Comments on: The 11-Day War http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Sat, 25 May 2013 03:21:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Wilton Strickland http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-1002335 Wilton Strickland Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:14:13 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-1002335 CS, I was the RN on one of the other five BUFF's on the mission to Radio Hanoi on the night of 19 Dec with John Dalton's crew and overheard some of John's saga as it unfolded on the radio interspersed onto our own \problems\ cited in the above article. We were all mighty glad that John and his crew made it safely into Namphong. Two or three days later, John's crew flew the aircraft back to U-Tapao, and, while passing on a crew bus for another mission to Hanoi, I saw it sitting in a hanger with what appeared to be small patches of duct tape all over it. I thouht, \What a fantastic use for duct tape!\ I wonder, though, was it really duct tape that I saw patching those holes or new pieces of aluminum that appeared from a distance to be duct tape? Thank you, Namphong Marines, for being such good hosts and taking such good care of Dalton, his crew and the airplane. CS, I was the RN on one of the other five BUFF's on the mission to Radio Hanoi on the night of 19 Dec with John Dalton's crew and overheard some of John's saga as it unfolded on the radio interspersed onto our own \problems\ cited in the above article. We were all mighty glad that John and his crew made it safely into Namphong. Two or three days later, John's crew flew the aircraft back to U-Tapao, and, while passing on a crew bus for another mission to Hanoi, I saw it sitting in a hanger with what appeared to be small patches of duct tape all over it. I thouht, \What a fantastic use for duct tape!\ I wonder, though, was it really duct tape that I saw patching those holes or new pieces of aluminum that appeared from a distance to be duct tape? Thank you, Namphong Marines, for being such good hosts and taking such good care of Dalton, his crew and the airplane.

]]> By: C stanley http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-1001690 C stanley Thu, 04 Apr 2013 03:17:17 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-1001690 I was at the Namphong Marine base for the B52 recovery in 72 but never knew the story. I remember the B52 crew was pretty happy to have their boots on Marine territory. CS I was at the Namphong Marine base for the B52 recovery in 72 but
never knew the story. I remember the B52 crew was pretty happy
to have their boots on Marine territory.

CS

]]> By: Howard Butcher http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-992980 Howard Butcher Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:22:09 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-992980 The Ellsworth Linebacker II guys and wives had a great reunion in Sep 2012 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. they have B-52G 59-2584 at the museum which flew at least 2 LB II sorties (day 1 wave 1 and day 3 wave ? and possibly on 26 Dec. I was the Ells E-10 nav. and day 3 wave 3 was like something out of WWII going to Berlin.....also flew the 26th , the largest B-52 single raid (10 targets/7waves) ...M Michell's book pinned the rose on those (individuals) that cost lives on Days 1-3...We (aircrews) all knew the tactics were flawed. The AF official history of Linebacker II and the monograph series book that is at the Air University should be recinded and rewritten along the lines of \The Eleven days of Christmas\.. The Ellsworth Linebacker II guys and wives had a great reunion in Sep 2012 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. they have B-52G 59-2584 at the museum which flew at least 2 LB II sorties (day 1 wave 1 and day 3 wave ? and possibly on 26 Dec. I was the Ells E-10 nav. and day 3 wave 3 was like something out of WWII going to Berlin…..also flew the 26th , the largest B-52 single raid (10 targets/7waves) …M Michell's book pinned the rose on those (individuals) that cost lives on Days 1-3…We (aircrews) all knew the tactics were flawed. The AF official history of Linebacker II and the monograph series book that is at the Air University should be recinded and rewritten along the lines of \The Eleven days of Christmas\..

]]> By: Doug Cooper http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-831991 Doug Cooper Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:05:48 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-831991 Tony: Glad to hear you're still on top of the dirt. Even though LB II was so long ago, I still think about the guys we lost. Doug Cooper (Looking Glass 1977-80) Tony:

Glad to hear you're still on top of the dirt. Even though LB II was so long ago, I still think about the guys we lost.

Doug Cooper (Looking Glass 1977-80)

]]> By: Bill Evans http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-831628 Bill Evans Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:20:34 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-831628 My hat is off to the BUFF-drivers, This was like watching a B-17 type WWII movie, except it was all "for real". I flew F-8E's off of the BON HOMME RICHARD in 1964 & 1965. We certainly had our losses, but, what the BUFF-guys had to do was remarkable --- and I thank all of the folks who had to do all of that LINEBACKER stuff. God Bless Them All!!! My hat is off to the BUFF-drivers, This was like watching a B-17 type WWII movie, except it was all "for real". I flew F-8E's off of the BON HOMME RICHARD in 1964 & 1965. We certainly had our losses, but, what the BUFF-guys had to do was remarkable — and I thank all of the folks who had to do all of that LINEBACKER stuff. God Bless Them All!!!

