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David Mitchell
Here is another chapter in two parts. I hope this isn't too much for the Forum.
17 - PHIL TRIES TO GET ME KILLED
- Four Passes Is Enough !
We were working out of Vi Thanh (again) one day and had just finished our lunch break when somebody heard a call on the radio. An important enemy sighting had just been made and we needed to get after it ASAP! I was flying one of the two Scout team Leads with Paul Patry (again) as my Wing. Our Air Mission Commander that day was my good friend Phil Lange, who was flying as our AMC for his very first time. He had plenty of hours as the co-pilot of that ship, and by this time he was either a very senior First Lieutenant, or a new Captain. It wasn’t like he was unfamiliar with our operating tactics, but he had yet to actually “run” the mission himself until this day.
(Recall, we still have another team of Cobras and Loaches, plus our four “Slicks” staying behind on the runway if needed.)
The next team - 2 Cobras, 2 Loaches (my team) and the C&C all cranked up in a hurry and took off in the direction of the reported sighting. We got an accurate compass direction, and it had been estimated about ten minutes out. But in a mere 5 minutes or so we were approaching this one singular small cluster of trees in the midst of otherwise wide-open rice paddy landscape. I was already at low level, and I adjusted my flight path straight toward that clump of trees - a square island of trees about a half the size of a football field. They were a type of deciduous trees (cannot recall their name) with tiny narrow leaves and thin upright branches that one could not easily see through from the side, but see clearly down through them from above.
As I passed over them, we could clearly see a large circle of about 15 or 18 men, all in black pajamas, sitting on the ground in a large circle with legs crossed. And just outside the circle were several groups of three and four AK-47s leaned together in “tee pee” style clusters.
As surprised as we were to have found them so quickly, we seemed to have also surprised them as we approached. They had just begun to scramble to their feet and lunge for their weapons as we crossed over the top of them. As they scrambled, a few of them got off a couple of bursts of fire (that distinct “crackling” sound of their AK-47s), before we were already passed over this small, wooded area. I had never seen that many VC in one place before, and their circular seating made me think we had caught them in some sort of cadre meeting.
Anyway, we took a brief burst of fire from them as we flew over and Phil (that day’s new AMC) called the “guns” to make their usual rocket run on them - the usual one or two dives, firing their wing pod-mounted rockets and hosing down the area with their mini-guns. Meanwhile my Wing, Paul and I circled shortly out of range as normal to await the results.
And of course, Phil’s voice came over the radio. “Okay One Eight, can you guys go back in and check it out?” Normal procedure for us two Scouts to follow up and assess the damage.
The “second pass” is often the most dangerous and creates the most anxiety for us Loach pilots. We now know they are down there. And we know that they are now waiting for us, fingers on their triggers - and that they know that we know they are there. It becomes a sort of a game of nerves. Sort of like, “Here we come - we know you’re there - stop us if you can.”
So back over this large group of VC go Paul and I, with the expected results. I called out -“Cevein’ fire, cevein’ fire. One-Eight’s receiving’ fire!” This second pass we took far more automatic weapons fire than I had ever encountered before. And again, the gunships go into their next dive after we are clear and pepper the trees with heavy rocket and mini-gun fire.
Now our (new) AMC, Phil calls out, “Okay One-Eight, you can go back in and check it out again.” I had seldom had to go back over a live target three time before, and this was making me pretty nervous. But back in over the trees we went, with even scarier results. Now we are flying through the most intense amount of automatic weapons fire I had ever encountered as a scout pilot. I was just thankful this little forest area was so small, and we were over it and beyond it so quickly each time we passed over it.
After yet another “run” by our “gunships”, Phil says “Okay One-Eight, let’s go back in and check it out.” By now I was well past being scared. I was angry. I don’t recall any of us Scouts ever having to make four passes over a “live” target. By his time, we were usually looking to insert troops to surround the trees and let them finish it as a small ground operation.
As we circled back towards the trees, I called out to Paul, “One-Nine, don’t follow me directly. When I zig, you zag, and we are going over at really high speed this time. You got it?”
“Paul answers with a brief “Copy that” (yes - I understand) and in we go for our fourth pass. This time it was like we were flying through what I call “upside down rain”. I had never seen so much AK fire before, and finally, at about 90 knots (103+ mph), I took two hits in one of my rotor blades - a small miracle I thought later.
Just as we began that last pass, I was struck with a memory. I recalled being at the Ohio State Fair with my dad for the first time about 1953. I must have been five years old, and we were on my first Ferris wheel ride. As we swung up over the top I started screaming and crying – terrified of the height. My Dad said, “Don’t look down. Look straight out in the distance and don’t look down.” It worked. I was able to look out in the distance and avoid crying.
It worked then and it worked again now. I looked out way beyond the tree line and avoided the panic of looking down at the VC directly beneath us.
TBC
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