Now up to date after binge watching this entire series from the start! That must be something like 8 hours of listening to you 😯. Bizarrely I'm still looking forward to even more from the next episode of this fascinating podcast 👍
This comes up in the TH-cam queue and I think: “This is great, why don’t I know this channel? Airplanes, loud noises, smoke fire, etc. it has got it all.” Then the answer becomes abundantly clear: I am already subscribed. The reason Old_Guard does not know this channel is that Old_Guard is actually old. (And always had a crap memory anyway) Keep them coming, my friend. You won’t get a lot of traction because TH-cam, war is icky, etc. But those who do attend appreciate your efforts.
Yeah, well, SideKick is also old. I continue to believe that somehow the internet will reward me for trying to think and make thoughtful content! Hah. In the end, I am happiest when I get comments like this. Keep on Guarding...
Very good. I like the use of stills instead of video all the time. Historical pictures and detailed maps work great. I tried the F-4. It was like sitting in a metal garbage can with very poor external outside vision. My favorite DCS aircraft remain the A-4-e and the Mosquito.
my hat is off to you. at least you understand the different design requirements on fighter/interceptor/dogfighter and the budgetary restrictions placed upon the service branches. if one thing bothers me, it is the chuckle heads pointing out how the f4 had no cannon. easy pickings. the usaf had a mandate to protect against over the pole bombers. yes, they had a blind spot and had developed many airframes to exploit one mission, but not the one they were asked to fight.
Good report but there are two small errors. The Phantoms and Crusaders routinely flew missions as part of Strike Packages. They were often used as Defense Supression platforms. Two best examples would be the F-4s from the USS Forrestal armed with 5 Inch Zuni rockets, one of which fired on deck and led to the deaths of 134 Sailors. Showtime 100, an F-4J flown by Lt. Randall Cunningham and LtjgWilliam Driscoll were returning from a defense suppression mission which included them dropping Cluster Bombs when they engaged and downed three MiG-17s. Also in the South, the Carrier Aircrews flew numerous sorties in support of the Marines, Army as well as ARVN and other Allies. Carriers were stationed off of South Vietnam in a position called Dixie Station. This position served number of functions, carriers on the line would operate here first as the Air Wings flew less demanding missions in the South. They also supported Operation Market Time in interdiction missions down the coast line. The US Navy also developed or co-sponsored weapons like the Rockeye CBU,AGM-45,AGM-62 and AGM-78. The AIM-9 which for a time was the only trust worth AAM was also a US Navy program. The USAF F-100Fs and F-105Gs were the well-known platforms of the Shrike and Standard Arm but the A-4,A-6B and A-7 all carried them as well. The Navy had different Doctrine, Aircraft and weapons but often time did work with their USAF Counterparts. Linebacker II saw large Iron Hand packages flown on behalf of USAF B-52s by A-6,A-7 and F-4s.
The e Midway class Midway, Roosevelt and coral Sea and at least 3 of the Essex class Oriskany, Ticonderoga and Hancock carried Jets and operated off Vietnam. The largest aircraft A3, A5/RA5C did not operate from these ships because of size and weight. With the 4 Forrestal class the first 2 of the Kitty Hawk class and the Enterprise from the start and then the America and Kennedy making deployments to the Tonkin Gulf in the early 1970's. That put 15 carriers that operated in the Tonkin Gulf at some time during the Vietnam war. Normal operation had 2 in the Gulf and 2 in the Med and 1 for each area working up for deployment.
Youre forgetting a lot of carriers! Most important CVA-31 Bon Homme Richard. Youre also forgettint. CV-10 yorktown. CV-11 intrepid. CV-12 Hornet ( albeit a small role) Cv-20 Benningon and CV-21 Boxer. Im forgetting many. Over the course of the conflict over 20+ carriers served in the waters around Vietnam. Most notably yankee station as Dixie station was a single carrier station much further south focusing air support on ground operations. A couple of times Yankee station had 3-4 carriers operatiing all at once. Most times there was a "supercarrier" and a essex at yankee station. The Large supercarriere could launch F-4 phantoms and A-6 intruders. Aircraft to large and heavy tonsuccesfully operate from the Essex carriers. The essex carriers would launch F-8 crusaders and A-4 skyhawks, A-1 Skyraiders and E-1 tracers. The US navy in the 60s was a wild time. So many different aircraft all operating next to each other.
