Kunsan Air Base's video: Operation Bolo

ONE OF THE GREATEST MILITARY OPERATIONS WAS CARRIED OUT 53 YEARS AGO! On 2 January 1967, North Vietnamese radar operators picked up a strike force of American fighter-bombers heading north towards an area known as Thud Ridge. The radar signatures and the speeds the aircraft were flying corresponded with the typical flight characteristics of Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs on a bomb run. Pilots from the Vietnamese Peoples Air Force’s (VPAF) elite 921st Fighter Regiment were scrambled to intercept in their latest fighter, the Soviet built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed). The MiG-21 pilots from the 921st had had some early success in attacking American fighter-bombers utilizing hit and run tactics. Flying in a three-ship, the VPAF pilots would have a single MiG-21 attack first to draw the escort fighters away, while the remaining two MiGs attacked the bomb-laden American North American F-100 Super Sabres, or Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs. The MiGs didn’t have to bring down an aircraft for their mission to be considered successful. Disrupting the fighter-bomber formations enough to force them to jettison their tanks and bombs, and to abandon their target was enough. The American fighter-bombers were at a disadvantage, the restrictive rules of engagement forced the formations to fly through specific corridors (to avoid flying over prohibited areas) and were only allowed to attack certain targets. Because of this, their routes and targets became predictable. As the MiG-21 pilots gained altitude that day, they came through the cloud cover just behind a formation, expecting to see the lumbering fighter-bombers. Instead they flew right into an ambush of F-4 Phantoms. The Phantoms were from the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, led by Col Robin Olds, a WWII ace. Olds came to the 8th Fighter Wing in September 1966, a time when the rules of engagement prohibited American airmen from attacking North Vietnamese airfields. The plan was to use the VPAF’s hit and run tactics against them. Olds knew that the MiGs preferred attacking the fighter-bombers, so his men would do everything they could to serve them up exactly what they wanted. In order to masquerade their F-4s as lumbering F-105s, the F-4 force would fly at the same altitudes and speeds typically flown by an F-105 carrying a full payload, using their routes and call signs during the mission. The 8 TFW needed one more thing to really sell the ruse: the F-105s were equipped with QRC-160 ECM pods to counter the surface-to-air missile (SAM) threat during their strike missions, these pods emitted a distinct signal. Up until that point this type of ECM pod had never been used by F-4s, making it the perfect calling card that the aircraft were F-105s. On 2 January 1967 the mission was given the go. The flights used call signs of car manufactures, a practice used by the F-105s. The MiG-21 pilots took the bait and flew directly into the ambush set up by Operation Bolo. That day, 7 enemy MiGs were shot down which accounted for roughly 50% of the North Vietnamese inventory. The operation was a huge success and dealt a swift blow to the Vietnamese Peoples Air Force’s. By Wars end, the 8 TFW (known as the Wolfpack) was credited with a total of 38.5 aerial victories, the highest total of any USAF wing during the war. Of the 68 MiG-21s claimed by the Air Force during the War, 14 were credited to the 8 TFW. --------------------------------------------------------- BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE! The Kunsan Air Base channel brings you the latest insights from the United States Air Force's mission in the Republic of Korea. Visit our channel for in-depth and extended coverage on military events and missions at Kunsan Air Base: http://bit.ly/KunsanAirBase Website: https://www.kunsan.af.mil/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KunsanAirBase/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kunsanairba... Credit: Staff Sgt. Anthony Hetlage