Colonel Tomb

This article is about the mythical pilot. For the author, see Nguyễn Tuân.
The MIG-21 N. 4324 of the Vietnam People's Air Force. This fighter aircraft, flown by various pilots, was credited with 14 kills during the Vietnam War.

Colonel Tomb, also Nguyen Toon (Nguyễn Tuân) or Colonel Toon was a mythical North Vietnam Air Force fighter ace loosely based on a North Vietnamese pilot from the 921st Fighter Regiment named Nguyen Van Coc.[1] Tomb allegedly shot down 13 American aircraft during the Vietnam War. According to legend, he was killed in action on May 10, 1972, by the U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom crew of pilot Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and radar operator Lt.(jg) William "Irish" Driscoll.[2][3][4] It was later revealed by historians that there had been no such colonel in the North Vietnam forces.[1]

The name "Colonel Tomb" rose to prominence among U.S. Navy aviators during the latter part of the war. Photos of a North Vietnamese MiG-17 with the tail number 3020 bearing numerous red victory stars contributed to the rumor, and was occasionally identified as the Colonel's aircraft. However, it was normal practice in the Vietnamese People's Air Force to add victory stars to an aircraft for all claims in the aircraft, regardless of the pilot flying it. A photo of a MiG-21, with tail number 4326, was reported in a Vietnamese official magazine to have been flown by at least nine different airmen. This aircraft also had numerous red victory stars. Six of its pilots received the title "Hero of the People's Armed Forces".[2] Information on Toon/Tomb's life and career was never published by the North Vietnamese, nor did they release a photo of him. MiG-17 number 3020 was confirmed shot down and destroyed, on May 10, 1972, by Cunningham and Driscoll following a protracted air fight.[citation needed]

Much of the information the U.S. obtained about the North Vietnamese air force came from radio signals intelligence or "SigInt", which monitored enemy radio transmissions. Though Tuân is a Vietnamese name, Toon and Tomb are not. It is likely that a name similar in sound to Tomb was used as a radio callsign, and was responsible for the creation of the story of a Colonel Tomb.[2] Complex psychological factors have also contributed to the creation of the story of the epic aerial duel against the alleged high-ranking Vietnamese fighter ace and his demise.[5]

May 10, 1972, by VPAF records

The 'MiG-17F' no. 3020 was a license-made Shenyang J-5 attached to the VPAF's 923rd Fighter Regiment, and was flown by at least two of the six VPAF's MiG-17 fighter aces, including Nguyễn Văn Bảy and Lê Hải; both of whom survived the war, with Lê retiring as a Senior Colonel.[6] Like all combat-ready VPAF MiG-17s, these were painted a green and brown camouflage by 1967, and were affectionately called con rắn (snakes) by their ground crew.[7] The beginning of the Operation Linebacker air interdiction campaign against North Vietnam in May 1972 proved to be especially bloody for both sides of the air war; four of the 923rd FR's MiG-17s were dispatched against a large strike-force of A-6 Intruders, A-7 Corsairs IIs and F-4 Phantom IIs targeting the bridges around Hải Dương on 10 May 1972. Although outnumbered, the VPAF pilots attacked the strike-force, and in the ensuing melee, MiG-17 pilot Do Hang was shot down by AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles fired from Lt. Duke Cunningham/Lt.(jg) Willy Driscoll's F-4, and although the MiG-17 pilot Do Hang was able to eject, he was then killed by 20mm gunfire from American fighter/attack aircraft making strafing passes at him while descending underneath his parachute; two more MiG-17s were shot-down by the F-4s of Lt. Cunningham/Lt.(jg) Driscoll and Lt. Connelly III/Lt. Blonski, and pilot Tra Van Kiem was KIA, while Nguyen Van Tho bailed out and survived and the MiG-17 piloted by Ta Dong Trung, who pursued the A-7s out to sea without scoring any hits, was able to return to base.[8][9]

