The documents in this section come from miscellaneous sources and I may separate some out as I find several in a particular category. So far I'm separating out CHECO Reports and PACAF Tactic and Techniques Bulletins into separate sections.
When
researching Crickets on a Steel Tiger at the
2. Night Training Manual, 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand, 1 September 1968.
This was written to document lessons learned flying FAC aircraft at night over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1967-68.
The procedures are different than we used when I flew nights in the O-2 through most of November 1967. These procedures call for the scope operator to direct the night airstrikes. When I flew, the scope operator in the right seat guided the search and directed the dropping of the first flare over the target. He directed me where to put the marking rocket once the flare illuminated. However, once the flare ignited, the scope operator's Starlight Scope was inoperable until the target area went dark again. So, I directed the strike almost like a day strike once the road was lit and I could see the trucks. I remember thinking they reminded me of big rats scurrying down a trail. This manual is nearly 50 pages and has a number of hand-drawn illustrations. I scanned the document and spent several hours working with the Optical Character Reader to eliminate a few hundred errors introduced from scanning a 20-year old Xerox copy. There likely are a few score more errors. If you see any that change the meaning of something, please let me know. The document includes an interesting set of descriptive data about ordnance available to FACs in 1968.
3. No Taps for These Veterans, Airman Magazine, November 1969.
This article from Airman Magazine tells the story of a dramatic SAR attempt at the western edge of Harley's Valley near the Ban Loboy Ford on 11 November 1967. One Sandy was shot down early in the day. Six other Sandies and 5 Jolly Greens suffered battle damage.
I've added a note at the end to give The Rest of the Story.
No Taps for These Veterans About 160K with color picture.
When I researched Crickets on a Steel Tiger while attending the Air War College in 1979-1980, I came across some shocking studies that obviously started with a conclusion and tried to construct arguments to justify the conclusion that F-4s were a more effective ground attack aircraft than the A-1. The reports likely will upset every former A-1 driver and everyone who was saved by an A-1 arriving on scene and driving off the enemy.