Cong ground offensives throughout South Vietnam.
On 31 March 1968, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a bombing halt against North Vietnamese targets above the 20th Parallel, which was later extended to the 19th Parallel. As a consequence of that announcement, the U.S. Navy had to carry the burden of all operations, because their areas of operations were still open for air attacks. On 16 June 1968, two U.S. Navy F-4 fighters were intercepted by two North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighters, and one F-4 was shot down in the engagement.
Background
Towards 1968 there was a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the air war over the skies of North Vietnam, particularly the course of Operation Rolling Thunder. During the first half of 1967, the F-4 Phantom squadrons of the United States Air Force and Navy scored a 13:0 kill ratio against the MiG-21 fighters of the North Vietnamese Air Force. By the end of 1967, however, North Vietnamese pilots of the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) were able to end a string of defeats and achieved a kill ratio of 5:1 against the United States F-4 fighters. At the same period of time, the United States claimed a modest tally of twelve North Vietnamese MiG fighters destroyed for the loss of thirteen aircraft, and the majority of the losses came from the U.S. Air Force. On 31 March 1968, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared on national television and stated he would not run for president again, and also announced a bombing halt to all North Vietnamese targets north of the 20th Parallel in order to start peace negotiations, and it ultimately extended to the 19th Parallel. Route Packages 3, 4, 5 and 6 were all located north of the 19th Parallel and were mostly under the responsibility of the U.S. Air Force. As a result, after the bombing halt was announced, the U.S. Air Force were effectively deprived of the opportunity to engage in air to air battles with the fighter regiments of the VPAF.
Battle
Prelude
Early in May 1968, the U.S. Navy were presented with their first opportunity to tangle with the fighter regiments of the VPAF south of the 19th Parallel, as North Vietnamese MiG units returned to their home country from bases in the People’s Republic of China, On the afternoon of 7 May 1968, two MiG-21 fighters from the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment, piloted by Dang Ngoc Ngu and Nguyen Van Coc, conducted patrols over the sky of Do Luong, north-east of Vinh, when they received a warning that a flight of U.S. fighters were approaching from the sea. The U.S. fighter formation consisted of five F-4B Phantom II fighters from Fighter Squadron 92 (VF-92), USS Enterprise, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Ejnar S. Christensen. On 23 May 1968, a North Vietnamese MiG-21 was shot down, That day a formation of two MiG-21 fighters, led by flight commander Dinh Ton and his wingman, Nguyen Tien Sam, took off from Tho Xuan Air Base and were flying along Highway 15 at an altitude of between and meters. Thus, even though the two sides were initially closing in on each other, the U.S. fighters suddenly dived for the ground in an attempt to disengage from the fight, and flew away from their targets south of the 19th Parallel.
Aftermath
The U.S. Navy confirmed the loss of ‘Milkvine 101’ to be BuNo 155548 of VF-102, launched from the . The pilot of ‘Milkvine 101’ was Commander Walter E. Wilber, the commanding officer of VF-102.
In contrast to plight of their opponents, the action of 16 June 1968 gave the North Vietnamese Air Force yet another victory. Nguyen Tien Sam, who flew his first mission on the day and provided cover for Dinh Ton during much of the engagement, went on to become a ranking ace pilot of the Vietnam War with six kills.<ref name="Toperczer, p. 21"/> The action was one in a series of victories achieved by the VPAF during the one-month period since the action of 7 May 1968, when fighter squadrons of the U.S. Navy fired a total of fourteen AIM-7 missiles for a cost of $150,000 apiece.<ref name="Wilcox, p. 122"/> Furthermore, two F-4 Phantom fighters, which cost about $4 million per aircraft, were also lost in combat. However, the U.S. Navy had no ‘kills’ to show for their efforts.<ref name="Wilcox, p. 122"/>

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