Action of 7 May 1968

The Action of 7 May 1968 refers to an air battle which involved elements of the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) and the United States 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. The bombing halt allowed the fighter regiments of the VPAF to concentrate on the southern portion of North Vietnam, and that led to the air battle of 7 May 1968.
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
U.S. Navy tactics
Shortly after the bombing halt were announced, North Vietnamese MiG fighters gradually return to North Vietnam from their bases in the People’s Republic of China. To ensure the North Vietnamese would not enjoy the ground interception system which they had above the 19th Parallel, U.S. Navy aircraft regularly attacked a new ground-controlled interception facility which the North Vietnamese tried to build near Vinh. Then, when North Vietnamese MiG fighters arrived in the area, the U.S. Navy would use communications jamming from aircraft and ships off the coast of North Vietnam, to prevent North Vietnamese ground-controlled interception units from warning their MiG pilots of impending attacks from the F-4 Phantoms. Due to the lack of coordination between the different sections of the VPAF 921st Fighter Regiment and the ground-based air-defense forces, the MiG-21 flights were mistakenly identified as U.S. fighter-bombers, so North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery fired on them. Moments later, Ngu also mistook an escorting flight of MiG-21 fighters flown by Nguyen Dang Kinh and Nguyen Van Lung for U.S. fighters, so he responded by dropping his fuel tanks to prepare for an attack. Ngu then aborted the attack when he realized they were North Vietnamese. Over North Vietnamese airspace, a U.S. Navy EKA-3A electronic warfare aircraft tried to jam North Vietnamese communications but it failed, so Nhu’s flight of MiG-21 fighters were able to be guided towards their target by ground controllers unhindered.<ref name="Michel, p. 147"/>
While trying to engage their North Vietnamese opponents, the F-4B formation became separated due to confusion in radar control.<ref name="Michel, p. 147"/> In the ensuing dogfight, two AIM-7 missiles were fired by the U.S. Navy fighters but both rounds missed.<ref name="Davies, p. 60"/> Ngu then noticed two F-4B Phantoms about to starboard, but he could not get into a suitable firing position. Coc was right behind Ngu at the time, but he wanted to disengage from the fight as his aircraft was running low on fuel. However, Coc quickly changed his mind after he spotted an F-4B ahead of him at an altitude of . Coc immediately gave chase to the F-4B, which were flying out to sea, and successfully scored a hit after he fired two R-3S Atoll missiles from an altitude of .<ref name="Toperczer, p. 21"/> The F-4B Phantom II burst into flames and crashed into the sea at 6:44 pm.<ref name="Michel, p. 147"/>
Aftermath
The action of 7 May 1968 gave the Vietnam People’s Air Force their first aerial victory over the airspace above the Military Zone IV of North Vietnam, and they suffered no losses.<ref name="Toperczer, p. 21"/> Furthermore, VPAF Captain Nguyen Van Coc scored his seventh aerial victory as a result of the battle.<ref name="Toperczer, p. 21"/> The U.S. Navy confirmed that the downed F-4B had been BuNo 151485, callsign Silver Kite 210, of VF-92 launched from Enterprise.<ref name="Davies, p. 60"/><ref name="Toperczer, p. 21"/> The pilot of BuNo 151485, Lieutenant Commander Ejnar S. Christenson, and his Radar Intercept Officer, Worth A. Kramer were able to eject safely from their aircraft before impact, and was recovered a short time later.<ref name="Davies, p. 60"/>

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu