C-130 Hercules Read online

  Destroyed C-130A 55-0042 21st TCS flareship in its revetment following the mortar and sapper attack on Đà Nẵng at midnight on 30 June/1 July 1965 was evidently aimed at the ramp where there were three C-130A flareships. 55-0042 was destroyed and burnt, except for the tail section. 55-0039 was also destroyed and 55-6475 was eventually repaired and returned Stateside. Air Police Staff Sergeant Terry Jensen (35th APS) was killed in action.

  A dramatic LAPES drop, somewhere in Việtnam. This tactic was a low level self-contained system capable of delivering heavy loads into an area where landing was not feasible from an optimum aircraft wheel altitude of five to ten feet above the ground. Their load, which could consist of two pallets with a total weight of up to 38,000lbs were resting on roller bearing tracks in the floor of the aircraft. Small parachutes were deployed at the proper time to jerk the cargo from the aircraft to land on the runway and theoretically come to rest in a short distance. These deliveries ceased after one eight-ton load of lumber skidded into a mess hall off the end of the runway crushing three Marines to death. Another LAPES delivery of artillery rounds ploughed through a bunker, killing two Marines.

  ‘The C-130 flare mission had its beginnings sometime in 1964 when a detachment of C-130As was sent to Đà Nẵng Air Base, perhaps by way of Tân Sơn Nhứt, where the 6315th Operations Groups was maintaining a ‘Southeast Asia Trainer’ mission at the time. According to the late Bill Cooke, who was one of the two navigators involved, the crews went in to brief for the night’s mission and when they got back to their airplanes they discovered that they had been spray-painted black! Just when the first mission was flown is disputed. While it is known that missions were flown in November 1964 with Cat Z maintenance troops from the 21st TCS flying as kickers, the mission probably actually started many months earlier using only loadmasters who threw the flares out the paratroop doors. There is no doubt that in April 1965 the mission became semi-permanent at least and two or three C-130As were kept at Đà Nẵng until the project was cancelled and a new one was simultaneously established at Ubon AB, Thailand.

  From Đà Nẵng, the C-130As of the 6315th Operations Group at Naha, Okinawa flew nightly missions out over Laos seeking out targets. The C-130s operated as part of a four-ship formation made up of the flareship, a pair of USAF B-57 Canberra attack bombers and a USMC EF-10 EWO aircraft known as ‘Willy the Whale’. With the C-130 serving as a mother ship to lead the formation to the target, the team would leave Đà Nẵng and hit west and later north, to seek out the enemy and destroy him.

  ‘Though automatic flare launchers were later developed (but never used by ‘Blind Bat’) the mission in the early days was very much a Rube Goldberg arrangement. The ‘flare launcher’ was actually an aluminium tray that had been manufactured in the Sheet Metal Shop back at Naha, while the flares were stored in wooden bins tied to an airdrop pallet. The crews were equipped with the ‘finest’ detection equipment - which consisted of the pilots’ and navigator’s eyeballs and a pair of binoculars!’

  At peak strength, the ‘Blind Bat’ project numbered six C-130As and twelve crews, mainly derived from the 41st Troop Carrier Squadron. The first ‘Blind Bat’ loss occurred on 24 April 1965 (incidentally the first Hercules loss in Việtnam) when C-130A 57-0475 and its 817th Troop Carrier Squadron/6315th Operations Group crew at Korat RTAF Base hit a mountain during a go-around in bad weather. The aircraft had lost two engines and was low on fuel and was carrying a heavy load. Major Theodore R. Loeschner and his five crew were killed.

  C-130B 61-0950 of TAC unloading a tank in Vietnam. This Hercules was finally retired from the Air Force in 1994 and was sold to Romania in 1996.

  Coming in to land at Khâm Đức.

  ‘Even though the equipment was rudimentary at best, the mission evidently was a thorn in the Communist side, for on 1 July 1965 a mortar and sapper attack on Đà Nẵng was evidently aimed at the ramp where the three C-130 flareships were parked, waiting to go out on a mission. Two airplanes were destroyed in the attack and the third was damaged, along with an airlifter C-130B that had the misfortune to be parked nearby. The flareships were the first C-130s ever lost to enemy action.3

  ‘The flareship mission was seen as limited successful by the Air Force, but research was begun to develop a new weapons system with both reconnaissance and attack capability that eventually led to the AC-130 gunship and the B-57G. Most of the techniques and much of the equipment used on the gunships had been developed and/or tested by ‘Blind Bat’ crews. Though there was still a mission for ‘Blind Bat’, cost considerations led the Air Force to terminate the programme in 1970 after the gunships came on the scene. Funding for the mission transferred to a new programme using modified B -57s that had been equipped with sophisticated detection equipment.

