Winning

Betting it all in the ultimate gamble where there is only one winner. Lou Drendel continues his exhilarating account of how modern air combat is fought and won.

6 May, 1972 F-4B, VF-51, CVW-15, CVA-43 MIG-17

LCDR Jerry “Devil” Houston

LT Kevin L. Moore

On the night of May 5, we received intelligence reports that indicated that there might be as many as 14 MiGs at Bai Thuong airfield, which is about 25 miles west of Thanh Hoa. The next day we scheduled an Alpha Strike on the airfield, and supporting anti-aircraft sites. I was flying as a part of the TARCAP, which included two F-4s from VF-51, and two F-48 from VF-111. My wingman was Chuck Schroeder, and his RIO was Rick Webb.

Red Crown, the sea-based fighter controller, had pre-briefed us on the procedures he intended to follow. He had told us that as soon as he determined that the MiGs at Bai Thuong had gone to strip alert, that is, when they had started their engines and were taxiing out for take-off, he would call, “Screaming Eagles, heads up!”

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