The F-4s however, now flying about 10 km north of Hải Dương, were intercepted by a pair of MiG-21MFs piloted by Vu Duc Hop and Le Thanh Dao of the new 927th FR whom were effectively vectored by GCI against the Phantoms; Vu Duc Hop and Le Thanh Dao each firing R-3S "Atoll" missiles at their selected targets, had found their marks respectively against the F-4s of Lt. Cunningham/Lt.jg Driscoll and Cdr. Blackburn/Lt. Rudloff, and while Cunningham/Driscoll were able eject out at sea where they were rescued, Blackburn/Rudloff were seen to have successfully ejected from their stricken Phantom by the Americans, and while their parachutes were observed to have gone down over land, only Lt. Rudloff was ever on the POW manifest by North Vietnamese records.[10][11][12][13][14] The remains of Cdr. Harry L. Blackburn were returned to the Americans on 10 April 1986 and positively identified as his later that year.[15]

Notable USAF/USN and VPAF losses/victories on 10 May 1972

List of notable kills/losses of the air battles of this day in the Vietnam War.[16][17][10][18][19]

Crew member(s) Service/Unit Kills/Total Status
Lt. R.H. Cunningham / Lt.(jg) Willy Driscoll, F-4 USN 2 kills (the MiG-17s of Do and Nguyen or Tra)/5 total Shot down/rescued
Lt. M. Connelly III / Lt. J.T. Blonski, F-4 USN 1 kill (the MiG-17 of Nguyen or Tra)/2 total
Cdr. H.L. Blackburn / Lt. S. Rudloff, F-4 USN Cdr. Blackburn (KIA)/Lt. Rudloff (POW)
Do Hang, MiG-17 VPAF KIA (strafed to death while descending under parachute after ejection)
Le Thanh Dao, MiG-21 VPAF 1 kill (F-4 of Blackburn/Rudloff)/6 total
Vu Duc Hop, MiG-21 VPAF 1 kill (F-4 of Cunningham/Driscoll)
Maj. R. Lodge / Capt. R. Locher, F-4 USAF 3 kills/3 total Maj. Lodge (KIA)/Capt. Locher (rescued)
Capt. J.L. Harris / Capt. D.E. Wilkinson, F-4 USAF Capt. Harris (KIA)/Capt. Wilkinson (KIA)
Dang Ngoc Ngu, MiG-21 VPAF 1 kill/7 total (KIA, 8 July 1972)
Nguyen Van Phuc, MiG-19 VPAF 1 kill (F-4 of Lodge/Locher)
Le Van Tuong, MiG-19 VPAF 1 kill (F-4 of Harris/Wilkinson) KIA (landing accident)
Cao Son Khao, MiG-19 VPAF 1 kill KIA (FF)

In mainstream media

The story of the epic aerial combat duel between North Vietnamese MiG-17 pilot Colonel Tomb and the American F-4 crew of Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and Lt.(jg) William P. Driscoll was popularly featured with CGI-based reenactment of the battle scenes on The History Channel in the premiere episode of the 2006 television series Dogfights.[20][21][22]

"I could see a Gomer leather helmet, Gomer goggles, Gomer scarf...and his intent Gomer expression... I began to feel numb. My stomach grabbed at me in knots. There was no fear in this guy's eyes as we zoomed some 8000 feet straight up."

— Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, describing his canopy-to-canopy encounter with Colonel Tomb in the pilot episode of Dogfights and in his combat memoirs of May 10, 1972[23][24]