  ‘In early 1966 the flare mission moved from Đà Nẵng to Ubon, Thailand and the flare mission changed somewhat. Instead of departing as part of a formation, the C-130 flareships began going out single-ship to patrol a specified area looking for targets. Each flareship was allotted a certain number of strike flights each evening and had the option of calling for more through the ‘Moonbeam’ Airborne Combat Command Centre which circled high over Laos each evening controlling airstrikes. And we received a new name as the ‘Blind Bat’ call sign came into use. Actually, ‘Blind Bat’ was one of two call signs used by the flareships with ‘Lamplighter’ being the other. ‘Blind Bat’ missions operated over Laos while the Lamplighters went north, across the Anamite Range into North Việtnam. According to some veterans of the mission flareships at one time operated as far north as the Hànôi-Hảiphòng area, but increasing enemy defences forced the C-130s to operate further south in the ‘Route Package One’ and ‘Two’ areas south of Vinh. By 1967 the threat of SAM’s in North Việtnam caused a cessation of operations over the North.

  ‘In the spring of 1966 shortly after I reported in to the 35th Troop Carrier Squadron at Naha, I had my introduction to the flareship mission. I was already a seasoned veteran after flying numerous airlift missions in Tactical Air Command C-130Es while on TDY from my previous base at Pope, next to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. I had even been on an airplane that took a few hits as we were landing at Đông Hà the previous November, when there was nothing there but a shack for passengers waiting to board Air Việtnam. I had flown one other mission over the north since I had reported in to my new assignment at Naha. That one had been a BS bomber missions dropping leaflets as part of Project ‘Fact Sheet’, the special mission my squadron bore sole responsibility for. Tonight would be different. While on previous missions we had sought to elude the enemy, tonight, on my orientation flight as an observer before our crew started missions the following evening, we were looking for him and there was almost a 100% chance we were going to find him; the chances were he was going to let us know he was there. I went in-country as the senior loadmaster of a 21st Troop Carrier Squadron crew commanded by Captain Bob Bartunek, with Captain Steve Taylor as co-pilot, Lieutenant Dick Herman as navigator, Staff Sergeant Cecil Hebdon as engineer and Airmen Mike Cavanaugh, Willy Donovan, Sam McCracken and myself as loadmaster/flare kickers. ‘To say that our tour at Ubon was exciting is an understatement. Every other night our crew took off sometime between just before dark and midnight and headed northeast; out over Laos and sometimes up into North Việtnam. No, we were not shot at every time we flew, at least not that we could see, but we were certainly shot at enough! My introduction to North Việtnamese anti-aircraft came about within the first five minutes after we penetrated the skies of North Việtnam. Excitement gripped the pit of my stomach as I heard the pilot say, ‘Go ahead and depressurize, so the loads can put out the chute.

  ‘I signalled to the rest of the crew to go ahead and open the aft cargo door slightly to extend the aluminium flare chute. As soon as the chute had been placed into the narrow opening between the raised C-130 ramp and the partially open door, one of the other loadmasters used the hand pump to pressurize the system and force the door down on
the chute to hold it in place. I could feel the pressure in my ears as the flight engineer opened the outflow valve and allowed pressure to escape to bring the inside of the airplane up to the 10,000 feet of elevation at which we were flying. Even though there were mountains below us that reached to within a couple of thousand of feet of where we were, it was an elevation that was high enough to keep us clear of all the small arms and .50-calibre fire that the Army helicopter crews flying in South Việtnam thought was ‘heavy’ fire. There were big guns where we were going, dozens of 37 and 57mm anti-aircraft guns, all of which could reach us at 10,000 feet and even a few 85s, the same guns that had made the skies over Germany so deadly for my father and uncle as they flew missions in their B-24s.4

  ‘When it was secure, one of the other guys climbed onto the door to take his place as the flare kicker while another stood by with a flare in his hand ready to put it in the chute when the pilot called for it.

