Part 38 (1/2)
The North Vietnamese, by the way, call it the Truong Son Road because it goes though the Truong Son Mountains.”
The maps filled an entire 4-by-8 plywood sheet. The black, hydra-headed Ho Chi Minh Trail on the acetate overlay stretched from the three pa.s.ses into Laos, where it branched into Vietnam, looking like the trailing arms of a squid.
Court ran his index finger along the Trail. ”From Hanoi down through Laos and on to the point where the supplies swing into South Vietnam is close to a thousand miles. Add the double trails, switchbacks, cat's eyes, truck parks, maintenance depots, resupply points, off-load and transfer points, and we have a system, in reality, which is three or four times as long. In most areas the Trail can be widened, switched, dualed, duplicated, or cut through a fresh new batch of jungle d.a.m.n near overnight.” He pulled out enlarged mosaics of the Mu Gia Pa.s.s area. ”We have geographical points designated by Delta numbers. Delta 22 is here, Delta 32 there, Delta 69 here, and so on. Other places are known by specific terrain features.” He traced prominent river features that wound and looped into many shapes and forms easily recognizable from the air. ”This is the Bird's Head, the Dog's Head is down here by Ban Loby, here are the North b.o.o.bs, here the South b.o.o.bs. You must memorize all of these. You frontseaters and backseaters must be as familiar with this area as your own backyard.” He faced the audience.
”Right now the slow O-2 FACs and the fast F-4 FACs have been controlling the primary interdiction strike missions against the Trail, using Navy, Marine, and Air Force fighters. Right with them have been the Air Commandos from NKP, flying prop jobs day and night along the Trail.
Ask Toby. He's been there. Those guys at NKP have the greatest collection of World War Two aircraft this side of the Confederate Air Force. They fly the twin-engine A-26, the C-47, C-119s, C-123s, and the biggest single prop job in the world, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Added to their effort is the Igloo White missions, which drop electronic sensors in an effort to locate trucks and troops. Then there is the radardirected Skyspot mission.”
The crewmen hissed. They called Skyspot ”Sky Puke” because all they did was fly under the direction of a radar site to dump bombs ”on a pile of sand.”
”All those efforts, the Air Commandos, Igloo White, and Skyspot perform night missions to some degree,” Court continued. ”Unfortunately without great success. Supplies and troops are still moving down the Trail after dark. That's the main reason the powers-that-be have decided to form a dedicated night FAC unit. They hope we'll have better BDA.”
BDA was the acronym for Bomb Damage a.s.sessment what each airplane destroyed or killed on a single mission.
He walked to the edge of the stage and folded his arms.
”The Wolf FACs here at Udorn, the Marine Playboy FACs from Da Nan , the Stormys, the Laredos, Falcons, Tigers, they've all done a great job stopping the flow of supplies on the Trail during daylight hours. As a result the trucks of the 559th NVA Transportation Division now have to run at night.”
Court gave a broad grin. ”And that, gentlemen, brings us to why you are here today. We are forming a new outfit, a special outfit. And you gentlemen weren't chosen from a bunch of names in a hat. You were chosen because I found you are all uniquely qualified in one way or another to perform this night FAC mission. I spent a lot of time going over pilot and navigator records and talking to your operations officers. Once we get everybody trained and on line, our mission will be to stop the nighttime supply flow down the Trail. We will do it by sniffing around for the trucks, the truck parks, the overhaul depots, the transs.h.i.+pment points, and anything else that makes up or protects the flow of supplies moving down the Trail at night.”
There was a stir in the audience as Donny Higgens spoke up. ”Protects?
Did you say protects? Like in guns? You mean we gotta go after guns?”
”Yeah, Donny,” Court said. ”Guns. At night.”
”Me? Little old beautiful me?” Higgens said. ”Marvelous me is supposed to fly at night?” He looked around, mock terror on his face. ”If G.o.d wanted me to fly at night”-he was interrupted by a chorus from the audience-”I'd have been born an owl,” they chanted. ”Aw, howdja know?”
Higgens replied. He had been flying as a Wolf on the day FAC mission for months.
”Yeah, Donny, fly at night. But listen to this. We will not go on the line until each man has at least ten day Wolf FAC missions and twenty Night Owl missions in his logbook.
That means you Night Owls got to aviate in the day when everybody can see you, and you day jocks got to learn how to flog around at night without killing yourselves. Furthermore, you all must be volunteers. If at any time before we are operational you want out, let me know. You'll just go back to your squadron.”
”What if we want out after we are operational?” Docks asked.
”Then I'll find you a nice slot in Seventh Air Force at Tan Son Nhut. Of course if you get shot down twice and still make it back, I'll find you a slot anyplace you want to go.”
”s.h.i.+t, who gives a hoot about the Night Owls, ” Higgens said. ”How about being a night duck?”
”Speaking of owls,” Court said, ignoring him, ”we need a name and a call sign for this outfit. The day FACs are the Wolfs, the night squadron is the Night Owls. So what should we be called?”
After a moment suggestions came from the crewmen.
Night FACs, Owl FACs, Eagles, Night Strikers, Night Hawks. Higgens was booed when he proposed Night Ducks.
Then a voice said Phantom FACs.
”Phantom FACs,” someone else said. ”That sounds good.”
