VIETNAM OPERATION LINEBACKER
32 FLYPAST March 2018
The chief radar operator, Le Thiet
Hung, sat tensely with his assistant,
watching the situation slowly
unfold before their eyes and still not
knowing the enemy’s exact target.
Le Thiet was heard saying: “They
are changing their tactics, there are
numerous escorts all over Hanoi but
no sight of the B-52s.”
The F-4s were flying in pairs,
hoping to prevent any night-fighters
from taking off. At this moment the
radar operators saw the tell-tale signs
of a bombing run - forming into
a straight line and being joined by
others. The F-4s were not looking
for MiGs but their radar station.
Thiet Hung screamed “watch the
fourth group of bombers,” then
two large explosions could be heardnearby, only just missing the radar
station. The radar also picked up
signs of a squadron of B-52s flying
over to the Laotian border.Stalking a B-52
The commander ordered: “Have
Pham Tuan scramble and instruct the
station at Moc Chau to direct him to
his intercept point.” Pham Tuan took
off from Yen Bai and headed far west
instead of southwards to conceal his
approach until the last moments. He
was to execute an ‘outer edged attack’;
this meant that he had to fly a 180°
arc compared to the flight path of the
B-52s.
The diaries explain: “We figured
out that by going far to the west
he could avoid the attention of
the Americans and get ourselves
beyond their jamming range of their
equipment.”
When Pham Tuan was flying
with just instruments in order to
limit ground control contact, he
followed the previously agreed route
religiously. The high command
in Hanoi were notified of the
possibility of shooting down a B-52,
so they had been given a copy of
this flight plan and could follow his
position closely.
When some of the B-52s turned
and followed Highway 6 to Hanoi,
another MiG took off, flown by
Vu Xuan Thieu. He encountered
at least six F-4s over Hoa BinhVIETNAM OPERATION LINEBACKER
this meant that he had to fly a 180°
arc compared to the flight path of the
B-52s.
The diaries explain: “We figured
out that by going far to the west
he could avoid the attention of
the Americans and get ourselves
beyond their jamming range of theirthe Americans and get ourselves
beyond their jamming range of their
equipment.”
When Pham Tuan was flyingpossibility of shooting down a B-52,
When Pham Tuan was flying
with just instruments in order to
limit ground control contact, he
followed the previously agreed route
religiously. The high command
in Hanoi were notified of the
possibility of shooting down a B-52,
so they had been given a copy of
this flight plan and could follow his
position closely.
When some of the B-52s turned
and followed Highway 6 to Hanoi,
another MiG took off, flown by
Vu Xuan Thieu. He encountered
at least six F-4s over Hoa BinhVIETNAM MiGs
MiGs over North Vietnam
This feature has been extracted and abridged from MiGs
Over North Vietnam - The Vietnamese People’s Air Force
in Combat 1965 to 1975, by Roger Boniface and published
by Crécy as part of its ‘Classic’ series. For more
details see http://www.crecy.co.ukRight
Stills showing a US
aircraft, possibly a B-52,
crashing after being hit by
a SAM missile.