{"id":130698,"date":"2020-09-12T15:16:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T19:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=130698"},"modified":"2020-09-12T15:16:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T21:24:11","slug":"when-a-cia-huey-won-a-dogfight-with-a-communist-biplane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/when-a-cia-huey-won-a-dogfight-with-a-communist-biplane\/","title":{"rendered":"When a CIA Huey Won a Dogfight with a Communist Biplane"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"When
I always knew I wanted to be a military pilot. I\u2019m the skinny guy third from the right who looks like he\u2019s about 12 years old. That was a long time ago. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many\u2019s the doctor, farmer, or policeman who knew what they aspired to be even at a tender age. For me, I felt I was destined to be a military pilot. I saw my true calling as flying P38 Lightnings over Europe in 1944.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
I was born way too late to fly fighter planes in World War 2. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alas, I was born four\ndecades too late to be screaming over occupied France in a forked-tail devil.\nThat\u2019s just as well. Some Focke Wulf jock would likely have cut me to pieces\nbefore my 21st<\/sup> birthday. However, for a guy born in my era Army\nhelicopters seemed the next best thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
This is the cockpit of an F\/A-18 Hornet. That all just seems so terribly distracting. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Modern fighter pilots seem like they have an awful lot of technology to manage. I just wanted to wiggle the sticks and feel the aircraft move around me. In modern Army helicopters, I got to scratch that itch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Everybody who has ever flown one has a soft spot for the UH-1 Huey. It was such a fantastic stick-and-rudder aircraft. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Training folks to fly\nhelicopters is expensive, so the Army typically slots you into a single\naircraft and leaves you there. I actually got to fly four. The most nostalgic\nof the lot was the UH-1 Huey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The Huey is remarkably agile for its size. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a max gross weight of 9,500 pounds, the Huey is indeed a fairly big old bird. However, deftly handled that rascal will do some of the most amazing things. On January 12, 1968, a UH-1D Huey piloted by an Air America pilot with the 20th<\/sup> Special Operations Squadron named CPT Ted Moore actually shot down a North Vietnamese AN-2 Colt biplane in air-to-air combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Setting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
Lima Site 85 was not known for its creature comforts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lima Site 85 was a TACAN\nfacility located near Phou Pha Thi in the Annamite Mountains in northeastern\nLaos. I actually have a friend who did a stint there during the war. Desolate\nand all but inaccessible, Lima Site 85 was manned by Air Force personnel seconded\nto Lockheed Martin and the CIA as civilian contractors, a practice known at the\ntime as \u201csheep dipping.\u201d  The bomber\njockeys who used it for targeting information called the place Station 97.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
General Vang Po was responsible for local security. He went on to become a remarkably controversial figure in the post-war world. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Local security was courtesy friendly Hmong guerillas and a smattering of mercenaries under Hmong General Vang Pao. The radar site was used to guide American bomber strikes into targets in North Vietnam independent of weather or visibility. LS85 was a mere 125 miles as the crow flies from Hanoi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Fighter-Bombers like this F105 Thunderchief were devastating against North Vietnamese targets when guided by radar signals from LS85. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The beating heart of LS85\nwas an old SAC precision bomb scoring radar. This device could locate an\naircraft to within a few meters under any conditions. By flying along a given\nradial outward from the radar site and releasing their bombs on the command of\nthe radar operator USAF bombers could attack targets in North Vietnam day or\nnight in any weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
B52 Stratofortresses like this one were devastating during Operation Rolling Thunder, a lengthy bombing offensive that was ongoing during the events described here. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By 1967 LS85 was guiding\n55% of the bombing missions directed against North Vietnam. The North\nVietnamese soon grew weary of this pummeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
LS85\u2019s greatest strength was its inhospitable remoteness. Any attacker would have to manage these cliffs to reach the facility. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

LS85 sat perched atop a desolate 5,800-foot karst peak. In true US government fashion, the facility was kept habitable via resupply by air. The sheer cliffs surrounding the facility helped discourage a North Vietnamese ground assault. Frustrated by their inability to neutralize the facility, the North Vietnamese Air Force marshaled four of their Soviet-supplied AN-2 Colt biplanes for an ad hoc bombing mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Players<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
