Map 18 of Maps of SEA in the 1960s

Khe Sanh

May brought a different orientation to the operations of the crews at NKP.  Instead of the intensity that had characterized the past five months, operations were scaled down, and some of the efforts were focused away from NKP.  There was little choice.  Although there would be some clear weather, NKP was expecting an average of about two inches of rain every three days for the next four months.

As the southwest monsoon intensified, there were fewer and fewer targets to strike in Steel Tiger.  Some traffic continued in the Mu Gia Pass area and on the North Vietnamese side of the Ban Laboy Ford, but there was no through truck traffic.  The Nimrods concentrated most of their A-26 attacks in Barrel Roll in northern Laos .  The Zorros returned to some day missions to help the Royal Laotians keep the Pathet Lao off balance in the Cricket West area.  The Nails controlled the Zorros and the Royal Laotian T-28s, the Eagles in Cricket West.  Weather permitting, Nails flew over the Trail to look for activity on the roads and the rivers.

A major thrust of the Nails' summer flying was outside the bounds of Steel Tiger North.  Several rotations of 23rd TASS aircrews, maintenance personnel, and O-1s, were sent on TDY to South Vietnam to augment the 20th TASS FACs at Khe Sanh and Dong Ha.  The Nails flew a variety of missions, including Marine support, day interdiction missions along the border between South Vietnam and Tiger Hound, and night interdiction missions into the Tally Ho area just above the DMZ in North Vietnam .