For a U.S. Navy Air Intercept Controller (AIC) vectoring an individual F-8 while on Cap must have been fun. Too bad they fixed the G-loading problems associated with the radical turns of the Crusader gun jamming problems way too late. Old salts told me the missiles also had big probems with eveything to from lock on, to falling and going rogue all to hell.
Love the channel mate, I wonder why you didn’t think Dixie station didnt qualify for navy supporting the south? Was it because it was the warm up station for the USN?
I was going to get to Dixie station eventually. I think you have it right. It's just that close air support was an afterthought for the Navy, but it was the main event for the Marines.
in re: north Vietnamese response--see "gardens of stone" f. Coppola. "what does it say of an adversary that attacks helicopters with bows and arrows." (paraphrase)
Well - sort of - my reading of it is that the A6s were not in theatre at the time of the Gulf of Tonkin incident - having only been introduced a year earlier and still having some "teething problems". But I could be wrong. They were certainly present for Rolling Thunder in 1965.
Vietnam war is America's joke. The British Army with conscripted Japanese POW soldiers all but wiped out the Communist's army. Just as they were about to destroy them the US Government told the British to get out and let the French have Vietnam back. The Frogs went on the rampage killing random villagers and people in the cities, the Vietnamese revolted, destroyed the Frogs, dragging the US into a war that the British and Japanese had already won. The US forces got their arses kicked and ran away like the French did!!
I consider the loss of two pilots and their attack aircraft in a raid over one insignificant oil depot and questionable damage to two patrol boats, to be an unacceptable and catastrophic loss.
Great episode! Already look forward to the next one
Thanks. I will try to get these out more regularly.
Excited to listen :)
Thanks. I am a proud member of the "Club", '69-70 USS Meeker Cty LST 980
Welcome Aboard!
Yay! The podcast is back! Great series. Thank you Iain for taking your time to make these. I've been learning a lot for sure
.
Great episode!
Thanks!
It's back!
Thank you Iain.
Hell yeah! Lain is so fucking back!
Really interesting and informative video. Still absolutely love your presentation style 👍
Thanks. I appreciate it.
Now up to date after binge watching this entire series from the start! That must be something like 8 hours of listening to you 😯. Bizarrely I'm still looking forward to even more from the next episode of this fascinating podcast 👍
This comes up in the TH-cam queue and I think: “This is great, why don’t I know this channel? Airplanes, loud noises, smoke fire, etc. it has got it all.” Then the answer becomes abundantly clear: I am already subscribed. The reason Old_Guard does not know this channel is that Old_Guard is actually old. (And always had a crap memory anyway)
Keep them coming, my friend. You won’t get a lot of traction because TH-cam, war is icky, etc. But those who do attend appreciate your efforts.
Yeah, well, SideKick is also old. I continue to believe that somehow the internet will reward me for trying to think and make thoughtful content! Hah. In the end, I am happiest when I get comments like this. Keep on Guarding...
So excited this series is back!!
Very good. I like the use of stills instead of video all the time. Historical pictures and detailed maps work great. I tried the F-4. It was like sitting in a metal garbage can with very poor external outside vision. My favorite DCS aircraft remain the A-4-e and the Mosquito.
Thanks. It helps that I can make my own "historical" still shots. It beats the heck out of trying to find public domain content.
Thanks for keeping these going grate work. 👍
I missed these like the desert missed the rain
Thanks. I will endeavor to keep the dry seasons shorter!
my hat is off to you. at least you understand the different design requirements on fighter/interceptor/dogfighter and the budgetary restrictions placed upon the service branches. if one thing bothers me, it is the chuckle heads pointing out how the f4 had no cannon. easy pickings. the usaf had a mandate to protect against over the pole bombers. yes, they had a blind spot and had developed many airframes to exploit one mission, but not the one they were asked to fight.
Eggggssssactly!