The re-enactments of the duel between the high-ranked Vietnamese MiG-17 fighter pilot and F-4 Phantom II crew of Lt. Cunningham and Lt.(jg) Driscoll on The History Channel's Dogfights ended the segment with the claim that "a SAM did what no Vietnamese fighter pilot could do; shoot down the F-4" of Lt. Cunningham/Lt.(jg) Driscoll.[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Inventing the Enemy: Colonel Toon and the Memory of Fighter Combat in Vietnam". From Balloons to Drones. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  2. ^ a b c Ethell and Price 1990, pp.189–190.
  3. ^ Air Power History 1995 -- Volumes 42-43 - Page 60 "Tactical number 4326 supposedly belonged to the infamous Col. Nguyen Toon (also known as Col. Tomb), and wore thirteen red stars on its nose. At times, Toon's existence has been questioned, for while he led the NVAF in kills, he trailed all ..."
  4. ^ Peter B. Mersky F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War 1998 - Page 60 "The long-running discussion about whether the VPAF's top ace, 'Colonel Tomb', actually existed may at last have been resolved to an extent. There were several skilled VPAF pilots, and there appears to have been at least a dozen aces ..."
  5. ^ Haskins, Dr. Michael (2018-05-29). "Inventing the Enemy: Colonel Toon and the Memory of Fighter Combat in Vietnam". From Balloons to Drones. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  6. ^ Toperczer, 2015, pp. 146-147.
  7. ^ "Vietnamese Lethal Snakes".
  8. ^ Toperczer, 2015, pp. 174-175.
  9. ^ "Enemy Aircraft Shot Down by Naval Aviators in Southeast Asia". NHHC. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  10. ^ a b "Name That Toon - Was North Vietnam's Most Feared Flying Ace A Myth?". MilitaryHistoryNow.com. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2022-05-10. Some sources have argued that the famous North Vietnamese flier was a complete fabrication. Hanoi propagandists supposedly conjured up the deadly ace to bolster morale on the home front or possibly to scare American pilots. Others claim that the mythical pilot wasn't a concoction of enemy publicists at all, but rather a figment of American pilots' imaginations.
  11. ^ Hankins, Dr. Michael (2018-05-29). "Inventing the Enemy: Colonel Toon and the Memory of Fighter Combat in Vietnam". From Balloons to Drones. Retrieved 2022-05-10. The existence of Colonel Toon in the mind of an American pilot may have provided a psychological comfort zone if a North Vietnamese pilot should out-fly him or, even worse, shoot him down... Why does this controversy – and others like it – continue to plague the memory of the Vietnam War? Possibly because losing a war is psychologically devastating... Toon may not exist, but what he represents as a way of dealing with the psychological trauma of warfare, is all too real.
  12. ^ Toperczer, 2015, pp. 175, 240.
  13. ^ "Vietnamese Aces - MiG-17 and MiG-21 pilots". acepilots.com. Retrieved 2022-05-10. Readers familiar with American military aviation may have heard of the legendary Vietnamese ace, Col. Toon (or Col. Tomb). Why is he not listed here? Because, he was precisely that, "legendary"... he was a figment of the American fighter pilots' imagination and ready room chatter. (In fairness to the Americans, "Col. Toon" may have been shorthand for any good Vietnamese pilot, like any solo nighttime nuisance bomber in WW2 was called "Washing Machine Charlie.")
  14. ^ "Bio, Rudloff, Stephen A." www.pownetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  15. ^ "Vietnam Air Losses Search Results". www.vietnamairlosses.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01. Both crew were seen to eject and to land only about 100 yards apart. Lt Rudloff was temporarily blinded during the incident and was taken to the Hanoi Hilton but he had no further direct contact with his pilot... A report that Cdr Blackburn committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide pill circulated after the prisoners returned from Hanoi, but this seems fanciful and cannot be substantiated. His remains were handed over by the Vietnamese government on 10 April 1986 and positively identified in November of that year.
  16. ^ Toperczer, 2015, pp. 240.
  17. ^ "Phantom Over North Vietnam". Defense Media Network. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  18. ^ "Phantom over North Vietnam".
  19. ^ "THE WALL OF FACES". Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Retrieved 2024-05-11. On 10 May 1972, Captain Harris was flying his F-4E PHANTOM on a combat mission over North Vietnam when he was attacked by a MiG-19. The flight leader of the mission observed Captain Harris' aircraft burst into flames shortly before it crashed. There were no radio transmissions heard from the stricken aircraft, and no one in the flight saw any parachutes or received any emergency beeper signals. In August 1978 the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) unilaterally turned over the remains of Air Force Captain DENNIS EDWARD WILKINSON, the Weapons Systems Officer aboard the F-4E. The remains of Captain Harris were returned in 1997.
  20. ^ "Watch Dogfights Full Episodes, Video & More | History Vault". watch.historyvault.com. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  21. ^ Dogfights (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-05-31
  22. ^ Dogfights, retrieved 2022-05-31
  23. ^ "When Duke Was King". Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2022-05-31. The American aviators called their adversaries "Gomers," after the hapless TV character Gomer Pyle. Cunningham says he saw the pilot "...with his beady little Gomer eyes, Gomer hat, Gomer goggles, and Gomer scarf."
  24. ^ "When Duke Was King". sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2022-05-31. I could see a Gomer leather helmet, Gomer goggles, Gomer scarf...and his intent Gomer expression," Cunningham writes in his book about the air war. "I began to feel numb. My stomach grabbed at me in knots. There was no fear in this guy's eyes as we zoomed some 8000 feet straight up.
  25. ^ KILLERS, MIG (2018-05-09). "Showtime 100 Vs Colonel Toon: the most epic 1 V 1 dogfight in the history of naval aviation". The Aviation Geek Club. Retrieved 2022-06-24.