  ‘Since I was crew loadmaster with my own crew, I was on the interphone cord which is where I would be the next evening when we went up on our own. Tonight each of the eight members of my crew was on a mission in one of the four airplanes that were flying.

  C-130B-LM 61-0969 of the 29th TAS/463rd Tactical Airlift Wing at Cam Ranh Bay in July 1969. This aircraft, which was delivered to TAC in January 1962, was sold to Argentina in February 1994.

  KC-130F/R BuNo149789 of VMGR-152 which served with MAG-36 and MAW-1 at Biên Hỏa Air Force Base (Ken Roy).

  ‘When the pilot’s words came through my headset ‘load four flares’ I held up four fingers. The other loadmasters put four flares in the chute and then set the fuses for an eight-second delay.

  ‘We were approaching the Mu Gia Pass where we would drop a string to see if there were any targets in what was the most heavily defended place in southern North Việtnam.

  ‘Drop four!’

  ‘As the words came through my headset the guy on the door, who was also wearing a headset let fly with the four flares he was holding in place with his feet. A few seconds later the sky behind us lit up as the four flares burst into brilliance. And just as they did, I saw brilliant white winking lights on the ground somewhere below us. I was looking out the left paratroop door at the ground. Out of the lights came cherry-red balls like those fired by Roman candles. They rose slowly at first and then quickly accelerated toward us. ‘I want my mother!’ Those are the thoughts that went through my mind as I realized for the first time in my life that someone down there was trying to kill me.

  On 28 February 1968 C-130E 64-0522 of the 779th TAS, 314th TCW was hit in the port wing by intense small arms fire on take-off from Sông Bé Army Air Field ALCE and MACV Compound in South Việtnam. Major Leland R. Filmore and his co-pilot, 1st Lieutenant Caroters, turned away and flew over a village south of the airfield but received more gunfire. The port wing tanks burst into flame that quickly engulfed the aircraft but the pilots were able to land the burning aircraft back on the runway where the courageous fire crew unsuccessfully fought to extinguish the flames though all five crew and five passengers escaped with only minor injuries before the Hercules and its cargo was completely destroyed. Major Filmore was awarded a Silver Star for his part in this event.

  January 1967, South Việtnam. TAC C-130E 62-01841 of the 50th TCS at a forward airstrip having unloaded men of the 1st Infantry Division (the United States Army’s oldest continuously serving in the Regular Army and officially nicknamed ‘The Big Red One’). On 20 April 1974 C-130E 62-01841 departed Guam-Agana NAS on a training mission to perform touch-and-go’s. Prior to one of the landings, the no. 3 or no. 4 engine had been shut down. The aircraft experienced a blow-out of tyres on the right hand main landing gear on touchdown. It yawed right, skidded across a taxiway and parking ramp narrowly missing a parked line of A-3 fighters. It finally came to rest against an embankment where the remains of the aircraft completely burned out. All six men on board were killed.

  ‘Our flares had no more than popped when we were greeted by cherry-red tracers, 37mm fire, coming up somewhere far below. ‘I want my mother!’ That was my thought when I realized someone down there was trying to kill me! But the burst of 37mm rose to burst harmlessly in the sky about 100 feet or so above us. The pilot said they were off to our right by about the same distance, but I could have sworn they went right by my nose! It suddenly occurred to me that the next three months were going to be an exciting time.

  ‘Now that ‘Charlie’ had made his presence known, we knew what area to avoid by just the right distance to keep out of the way of his shells and we went on to a typical night of flare kicking over North Việtnam. A few minutes later a flight of fighters, F-4s from Đà Nẵng arrived on station and we sent them down after the trucks that were making their way through the narrow pass.

  ‘My tour started out during the dry season and we saw and attacked a lot of trucks, but then it went into the rainy season and truck traffic on the Trail became light. A lot of our missions were aimed at targets that had been identified from reconnaissance photographs taken earlier in the day. ‘Suspected’ truck parks and ammo dumps were usually the targets in such instances. Other times we would just patrol the skies looking for the lights of trucks on ground below. Since the NVA used shielded headlights, the trucks were difficult to spot. And as often as not when we did find a convoy, they would speed into the shelter of a ‘village’ where they were off-limits to air strikes. Yes, the US news media was lying when they told the country that ‘unrestricted’ air strikes were being conducted in Southeast Asia. The air strikes were very restricted, so much so that legitimate enemy targets were quite often spared.