The AN-2 Colt was originally designed for agricultural chores. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The AN-2 was a lumbering beast of a thing first flown in 1947. With a max gross weight of 11,993 pounds and a cruise speed of 100 knots (115 miles per hour), the AN-2 was originally intended as a crop dusting and military utility aircraft. Around 18,000 copies were built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The VNAF Colts used for this mission were weaponized for ground attack missions. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For this mission, the North Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) had outfitted their Colts with two 12-shot underwing pods for 57mm folding fin aerial rockets. They had also arranged twenty 250mm mortar rounds configured with impact fuses along the floor of the cabin. These hefty rounds could be dropped like bombs by the pilot by triggering hinged release doors from the cockpit. Thusly equipped the four Colts approached the CIA radar station perched atop this rugged peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Attack<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
The VNAF attack plan was sound. However, the remote and inhospitable nature of the terrain worked against the improvised bombers. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two of the aircraft\nstarted their attack runs while the other two orbited in wait. The AN-2 is a\nnoisy machine, and the LS85 contingent knew they were there before the mortar\nrounds began to fall. The facility was well camouflaged, so the planes had to\nget in close to accurately drop their loads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The defending mercenaries were nothing if not tenacious. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Four Hmong natives were\nkilled in this initial attack, two men and two women. A Thai mercenary ran\noutside with his AK47 and opened fire on the lead plane. The big fat slow VNAF\nbiplane shuddered and then descended to crash into the jungle. This took the\nspunk out of the other VNAF aircraft, and they broke for home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Air America was the CIA\u2019s secret air force used for covert operations in SE Asia. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Air America UH-1D was coincidentally\nenroute on a resupply mission when the AN-2\u2019s started their mischief. Confronted\nas he was by the swirling biplanes on his approach to the site CPT Moore later\nremarked, \u201cIt looked like something out of World War 1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Sensing that discretion might be the better part of valor, after losing one of their number the remaining Colts headed for home. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the remaining AN-2\nColts banked for North Vietnam CPT Ted Moore\u2019s UH-1D gave pursuit. CIA operator\nGlenn Woods rode in the back of the Huey and readied his personal weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fight<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
Visibility to the rear of an An-2 is essentially nonexistent. This allowed CPT Moore to approach undetected. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In short order, the AN-2\u2019s and pursuing Huey were in North Vietnamese airspace. Visibility out of the AN-2 was pretty wretched on a good day. The plane was designed to dust crops, not mix it up in aerial combat with enemy aircraft. As a result, CPT Moore\u2019s Huey was on top of the AN-2 before the communist pilot knew he was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Given the disparate nature of these two aircraft, they were surprisingly well-matched. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These two dissimilar aircraft were about evenly matched as regards performance. They both had a similar top speed, though the Huey was likely much more maneuverable. As a CIA Air America driver, CPT Moore was undoubtedly the markedly more capable pilot as well. This was about to make a huge difference in the day\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Glen Woods leaned out of the door of his Huey with an AK47 and opened up. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This AN-2 was flying low,\npresuming that it had gotten away free and clear. CPT Moore maneuvered his\nhelicopter above and behind the lumbering biplane, using his prodigious rotor\nwash to stall the plane\u2019s top wing. This caused the confused communist pilot to\nfurther reduce speed in an effort at maintaining control. Now with the AN-2\nflying slowly and mere meters from the pursuing Huey, Glen Woods leaned out the\ndoor of the helicopter and unlimbered his AK47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Weapon<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
Aircrews in Vietnam were typically afforded some latitude in their choice of personal weapons. Air America crews could carry most anything they could find. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We have covered aircrew\nweapons in the Vietnam War in this venue before. Here\u2019s the link if you\u2019re\ninterested\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/guns-u-s-army-aviation-vietnam-personal-defense-weapons-slicks-snakes-loaches\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"When