References

Bibliography

  • Ethell, Jeffrey and Alfred Price. One Day in a Long War. London:Guild Publishing, 1990.
  • Toperczer, Istvan, MiG Aces of the Vietnam War, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2015; ISBN 978-0-7643-4895-2.

Further reading

  • Toperczer, István, "MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War", Osprey Publishing Limited, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2001, ISBN 1-84176-162-1.

Read other articles:

Celestial spheres

Elements of some cosmological models Not to be confused with Celestial sphere. Heavenly spheres redirects here. For the album by the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, see Heavenly Spheres. Geocentric celestial spheres; Peter Apian's Cosmographia (Antwerp, 1539) The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and others. In these celestial models, the apparent motions of the f...

 

 

Interstate 20

Interstate in southern US I-20 redirects here. For other uses, see I-20 (disambiguation). Interstate 20Route informationLength1,539.38 mi[1] (2,477.39 km)Existed1957–presentNHSEntire routeMajor junctionsWest end I-10 in Scroggins Draw, TXMajor intersections I-30 in Aledo, TX I-35W in Fort Worth, TX I-35E in Dallas, TX I-45 in Dallas, TX I-49 in Shreveport, LA I-55 in Jackson, MS I-59 from Meridian, MS to Birmingham, AL I-65 in Birmingham, AL I-75 / I-85 in A...

 

 

1928 United States Senate election in Delaware

1928 United States Senate election in Delaware ← 1922 November 6, 1928 1934 →   Nominee John G. Townsend Jr. Thomas F. Bayard Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 63,725 40,828 Percentage 60.95% 39.05% U.S. senator before election Thomas F. Bayard Jr. Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John G. Townsend Jr. Republican Elections in Delaware Federal government Presidential elections 1788-89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 184...

Church of São Lourenço (Almancil)

Church in Algarve, PortugalChurch of São LourençoChurch of Saint Lawrence of RomeIgreja de São LourençoThe eclectic Baroque design of the Church of São Lourenço37°4′55.51″N 8°0′32.19″W / 37.0820861°N 8.0089417°W / 37.0820861; -8.0089417LocationFaro, Algarve, AlgarveCountryPortugalDenominationRoman CatholicHistoryDedicationLawrence of RomeArchitectureStyleBaroqueSpecificationsLength19.55 m (64.1 ft)Width18.13 m (59.5 ft)Administrati...

