400ft, dropped chaff and pulled a 6g
turn. I reversed the turn to the left,
dropped more chaff and continued
the 6g turn.
“One missile went over us and the
second hit the ground in a farmer’s
field below us in a brilliant fireball
that just wiped out my night vision. I
rolled wings level and headed for the
mountains.
We landed back aboard Enterprise,
approaching 05:00, after a near three-
hour flight, with 15 minutes of fuel
remaining.
“After landing, we debriefed and
I found out that only two airplanes
made it to target: me and the skipper
of VA-35, Cdr Glen Coleman.
The other aircraft from VA-75 had
radio failure and could not proceed.
The other, from VA-35, had system
problems and dropped his Destructors
12 miles short of target.
“The VA-35 ground crew found a
small hole in [our] left wing, 4 inches
from the port wing fuel cell, during
post-flight inspection. What a great
A-6 airplane Grumman made!”SAM SUPPRESSION
Such was the rate of missions from
the carriers that at times it was notpossible to provide the crews with
the variant they were used to flying.
For example, an A-6A crew could
find themselves issued with a ’B or
’C model, as Hugh Brelogle recalled:
“Five crews were specially trained to
fly the A-6B ‘birds’ where they were
needed – anti-SAM site missions.
“In conjunction with the RA-5
[North American Vigilante] crews,
they worked out a system where,
with two A-6Bs with Standard ARMs
[anti-radar missiles], we could cover
the RA-5s in such a way that we
covered the area in front and behind
at all times.
“We made an effort to use a discrete
IFF [identification, friend or foe] code
and let it ‘slip out’ who we were. We
also came up on the communications
frequencies and talked it up so the
‘listeners’ – the North Vietnamese and
friends – would know what we were
there for.
“Over the course of the six months
on station in the war zone, we A-6B
crews escorted numerous photo-recce
and additional strike missions. We
never fired an ARM.”GETTING A LOCK
“In all, the squadron was operating
four variations of the A-6. The
schedules officer had a bitch of a time
keeping the specialised crew in their
respective category of aircraft.
One night, Doyle, my B/N, and I
got assigned to an A-6C for a night
standard A-6A bombing mission.
Well, we got airborne and headed
inland.
“Doyle said: ‘I think I’ll see what I
can see with the low-light television
or infrared [IR] stuff.’ So, he
experimented with the ‘C-pod’ stuff
and finally said: ‘Hey I think I’ve got
it!’ By this time, we were ‘Feet Dry’
and headed for the Ho-Chi-Minh
Trail. Cool!
“Doyle says he can see the ridge line
and the trees and stuff: ‘Look at that, I
think the IR has picked up a hotspot.
Hey, I’m gonna put the track-radar
‘Pipper’ on it and see if it’ll track. Hey,
I’ve got a lock!
“‘I wonder if it’s a truck? I’m gonna
switch over to the TV and see if I can
identify it. Well, the IR still shows it
but all I see is trees; wanna see?’ My
VDI display turns into a green TV
picture of – trees.
“Well, trees are fine, but as we steam
along, closing on the IR position lock,
I notice that the image of the trees is
getting more vertical, as though the
nose is down in a shallow dive. So,
I put in a little back pressure on the
stick to correct and the trees get more
vertical.
“More back pressure, the trees
get more vertical; because we’re still
steamin’ toward the track radar lock
position. Shudder, shudder, shake,
shake, and I look at the standby gyro
and I’m in a 30° nose-up climb, at
cruise power setting with a load of
bombs.
“We’re in a stall! Power! Nose down!
“Put me back on the VDI display.
Doyle, old buddy, I don’t want you
to show me anything you see on that
flamin’ scope ever again. Trucks, trees,
water buffalo, elephant, I don’t care!
That stuff is all yours to play with.
“Lesson learned: don’t look at what
the B/N thinks is cool. Beware of
trees!”VIETNAM WAR GRUMMAN INTRUDER
Above
Intruders of VA-85
over Vietnam in 1966.
TOM MARDIS30 FLYPAST May 2018
“I don’t want you to show me anything
you see on that fl amin’ scope ever again.
Trucks, trees, water buffalo, elephant, I
don’t care!”