”Yeah,” Higgens said. ”If we can't be Night Ducks, let's be Phantom FACs. What do you think, boss?” he asked Court.
”It's up to you guys,” Court said. ”Take a vote.” Joseph organized the vote. It was 13 to 3 for Phantom FACs.
”Okay, we are now known as the Phantom FACs. How about a motto?” Court said.
After a lively discussion involving several scatological and reproductive terms, they decided on ”We Get Ours at Night.”
”Okay,” Court said, ”we got a mission, a name, a motto, all we need now is some organization.” He pulled out a board with the crew roster taped on it. ”And here we are.”
He took a grease pencil and wrote the new name and motto at the top.
Phantom-FAC Roster We Get Ours at Night Position A/C GIB Commander 01AMaj C. 01B It Pete Bannister Stein Operations 02A Capt 02B It John officer Howie Martin Joseph Intelli- 03A Capt Tom 03B It Mike gence Partin Steffes Officer Mainte- 04A Capt 04B It nance/ Donny Horace Weapons Higgens Rhoades Admin 05A Capt 05B It Neil officer Chet Tallboy Griggs Supply 06A Capt 06B It Matt officer Lynn Henry 'Mitch.e.l.l Special 07A It Rolly 07B Maj Projects Grailson Carlos Bretone Flying 0 8A Capt 08B Capt Safety Deacon Toby Docks Parker The numbers and letters were each man's individual call sign. The Alpha and Bravo meant the position a crewman flew in the aircraft. If Phantom Zero Four was flying, Phantom Zero Four Alpha would be Higgens in the front seat, Zero Four Bravo would be Rhoades in the backseat. However, when a frontseater flew in the backseat, he took a Bravo code after his call sign.
Court pulled out a board with aircraft and weapons pictures and diagrams. ”We will carry a 600-gallon centerline tank, two SUU-42 flare dispensers with sixteen Mark-24 flares each, three CBU-24s, and ten w.i.l.l.y Pete marking rockets. The flares are to find 'em, the rockets to fix 'em for the strike birds, and the CBU is for us to use on a fleeting target, gun suppression, or on movers if no strike birds are available.”
He walked back to the podium. ”The missions will be single-s.h.i.+p, no wingmen on these missions. The crew will report two hours before takeoff time to check the weather, intelligence, and current strike reports. Get out to your birds at least thirty minutes before start engine time. Night preflights are tricky. Take your time. We're all new to the SUU-42 flare dispenser. Make sure the fuzes and timers are set correctly. A dud flare is a wasted pa.s.s. Taxi extra slow at night, all nav lights on Bright. Watch the armorers in the armament area just before you take the active runway. They will signal you with flashlights what to do. Both front- and backseaters, put your hands outside the c.o.c.kpit so they can see them and know the c.o.c.kpit is clear.
The armorers will check the electrical continuity and stability of all the weapons under your wings, then pull the safing pins and signal that you are cleared. Do your standard pre-takeoff checks before taking the active runway, and standard run-up checks once on the runway. Here are your radio frequencies. Channel eleven is for us to talk among ourselves.” He pulled out a board.
Channel Agency 2 UDORN GROUND CONTROL.
3 UDORN TOWER.
4 UDORN DEPARTURE CONTROL.
5 UDORN DEPARTURE CONTROL.
6 LION RADAR.
7 LION RADAR.
8 INVERT RADAR.
9 INVERT RADAR.
10 UDORN COMMAND POST.
”FAC TACTICAL.
”We go on line in two weeks. At 1800 on I March, as a matter of fact.
I'll take the first mission. Howie Joseph will post the rest of the schedule. Meanwhile I want you Night Owl GIBs to fly with the day pilots, and you day GIBs to fly with the Night Owl pilots until each of you gets the ten Wolf and twenty Night Owl missions.” He grinned. ”These are all night missions, gentlemen, over extremely hazardous terrain, generally in bad weather. It's hairy stuff. You must get used to flying on the gages. Plan on instrument takeoffs every night. Once airborne, Udorn Departure Control will hand you off to Lion Radar. When you are far enough out, Lion will hand you off to Invert Radar, who will give you a vector for the tanker. We don't have far to go to the tanker.
Once off the tank, stay in contact with Invert the whole mission, except when on tactical frequency conducting a strike. If you go down by yourself, only Invert will know where you are. They will tell you what SIF code to squawk.”
SIF was the Selective Identification Feature device th t put out a coded signal preset by the pilot when challenge( by a friendly ground or airborne station. The coded signa provided a burst of energy on the receiving radar screen u iique to the code the pilot was asked to ”squawk” on his ”parrot” by the radar controller.
”After the tank, contact Moonbeam for clearance as you cross the fence into and out of Steel Tiger. Turn off your navigation lights when you reach the Lao border, which the radar controllers call 'the fence.” Just tell them you are 'blackout at the fence.” The frequencies for the tank and Moonbeam change every twenty-four hours. The Intelligence briefer will provide them each day on preprinted cards.” Moonbeam was the call sign for the night Airborne Command and Control Center. ”Your flares burn three minutes, give or take a few seconds. In a light mist or cloud, they make you think you're flying in a bowl of milk with no up or down. Keep one man on the gages at all times.” That meant one man in the two-seat F-4 should be looking at the flight instruments while the other was looking outside the c.o.c.kpit.