 

 

CBS News Sunday Morning

CBS News Sunday MorningLogo pada tahun 1999GenreMajalah beritaPembuatCharles KuraltRobert NorthshieldSutradaraKen Sable (1979–1999)William M. Brady (1999–2011)Nora Gerard (2011–sekarang)PresenterCharles Kuralt (1979–1994)Charles Osgood (1994–sekarang)Anthony Mason (substitute)Penggubah lagu temaDon Smithers (1979–1998)Doc Severinsen (1998–2004)Wynton Marsalis (2004–sekarang)Lagu pembukaAbblasenNegara asalAmerika SerikatBahasa asliInggrisJmlh. musim34ProduksiProduser eksekutif...

 

 

الكرد في أرمينيا

الأكراد في أرمينيامناطق الوجود المميزةالبلد أرمينيا اللغاتاللغة الأم الكردية — الروسية — الأرمنية الدين إيزيدية — أهل السنة والجماعة — مسيحيون تعديل - تعديل مصدري - تعديل ويكي بيانات السكان الأكراد في أرمينيا (أخضر غامق). يشكل الأكراد في أرمينيا (بالأرمنية: Քրդերը Հայաս�...

Slan

1940 novel by A. E. van Vogt For the manga character, see List of Berserk characters § Slan. For the Irish phrase, see Slán Abhaile. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Slan – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) S...

 

 

Guinean Americans

Americans of Guinean birth or descent This article is about US residents with origins in the Republic of Guinea. For the group of Americans formerly known as Guinea people, see Chestnut Ridge people. Guinean AmericansTotal population3,016 (ancestry or ethnic origin, 2000 US Census)[1] 11,000 (Guinean born, 2008–2009 US Census)[2]Regions with significant populationsMainly Washington, DC, New York City, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Illinois and Rhode IslandLanguagesMain American Engl...

 

 

Lithuanian Americans

Americans of Lithuanian birth or descent Lithuanian AmericansAmerikos lietuviaiTotal populationc. 632,169 (2019)[1]Regions with significant populationsNortheastMidwestLanguagesAmerican EnglishLithuanianReligionMajority Roman CatholicRelated ethnic groupsLithuaniansLatvian Americans Lithuanian Americans refers to American citizens and residents who are Lithuanian and were born in Lithuania, or are of Lithuanian descent.[2] New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percenta...

Quando tutto cambia

Quando tutto cambiaBette Midler ed Helen Hunt in una scena del filmTitolo originaleThen She Found Me Paese di produzioneStati Uniti d'America Anno2007 Durata100 min. Rapporto1,85 : 1 Generecommedia, drammatico RegiaHelen Hunt SoggettoElinor Lipman SceneggiaturaHelen Hunt, Victor Levin ed Alice Arlen Distribuzione in italianoMedusa Film FotografiaPeter Donahue MontaggioPam Wise MusicheDavid Mansfield ScenografiaStephen Beatrice Interpreti e personaggi Helen Hunt: April Epner Colin Fir...

 

 

Uzazi

West African spice Dried Uzazi fruits Uzazi is the Nigerian name for the 'prickly ash' tree of genus Zanthoxylum tessmannii / Fagara tessmannii / Zanthoxylum gilletii, a member of the Rutaceae family, native to Central and West Africa, and a close relative of the Sichuan pepper. It usually refers specifically to the spice made from its fruit and pericarp, though sometimes other parts of it such as its leaves are used.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]...

 

 

مدخلات (حوسبة)

مدخلاتمعلومات عامةصنف فرعي من بيانات جزء من وحدات الإدخال و الإخراج تسبب في input (en) النقيض output (en) تعديل - تعديل مصدري - تعديل ويكي بيانات مجموعة أجهزة ملحقة بالحاسوب تساعد في ادخال البيانات مثل لوحة المفاتيح والفارة وغيرها المدخلات هي أي جهاز أو آلة لها القابلية على إدخال ال�...

