The presence of North Vietnamese surface-to-air missiles south of the DMZ had been tracked by Hambleton, but not everyone agreed they were present that far south. Search and rescue was based on the premise that it was necessary "to secure the safety of pilots as valuable military assets and to enhance their effectiveness by boosting morale. John Van Etten, whose call sign was Nail 32, had never met Iceal "Gene" Hambleton in person. But he broke the code. It was for this reason that a Skymaster earned appearance on the film BAT 21 (1988) with Gene Hackman and Danny Glover on the cast unfolding on the screen a daring rescue mission (based on the actual event) when US electronic weapons expert LT. Col. Iceal E. Hambleton was downed on an EB-66 electronic warfare aircraft following a surface-to-air missile hit over enemy territory in Vietnam. [7] Norris convinced them to stay by persuading them that the only way they would get back to safety was to stay with the team. "[17]:69, Henderson obtained LORAN fixes on Hambleton's position. John Ripley, adviser to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, blew up the key Highway QL-1 bridge over the Cue Viet River, east of Hambleton's position, at Đông Hà. The North Vietnamese Army may have possessed information about his presence in Vietnam and his capture would have meant a huge intelligence bonanza for the Soviet Union. [18]:318, As a direct result of the rescue operation, five aircraft were lost,[19]:70[28] 11 people were killed,[41]:162[19]:69 and two were captured. Turning around, they worked their way south before putting ashore and began to search for Hambleton. Both Sandys were found to be so damaged they would take several days to repair. [14] After a stern sermon from the new on-scene commander Nail 32 Capt. [50] The six were honored on 19 November 1997 in a full military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery and a headstone commemorating all six airmen was placed at the site. [7]:36 Rosebeary warned other aircraft against crossing the river. As a result, the South Vietnamese Army in the area was severely hampered in its efforts to stem the NVA offensive against Dong Ha and Quang Tri City. They were assisted by two HH53C helicopters (Jolly Green 67 and Jolly Green 60) from the 37th Air Rescue Squadron. He fought the controls to bring his rescue helicopter within 100 yards (91 m) of Hambleton, his gunners firing the airship's three GAU-2/A 7.62 mm (.308 in) six-barreled miniguns, engaging the North Vietnamese on every side. They had passed Hambleton's position more than 30 minutes ago. [26] The disposition and location of Potts, Walker's backseat spotter, are unknown. [26], Clark hid on the south side of the Song Meiu Giang, while Walker was about 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) north of Hambleton, who was on the north side of the river about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the town of Cam Lo. They wanted me to move southeast 400 yards. They paddled furiously, using the current and dense foliage along the far side of the river to their advantage, and trying to out-distance the soldiers. The Rescue of Bat 21 by Darrel D. Whitcomb is the non-fiction book of the same account. Bat 21 . Morse called for emergency support, which was picked up by a UH-1H slick (Blue Ghost 39) near Hue, piloted by 1st Lt. Byron Kulland from F Troop, 8th Cavalry, 196th Brigade. Their main line of advance was along the axis of the north-south national highway QL-1. The rescuer's initial plan was to swim upriver and meet Clark, but Norris tested the current and decided it was too strong. [2]:6, On the morning of 7 April, 1st Lt. Bruce C. Walker accompanied by naval artillery spotter Marine Lt. Larry F. Potts were flying USAF OV-10A (Covey 282) from 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. Sandy 05 and 06 joined them on the scene. The first prototype of the Skymaster, the 336 first took the air in February 1961 with fixed landing gears. [10] Astorga was captured but pilots 1st Lt. Byron Kulland and WO John Frink along with SP5 Ronald Paschall were killed. Harris replied, "From everywhere!" Hambleton wrote from an Air Force hospital after he was rescued, "I had to stand by and watch six young men die trying to save my life. He was shortly afterward evacuated to the hospital at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines where he recuperated for a month. [14], News reporters were very aware of the intense rescue efforts to bring Hambleton home. "No. James Harold Alley (combat photographer). Norris delivered Clark to Anderson at the forward operating base. I didn't ask anybody for permission. It was a hell of a price to pay for one life. Because Hambleton used to call the shots from behind a desk, he lacks combat survival experience and is forced to adapt while the enemy surrounds him on all sides. An early morning flight of two United States Air Force EB-66 aircraft was led by Bat 20, piloted by Lt. Col. Robert Singletary. As it approached Hambleton's position, they called for him to pop his smoke and reveal his position. The Skymaster with its high wing was well suited to