A captured AK offered several real advantages over an American weapon for a downed aircrew evading capture. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For an Air America flight\ncrew in 1968 those guys would pack whatever weapons they could scrounge.\nConsidering they would be operating over hostile territory, a captured AK47\nwould be a superb choice. This would give a downed aircrew the capability to use\nlocally available ammunition. It also allowed an evading aviator some degree of\nanonymity as their weapons would make the same noise as those of the enemy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Mikhail Kalashnikov designed his eponymous assault rifle to defend Mother Russia against the rampaging German hordes. Reality was a slightly different affair. Mind that trigger finger, Mr. K.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mikhail Timofeyevich\nKalashnikov was the 17th<\/sup> of 19 children raised by Siberian peasants.\nHe is universally acclaimed as the founder of the ubiquitous communist assault\nrifle that bears his name. More than 100 million copies make the Kalashnikov\nthe most produced firearm in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The communists pumped untold thousands of weapons into Vietnam. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vietnam was a proxy war between the two biggest kids on the block. While the United States went all-in with hundreds of thousands of combat troops, the communists responded with untold mountains of military materiel. This meant lots of AK47 rifles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
A transferable vet-bringback amnesty-registered AK47 like this one runs substantially north of $50,000 when they can be found. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Russians and North Koreans did their part, but it was really the communist Chinese who moved the most iron into South Vietnam. Prior to the 1968 Gun Control Act, it was theoretically possible to bring captured automatic weapons back into the country as war trophies. These vet bring-back AKs command astronomical prices on the collector market today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aftermath<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"When
The VNAF AN-2 Colt slammed into the jungle after a long burst from Glen Woods\u2019 Kalashnikov. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At close range, Glen Woods emptied his AK into the cockpit of the big VNAF biplane. The airplane fell into a flat spin and crashed hard into the thick jungle below. While two of the VNAF Colts escaped, CIA ground teams purportedly located both crash sites later and indeed reported copious bullet holes in both aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The North Vietnamese strike team trained for months to make the assault on LS85. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two months later on MAR 10,\n1968, communist special forces troops of the Peoples\u2019 Army of Vietnam (PAVN)\nand Pathet Lao successfully scaled the karst cliffs and infiltrated the LS85\nsite. A specially selected platoon of 33 PAVN soldiers led by Lieutenant Truong\nMuc had trained for nine months for the attack. This assault unit carried 23\nAK47 rifles, three Chicom Type 54 pistols, four SKS carbines, and three RPG7\nrocket launchers along with ample explosives and hand grenades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
The resulting desperate assault was a bloodbath. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They overwhelmed the\ninstallation\u2019s meager defenders and slaughtered the poorly armed technicians\nstationed there. Thirteen American airmen and 42 Thai and Hmong soldiers died,\nmaking the battle for LS85 the worst loss of life for USAF ground forces during\nthe Vietnam War. Two sets of remains were not identified until 2013. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Dick Etchberger ultimately earned the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions during the attack on LS85. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chief Master Sergeant\nRichard Etchberger earned a posthumous Air Force Cross in 1968 for helping\nevacuate his troops during the frenetic defense of LS85. This award was\nupgraded to the Medal of Honor by President Obama in 2010. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
Though hardly what might be considered air combat in the Space Age, in January of 1968 the crew chief on an Air America Huey helicopter did indeed bring down an enemy biplane with an AK47. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though hardly what might be considered air combat in the Space Age, in January of 1968 the crew chief on an Air America Huey helicopter did indeed bring down an enemy biplane with an AK47. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":130718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,772],"tags":[132,102,752,636],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-130698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-buzz","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-historical-guns","12":"tag-history"},"yoast_head":"\nWhen a CIA Huey Won a Dogfight with a Communist Biplane<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When a CIA Huey Won a Dogfight with a Communist Biplane - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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Looking to purchase a firearm online? 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. 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