]]> By: Wilton Strickland http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-831127 Wilton Strickland Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:05:50 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-831127 I flew 6 of the LB II missions, and I thank you for the very kind words, Ron, but I’m no hero; the heroes, more than 58,000 of them, have their names etched into that black granite wall in Washington, DC. Members of their families are also heroes who still suffer from the perpetual absence of their loved ones who have never returned. Thousands of children have grown up never knowing their fathers and grandfathers, and thousands of children and grandchildren of the victims have never been born and never will be. Many families have waited for 40 years and more not knowing the fates of their lost loved-ones, and many will never know. The suffering continues. I flew 6 of the LB II missions, and I thank you for the very kind words, Ron, but I’m no hero; the heroes, more than 58,000 of them, have their names etched into that black granite wall in Washington, DC. Members of their families are also heroes who still suffer from the perpetual absence of their loved ones who have never returned. Thousands of children have grown up never knowing their fathers and grandfathers, and thousands of children and grandchildren of the victims have never been born and never will be. Many families have waited for 40 years and more not knowing the fates of their lost loved-ones, and many will never know. The suffering continues.

]]> By: Barry Dycus http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-830352 Barry Dycus Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:37:41 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-830352 Hi Tony Will you take a look at a few segments of a documentary that I am producing about General Sullivan and LBII. Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/user/PeachtreeFilmsATL?blend=21&ob=5 I would love to speak with you Best Barry Hi Tony
Will you take a look at a few segments of a documentary that I am producing about General Sullivan and LBII. Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PeachtreeFilmsATL?blend=21&ob=5

I would love to speak with you

Best
Barry

]]> By: Wilton Strickland http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-830217 Wilton Strickland Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:32:52 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-830217 As I wrote in my book, "In The BUFF," self-published in 2003, I realized the significance of the LBII missions while departing the Hanoi area very late on the night of 29 Dec 72, a mission that was in great contrast to my five previous missions into the area. It was as quiet as a training mission back in the States; not a single SAM nor round of AAA was fired at my aircraft. I had seen photos of the complete destruction in the areas struck by B-52’s since the 18th and did not think there was another target left in North Vietnam worthy of a B-52 strike. I knew that, for eleven days/nights, we had finally fought the war the way many of us thought it should have been many years before - strategically, overwhelmingly and decisively. B-52’s and many other USAF and Navy/Marine aircraft had conducted the most intense bombing campaign ever against the most heavily-defended complex in history. I was confident that it was finally over, and that it had been won as we departed Hanoi for the last time. I was elated by the victory, but I was deeply saddened by thoughts of the more than 58,000 Americans and many thousands of Vietnamese who had been sacrificed needlessly. The campaign completely destroyed North Vietnam’s ability and will to wage war (at least, temporarily). It would be two years before the North Vietnamese could mount another significant offensive. By the end of the campaign, North Vietnamese officials were anxious to sign an agreement, something they had been unwilling to do for years while our government was uncommitted to achieving any sort of victory. During the following two years, however, after US forces had withdrawn, Congress gave away what had been won. By withholding support for the South Vietnamese and by not allowing The President to commit the B-52’s again, Congress, in effect, told the North Vietnamese that they could take whatever they wanted without interference from the United States. These actions by Congress made the already tragic sacrifices of too many even more tragic. The tragedy of the Vietnam War is exceeded by only slavery and the Civil War as this nation’s greatest tragedy. Not only were too many fine, young Americans sacrificed needlessly, sent into harm’s way by a government with no commitment to a resolution, but the conflict divided the country like nothing else since the Civil War. By its lack of a commitment to any plan for a resolution; by its gradual escalation, which gave the enemy time to adjust; by its on again-off again bombing policies, which gave the enemy time to recover and rearm; and by its ridiculous restrictions on engaging the enemy on the ground and in the air, which gave the enemy sanctuary, the government effectively played at war. By far the vast majority of Americans who went to Southeast Asia during the nearly sixteen years of our involvement fought valiantly and heroically, many giving their lives, others spending years as POW’s, but the most significant and decisive time was those eleven days in December 1972, when The President finally allowed the military to commit overwhelming power to accomplish a clear objective - destroy North Vietnam’s ability and will to wage war. As I wrote in my book, "In The BUFF," self-published in 2003, I realized the significance of the LBII missions while departing the Hanoi area very late on the night of 29 Dec 72, a mission that was in great contrast to my five previous missions into the area. It was as quiet as a training mission back in the States; not a single SAM nor round of AAA was fired at my aircraft. I had seen photos of the complete destruction in the areas struck by B-52’s since the 18th and did not think there was another target left in North Vietnam worthy of a B-52 strike. I knew that, for eleven days/nights, we had finally fought the war the way many of us thought it should have been many years before – strategically, overwhelmingly and decisively. B-52’s and many other USAF and Navy/Marine aircraft had conducted the most intense bombing campaign ever against the most heavily-defended complex in history. I was confident that it was finally over, and that it had been won as we departed Hanoi for the last time. I was elated by the victory, but I was deeply saddened by thoughts of the more than 58,000 Americans and many thousands of Vietnamese who had been sacrificed needlessly.
The campaign completely destroyed North Vietnam’s ability and will to wage war (at least, temporarily). It would be two years before the North Vietnamese could mount another significant offensive. By the end of the campaign, North Vietnamese officials were anxious to sign an agreement, something they had been unwilling to do for years while our government was uncommitted to achieving any sort of victory.
During the following two years, however, after US forces had withdrawn, Congress gave away what had been won. By withholding support for the South Vietnamese and by not allowing The President to commit the B-52’s again, Congress, in effect, told the North Vietnamese that they could take whatever they wanted without interference from the United States. These actions by Congress made the already tragic sacrifices of too many even more tragic.
The tragedy of the Vietnam War is exceeded by only slavery and the Civil War as this nation’s greatest tragedy. Not only were too many fine, young Americans sacrificed needlessly, sent into harm’s way by a government with no commitment to a resolution, but the conflict divided the country like nothing else since the Civil War.
By its lack of a commitment to any plan for a resolution; by its gradual escalation, which gave the enemy time to adjust; by its on again-off again bombing policies, which gave the enemy time to recover and rearm; and by its ridiculous restrictions on engaging the enemy on the ground and in the air, which gave the enemy sanctuary, the government effectively played at war.
By far the vast majority of Americans who went to Southeast Asia during the nearly sixteen years of our involvement fought valiantly and heroically, many giving their lives, others spending years as POW’s, but the most significant and decisive time was those eleven days in December 1972, when The President finally allowed the military to commit overwhelming power to accomplish a clear objective – destroy North Vietnam’s ability and will to wage war.