observation and forward air control (FAC) roles in Vietnam. Landing on the river bank, they were met by some ARVN soldiers. Skymasters remain flying in general aviation although Cessna ceased production in 1980. John Van Etten, Hambleton decided, "Hell, I'm going to get out of this, regardless. [1]:75[2]:71 The remainder of the aircraft's six-man crew—Maj. Rick Atchison coordinated the work of several F-4s who were directed to drop CBU-42 anti-personnel cluster bombs around Hambleton to help protect his position. [4] About 30,000 heavily equipped[1]:71 NVA troops from the 304th and 308th Divisions and three separate infantry regiments of the B5 Front crossed the DMZ into I Corps zone across the five northernmost provinces of South Vietnam. During the multi-day effort to rescue the men, the Americans hit the North Vietnamese with over 800 air strikes in direct support of the rescue. Bat 21 plane? ", Hambleton initially replied, "What have you been smoking?" [4], When General Creighton Abrams' headquarters in Saigon learned of large NVA movement south of the DMZ, a number of B-52s had been sent on "Arc Light" missions without escort, but were experiencing significantly increased SAM activity. Bartholomew Clark, the pilot who first … Potts was directing naval gunfire from the destroyer USS Buchanan (DDG-14) against Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese tanks[25] to protect Hambleton. Directed by Peter Markle. 'Bat 21' pilot dies Sep 30, 2004 Sep 30, 2004 Updated Oct 14 ... 12-day struggle to avoid capture by the North Vietnamese in 1972 after his EB66 reconnaissance plane was … The Sandys immediately scrambled to cover Hambleton's position. It is likely that South Vietnamese soldiers indirectly died as a result of their inability to obtain fire support.[3]:120. The 3rd Aerospace Rescue Recovery Group used this mosaic reconnaissance photograph to plan Lt. Col. Hambleton and 1st Lt. Mark Clark's rescue. Bilk 36, an OV-10A flown by FAC 1st Lt. Mickey Fain, reported that Walker was surrounded by more than 20 NVA soldiers and shortly afterward saw his body lying in the grass. [2]:72 As Jankowski observed Hambleton land, his aircraft came under heavy antiaircraft fire. Recognizing the need for an aircraft that could deliver better close air support, the Air Force accepted the Navy's A-7 Corsair. Norris radioed Clark and instructed him to get out of the river on the south bank. It was more intense than anything he had seen in the war. A total of 1,859 standard and turbocharged Skymasters went out of the Cessna factory added by 332 T337Gs. William Roy Pearson, TSgt. Hambleton wasn't transmitting on schedule and his occasional radio calls were difficult to understand. [14], Their sampan was soon spotted by North Vietnamese troops, some of whom fired at them, but Norris and Nguyễn could not afford to return fire. Negative! The Rescue of BAT-21 By Amy P. Fabry - July 26, 2010 An O-2 forward air control (FAC) aircraft of the type flown by Capt. [20] They were very familiar with American SAR tactics and on the second day they began to use the downed flyer as bait. I had some trouble building up a mental picture of "Bat-21's" predicament, and I think a crude map might have helped. In 1975, Clark's and Hambleton's rescue was declassified. Hambleton, whose call sign was Bat 21 Bravo,[7]:30 was positioned immediately behind the pilot, who gave the signal for everyone to eject. [24] Anderson, who spoke Vietnamese, obtained additional intelligence from the headquarters of the 1st Armor Brigade near Dong Ha.[32]:239. [39][49] The bodies of Potts and Walker have not been recovered to date. The helicopter broke through the clouds and rapidly dropped into the area where Hambleton was hidden. [37] When he was picked up by a HH-53 from the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, he was within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the heavily defended Yên Bái Air Base and had eluded capture while covering 19 kilometers (12 mi) in North Vietnamese territory for 23 days. His aircraft was totaled. The NVA fixed the location of the outpost and poured mortar and artillery fire on the forward ARVN outpost, killing two of the five remaining ARVN Seals. Colonel Iceal Hambleton (Gene Hackman), whose plane is shot down over enemy territory while on reconnaissance behind enemy lines in Vietnam. To save time, Hambleton passed through the abandoned village that concealed the guns that shot down his would-be rescuers. Hambleton was a navigator aboard Bat 21. Hambleton pulled the ejection seat handles and had a moment to make eye contact with the pilot as his seat rocketed out of the dying plane. He was familiar with targeting both SAC missiles and SAC airplanes, was one of the most knowledgeable missile and electronic counter-measures experts in Vietnam, and it is likely that his situation was quickly reported to U.S. intelligence services. Sale Price 19.99 . Background. The 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (42 TEWS) was tapped for assistance. [19]:67 But Giai thought that the mission was insane and refused to take responsibility for the mission once they crossed the Song