  ‘One of our best nights came about strictly through a series of mistakes, all of which linked together to become a triumph. We had been told during our briefing to look for a ‘suspected’ ammunition dump along the banks of a river in North Việtnam. Our intrepid officers had spotted the ‘dump’ and had called in a flight of USAF F-4s to take it out. But just about the time the fighters arrived in our area and right after Bartunek had told us to load six flares into the chute, the pilots lost sight of the target completely. If they couldn’t see it, they couldn’t tell the fighters were it was. The fighter pilots only had a few minutes of loiter fuel and they were starting to complain. Willy Donovan was sitting on the cargo door holding the flares in place with his feet and his legs were beginning to ache. Bartunek was getting frustrated. Finally, Willy had had enough. He raised his feet and let the six flares slide out into the night, where they burst into a brilliance that turned the night beneath us into near-day. With the illumination, someone, I think it was Dick Herman, spotted the target again just as Bartunek was raking Willy over the coals for letting the flares go without being told to do so. Everyone settled down and got back to the business of trying to destroy the enemy.

  ‘The first F-4, a Gunfighter out of Đà Nẵng, roared in over the target and dropped his bombs. They hit close to the target, but not close enough to do any damage. His wingman came along behind him. He not only missed the target completely, his bombs fell on the opposite side of the river nearly a mile away! But through a fluke of good fortune his bombs fell smack in the middle of the real ammo dump which was cleverly concealed and had not been detected. Even though he missed his aiming point by a mile (literally!) the errant fighter pilot destroyed the real ammo dump. We heard later that the pilot was put in for a Silver Star for the mission.

  ‘Missing targets was a common occurrence on night missions by fighters in Southeast Asia. Every crewmember who flew the ‘Blind Bat’ or C-123 ‘Candlestick’ mission can attest to the phenomenal lack of accuracy on the part of the fighter pilots, especially the F-4s. Of all the airplanes working over the Trail at night, the WW II vintage A-26 Invader was undoubtedly the best. One afternoon we went up early and worked with an A-26 near the Plain of Jars. For nearly an hour the ‘Nimrod’ pilot worked over the target, first dropping bombs, then napalm, then firing rockets, after that his guns and finally dropping his
own load of eight flares on the supply dump. It was undoubtedly the best airshow I have ever seen.

  USMC KC-130 BuNo148248 of VMGR-152 leaving Subic Bay on the island of Luzon in the Philippines for Đà Nẵng in 1969. From 1967 to 1975 the bulk of VMGR-152’s missions were directly in support of action in South-East Asia. Detachments typically lasted five days and operated out of Đà Nẵng Air Base. In addition to aerial refueling and Marine Logistic (MarLog) cargo missions, VMGR 152 ‘GVs’ dropped flares in support of ground troop operations at night. At its peak the squadron was flying 900 missions a month and continued this high tempo of operations well into 1967.

  ‘Along with the A-26s, the USMC and Navy A-4s were the most accurate bombers working the Trail. Air Force F-4s were undoubtedly the worst. The F-100s and A-1Es were pretty good, but they were flying mostly in South Việtnam in support of ground forces and not working over the Trail. (Navy A-1s operating from carriers operated over both North Việtnam and Laos.) The AC-47 gunship was tried over the Trail just before I got to Ubon but this was one mission the venerable old Gooney Bird was not suited for. In less than a week Charlie shot down both of the ‘Spookies’ and AC-47s spent the rest of the war working in South Việtnam or in the lesser defended areas of Laos. It was not until the advent of the super gunship, the AC-130 that an effective truck killer came on the scene.

  ‘There was one area where the F-4s were good, though and that was with CBUs, or cluster bombs. The CBU had been developed for use against antiaircraft sites and the Communists were well aware that it they revealed their position, a flight of CBU-carrying F-4s would soon be on the way to take them out. Watching a CBU strike was something else. One night a particular gun made the mistake of firing on us when we were a little bit out of range. Bartunek called in a flight armed with CBUs. I watched as the F-4 drew red tracers from the enemy gun as he made his bombing run. Suddenly, tiny winking white lights erupted all over the place from which the red tracers were originating - and the red cherry balls suddenly ceased. I must admit it sort of did my heart good to witness the gun crew’s destruction.