Good report but there are two small errors. The Phantoms and Crusaders routinely flew missions as part of Strike Packages. They were often used as Defense Supression platforms. Two best examples would be the F-4s from the USS Forrestal armed with 5 Inch Zuni rockets, one of which fired on deck and led to the deaths of 134 Sailors. Showtime 100, an F-4J flown by Lt. Randall Cunningham and LtjgWilliam Driscoll were returning from a defense suppression mission which included them dropping Cluster Bombs when they engaged and downed three MiG-17s. Also in the South, the Carrier Aircrews flew numerous sorties in support of the Marines, Army as well as ARVN and other Allies. Carriers were stationed off of South Vietnam in a position called Dixie Station. This position served number of functions, carriers on the line would operate here first as the Air Wings flew less demanding missions in the South. They also supported Operation Market Time in interdiction missions down the coast line. The US Navy also developed or co-sponsored weapons like the Rockeye CBU,AGM-45,AGM-62 and AGM-78. The AIM-9 which for a time was the only trust worth AAM was also a US Navy program. The USAF F-100Fs and F-105Gs were the well-known platforms of the Shrike and Standard Arm but the A-4,A-6B and A-7 all carried them as well. The Navy had different Doctrine, Aircraft and weapons but often time did work with their USAF Counterparts. Linebacker II saw large Iron Hand packages flown on behalf of USAF B-52s by A-6,A-7 and F-4s.
The e Midway class Midway, Roosevelt and coral Sea and at least 3 of the Essex class Oriskany, Ticonderoga and Hancock carried Jets and operated off Vietnam. The largest aircraft A3, A5/RA5C did not operate from these ships because of size and weight. With the 4 Forrestal class the first 2 of the Kitty Hawk class and the Enterprise from the start and then the America and Kennedy making deployments to the Tonkin Gulf in the early 1970's. That put 15 carriers that operated in the Tonkin Gulf at some time during the Vietnam war. Normal operation had 2 in the Gulf and 2 in the Med and 1 for each area working up for deployment.
Youre forgetting a lot of carriers! Most important CVA-31 Bon Homme Richard. Youre also forgettint. CV-10 yorktown. CV-11 intrepid. CV-12 Hornet ( albeit a small role) Cv-20 Benningon and CV-21 Boxer. Im forgetting many. Over the course of the conflict over 20+ carriers served in the waters around Vietnam. Most notably yankee station as Dixie station was a single carrier station much further south focusing air support on ground operations. A couple of times Yankee station had 3-4 carriers operatiing all at once. Most times there was a "supercarrier" and a essex at yankee station. The Large supercarriere could launch F-4 phantoms and A-6 intruders. Aircraft to large and heavy tonsuccesfully operate from the Essex carriers. The essex carriers would launch F-8 crusaders and A-4 skyhawks, A-1 Skyraiders and E-1 tracers. The US navy in the 60s was a wild time. So many different aircraft all operating next to each other.
Also skywarrior did indeed operate off of Essex carriers. They had to shed a lot of weight. But they managed it.
For a U.S. Navy Air Intercept Controller (AIC) vectoring an individual F-8 while on Cap must have been fun.
Too bad they fixed the G-loading problems associated with the radical turns of the Crusader gun jamming problems way too late.
Old salts told me the missiles also had big probems with eveything to from lock on, to falling and going rogue all to hell.
Iain! Would enjoy catching up again. It’s Ender !
Woot! We are back!
Love the channel mate, I wonder why you didn’t think Dixie station didnt qualify for navy supporting the south? Was it because it was the warm up station for the USN?
I was going to get to Dixie station eventually. I think you have it right. It's just that close air support was an afterthought for the Navy, but it was the main event for the Marines.
in re: north Vietnamese response--see "gardens of stone" f. Coppola. "what does it say of an adversary that attacks helicopters with bows and arrows." (paraphrase)
You left out the A-6 Intruder. All weather bomber.
Well - sort of - my reading of it is that the A6s were not in theatre at the time of the Gulf of Tonkin incident - having only been introduced a year earlier and still having some "teething problems". But I could be wrong.
They were certainly present for Rolling Thunder in 1965.
Vietnam war is America's joke. The British Army with conscripted Japanese POW soldiers all but wiped out the Communist's army. Just as they were about to destroy them the US Government told the British to get out and let the French have Vietnam back. The Frogs went on the rampage killing random villagers and people in the cities, the Vietnamese revolted, destroyed the Frogs, dragging the US into a war that the British and Japanese had already won. The US forces got their arses kicked and ran away like the French did!!
I consider the loss of two pilots and their attack aircraft in a raid over one insignificant oil depot and questionable damage to two patrol boats, to be an unacceptable and catastrophic loss.