Meiu Giang. In the early 90s, Skymasters also found usage in rescue operations by dropping life saving supplies to refugees fleeing from Cuba through liferafts. It was their largest attack of the war and was timed to take full advantage of the bad weather typical during monsoon season, offering low clouds and poor visibility. The object of their rescue attempt was Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton, whose call sign was Bat-21. The only one to eject safely, Hambleton landed near a … Gatwood left behind a 13-week-old son he had never seen, Robin F. Gatwood III. The Batplane is Batman's personal aircraft. Astorga and Henderson were released in March 1973 after the war ended. [1]:62 Hambleton and Clark would have to spend another night behind the front lines. To protect the downed airmen and the search and rescue forces, Col. Cecil Muirhead ordered the 7th Air Force to establish a standard 27 kilometers (17 mi) no-fire zone around Hambleton shortly after he went down. He recruited five Vietnamese Sea Commando frogmen from the Lien Doc Nguoi Nhia (LDNN), Naval Advisory Detachment (NAD) in Da Nang. His rescue was featured in the Vietnam episode of the television series Navy Seals: Untold Stories in 2001. Clayton Rohner (Sgt. The added deaths, loss of aircraft, and length of the rescue operation led the USAF to change the way they planned and conducted search and rescue missions. Batman’s fleet of incredible vehicles gets a new addition in The Dark Knight Rises: A plane called the Bat. [14] Icke fixed Hambleton's position during the day so Norris could find him that night. [44] Nguyen was the only South Vietnamese Naval member awarded the Navy Cross during the Vietnam War,[45]:277 and one of only two South Vietnamese to receive the award. 3rd Party 18.29. It was the largest, longest, most complex search and rescue mission of the Vietnam War. Another man was injured and taken to a hospital. John Henry Call III (co-pilot), TSgt. [2]:31 Hambleton commented after the war, "If the taxpayers and my neighbors knew what it cost to pull me out of there, they'd probably shoot me. Hambleton had Top Secret access to Strategic Air Command operations and was an expert in surface-to-air missile countermeasures. [7]:27 The NVA 365th Air Defense Division fired two volleys of SA-2 surface-to-air missile at the U.S. planes, but the EB-66s successfully thwarted the first volley. He also commanded all the dedicated assets needed to assist with SAR. He received it from President Gerald Ford in a White House ceremony on 6 March 1976 attended by Michael Thornton, another Navy SEAL who had saved Norris' life on 31 October 1972. [1]:85 At dusk, Major Jimmy D. Kempton flying F-4D 66-0265 with the 390th TFS (Danang Gunfighters) and a wingman entered from the coast under a descending 500 foot ceiling and dropped BLU 52 SAR ordnance on four sides of Hambleton's location, the last of SAR ordnance on 4 April.[21]. Traveling upriver in the sampam, they broke out of the heavy fog and found themselves about 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from their starting point, under the Cam Lo bridge. Sitting in the navigator’s position, Hambleton was automatically set to be the first to eject in the event of an emergency. Hambleton had two survival radios, a first aid kit, two kinds of flares, a knife and a .38 caliber revolver, a compass and a map, an empty water bottle, but no food. When Hambleton's URC-64 rescue radio beeped, Jankowski responded, and was surprised to learn that Hambleton was above him descending in his parachute. Three North Vietnamese divisions were attacking and the 3rd ARVN could not reply for several hours with artillery or request tactical air strikes in the area. No rescue beepers were heard. He was taken north and became a POW. 'Bat 21' pilot dies Sep 30, 2004 Sep 30, 2004 Updated Oct 14 ... 12-day struggle to avoid capture by the North Vietnamese in 1972 after his EB66 reconnaissance plane was … [19]:70 When the rescue team and Hambleton arrived at Dong Ha, a reporter commented to Norris, "It must have been tough out there. Returning to the river, the three men were soon able to receive support from South Vietnamese forces. The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is an American heavy bomber under development for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Northrop Grumman.As part of the Long Range Strike Bomber program (LRS-B), it is to be an advanced, very long-range, large, heavy-payload stealth intercontinental strategic bomber for the USAF, able to deliver conventional and thermonuclear weapons. He began a SAM break to the south, away from the direction he assumed the missiles had been fired. [1]:63, Rosebeary, flying Cobra Blue Ghost 28, called a Mayday but was able to safely exit the area and landed his severely damaged helicopter. This aircraft flew with the 20th TASS on the 11 day mission in 1972 to rescue Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton; callsign BAT-21, from behind enemy lines. Follows the harrowing adventures of Lt bombs, providing a smokescreen six days the zone... 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