]]> By: FREDRICK H. CROSBY (MSGT USAF RET.) http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-830072 FREDRICK H. CROSBY (MSGT USAF RET.) Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:09:53 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-830072 I ENJOYED THE INFORMATION ON THE BUFF OPERATIONS OF LINEBACKER I @II. I WAS IN DA NANG AB AND CAM RAHN BAY AB VIET NAM . I WAS IN SEA 1967;1968;1969 1970;1972.THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES .THANK YOU GOD BLESS. FREDRICK H CROSBY (MSGT USAF RET.) I ENJOYED THE INFORMATION ON THE BUFF OPERATIONS OF LINEBACKER I @II. I WAS IN DA NANG AB AND CAM RAHN BAY AB VIET NAM . I WAS IN SEA 1967;1968;1969 1970;1972.THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES .THANK YOU GOD BLESS. FREDRICK H CROSBY (MSGT USAF RET.)

]]> By: Swordsman 508 http://www.historynet.com/the-11-day-war.htm#comment-829975 Swordsman 508 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:18:30 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687205#comment-829975 Let me tag onto what Buzbee says about the missions flown during that Dec. '72 period. 5 aircraft carriers, Ranger, America, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Oriskany flew over 500 sorties against SAM/AAA sites, airfields, POL storage, and other significant targets. I vividly recall waiting to recover onboard Ranger on a number of nights after flying low-level night attacks preceding the target times of the Buffs. Watching the SAM victims light up the sky as their cells/waves trooped in on the same run-in each night was especially sobering. While I have nothing but the highest regards for those unfortunate crews, I can't help but think that no more than 1 in 10 of the Naval Aviators flying those nights would have complied with the suicidal orders emanating from SAC headquarters. The 40th anniversary of that campaign has offered an opportunity for the old SAC fliers to widely create their own version of the real value of LB II, while many of us saw it as nothing more than a continuation (albeit intensification) of a war that had gone on way too long. Let me tag onto what Buzbee says about the missions flown during that Dec. '72 period.

5 aircraft carriers, Ranger, America, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Oriskany flew over 500 sorties against SAM/AAA sites, airfields, POL storage, and other significant targets. I vividly recall waiting to recover onboard Ranger on a number of nights after flying low-level night attacks preceding the target times of the Buffs. Watching the SAM victims light up the sky as their cells/waves trooped in on the same run-in each night was especially sobering. While I have nothing but the highest regards for those unfortunate crews, I can't help but think that no more than 1 in 10 of the Naval Aviators flying those nights would have complied with the suicidal orders emanating from SAC headquarters.

The 40th anniversary of that campaign has offered an opportunity for the old SAC fliers to widely create their own version of the real value of LB II, while many of us saw it as nothing more than a continuation (albeit intensification) of a war that had gone on way too long.

]]>