الأبجد

الأبجد مصطلح في علم اللسانيات ويعني نظام كتابة تدل فيه الرموز على حروف صامتة، ويترك للقارئ أن يورد حرف العلة المناسب.[1] يستعمل هذا المصطلح لوصف الأبجديات التي لا تكتب الحروف الصوتية كالأبجدية العربية والعبرية والأرامية. تاريخ نظام كتابة نظام كتابة قائمة أنظمة الكتابة...

 

 

Пасицели (Балтська міська громада)

село Пасицели Храм святителя МиколаяХрам святителя Миколая Країна  Україна Область Одеська область Район  Подільський район Громада Балтська міська громада Код КАТОТТГ UA51120030250062529 Основні дані Засноване 1724 Населення 1,369 Площа 13,16 км² Густота населення 104,03 ос�...

 

 

Gina Curry

American politician Gina CurryCurry in 2022Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representativesfrom the 164th districtIncumbentAssumed office November 2, 2021Preceded byMargo L. Davidson Personal detailsBornGina Hackett Curry (1972-10-23) October 23, 1972 (age 51)Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPolitical partyDemocraticResidenceUpper DarbyEducationInstitute of Notre DameSt. Joseph's University (BA, MA)WebsiteOfficial website Gina Hackett Curry (born October 23, 1972) is an Ameri...

المجلس الوطني البحريني 1973

المجلس الوطني البحريني 1973 الفصل التشريعي الأول القيادة رئيس المجلس الوطني حسن جواد الجشيمنذ 16 ديسمبر 1973 نائب رئيس المجلس الوطني خليفة أحمد البنعليمنذ 16 ديسمبر 1973 أمين السر الشيخ عبدالله محمد المدنيمنذ 16 ديسمبر 1973 الأعضاء 30 عضو منتخب من الشعبرئيس الوزراء والوزراء بحكم من�...

 

 

سمير غانم

سمير غانم  سمير غانم في 1972    معلومات شخصية اسم الولادة سمير يوسف غانم  الميلاد 15 يناير 1937   أسيوط  الوفاة 20 مايو 2021 (84 سنة) [1]  المهندسين[2]  سبب الوفاة فطر أسود[3][4]  مواطنة المملكة المصرية (1937–1952) جمهورية مصر (1953–1958) الجمهورية العربية ال�...

 

 

Cinenen jawa

Cinenen jawa Status konservasi Risiko Rendah  (IUCN 3.1) Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: Passeriformes Famili: Cisticolidae Genus: Orthotomus Spesies: O. sepium Nama binomial Orthotomus sepiumHorsfield, 1821 Cinenen jawa (bahasa Latin: Orthotomus sepium) adalah spesies burung dari keluarga Cisticolidae, dari genus Orthotomus. Burung ini merupakan endemik di Indonesia, dan merupakan jenis burung pemakan ulat, laba-laba, serangga keci dan m...

I'm Not the Only One

I'm Not the Only OneSingel oleh Sam Smithdari album In the Lonely HourDirilis31 Agustus 2014GenreSoulDurasi3:59 (versi album)3:21 (radio edit)LabelCapitolPenciptaSam SmithJames NapierProduserJimmy NapesSteve FitzmauriceKronologi singel Sam Smith Stay with Me (2014) I'm Not the Only One (2014) Like I Can (2014) I'm Not the Only One adalah lagu yang direkam oleh penyanyi asal Inggris Sam Smith dari album studio debutnya, In the Lonely Hour (2014). Lagu ini ditulis oleh Smith bersama Jimmy Napes...

 

 

Caroline Rhys Davids

British academic Caroline Rhys DavidsBornCaroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids(1857-09-27)27 September 1857Wadhurst, EnglandDied26 June 1942(1942-06-26) (aged 84)Chipstead, EnglandNationalityBritishAlma materUniversity College LondonScientific careerFieldsBuddhist Studies, Pāli.InstitutionsSchool of Oriental Studies (today School of Oriental and African Studies), Victoria University of Manchester (today University of Manchester) Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids (1857–1942) was a B...