102nd Fighter Squadron

Pohang, Airfield,  Republic of Korea

The battles continue.  The front has stabilized and our grunts are preparing for a massive breakout assault to the north near Yeongdeong.  The North Korean air force has effectively been taken out of the fight by our concentrated Offensive Counter Air campaign.  Much of the North’s air fields lay in ruins and those planes that do manage to get up face a torrent of allied air.  Numerically superior on the ground to the west and north west, the enemy has been exposed to the North east.  The road  leading south from Yeongdeong, currently under the control of the north, will be the point of the allied assault.  Our mission will be to prepare the battle area by attritting those enemy forcing concentrated in the area of Yeongdeong and demoralizing the individual North Korean foot soldier.  

Flying the tiny F5E-Tiger II the 102nd squadron has made measurable contributions to the allied cause and today will be no different.   As previously stated the F5E is tiny.  It is also easy to fly and easy to maintain.  Although never really a major player in the United States Air Force, it has seen significant export sales and has served with distinction in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force.  Further, it has proved perfectly suited to serve with the US aggressor squadrons simulating various enemy platforms.    Thus far in battle the F5E has performed very well.  

This afternoon, I will lead a two ship code name Jackal11 and 12 on the mission, the details of which can be see in the above graphics. 

Going over the flight plan with my wing, we discuss the details of the mission and the flight profile that we will assume.  Yeongdeong is just a few short miles north of our airfield so it will be a relatively short mission.  Also since we will be operating very close to friendly forces we should stand a pretty good chance of rescue if we find trouble.  

Sitting on the tarmac after completing the start up procedure, I look over my maps and intel data.  I stage my radios with number one on ground and number two on guard.   Canopy up, I  run down the checklist just one more time to make sure all switches are in the proper positions and all systems are code one.  Once I am satisfied, I contact ground "Pohang* ground from Jakal1 request taxi instructions. "Pohang to Jackal, you are cleared to taxi, hold short runway 08 contact the tower for take-off instructions".  With that I drop the canopy and bump the throttles forward to initiate forward movement.  We are number two for take off following a pair of Phantoms.   My forward movements reaches about 8 knots and I fall into line behind the Phantoms with my number too behind me.   Following our flight is another flight of Phantoms.  We are sandwiched between the Phantoms on route to the active.  We continue to taxi while I listen to the war on guard.  It seems as though our friends in the Yeongdeong area are taking one hell of a beating from allied air.  I listen as the Forward Air Controllers, call in strike after strike on the enemy.  Planes are stacked up for thousands of feet waiting their turn to roll in on the enemy.   I sit in the cockpit wondering if there will be anything left for us once we get up into the target area.  

Holding short of the active I switch my radio over to the tower freq and request permission to take off.  Their is still a pair of Phantoms on the runway and I watch them line themselves up as I wait for the tower to respond to my request.   The exhaust on the Phantoms goes from a smoky black to a bright orange flame that extends several feet out of the ass end.  Their burners on full they are hurtled down the runway picking up speed as the gobble up runway.  The look heavy, but lift gently into the afternoon air as they reach flying speed.   A few seconds after clearing the runway, the radio crackles "Jackal1 cleared for takeoff, runway 08, winds out of the west at eight knots, temperature 21 degrees Celsius, contact Sentry after clearing Pohang air space, good luck sir".   With that, I nudge my tiny fighter onto the active runway and taking a position on the left side with Jackal12 on my right a few feet behind.  

Opening up the throttles full, the acceleration builds slowly but within a matter of seconds I am racing down the runway like a shot through a gun.  I watch as the airspeed passes through 150 knots and then start to apply gentle back pressure on the control stick.  Maintaining a 8 degree nose up, the front wheel comes off the ground and as my speed builds the entire plane lifts free of gravity.  I maintain a straight and steady climb until my speed passes through 220knots.  Then I retract the landing gear and initiate a smooth left turn keeping my nose above the horizon.   Picking up a heading towards the battle area, I continue to climb to a relatively safe (from shoulder fired missiles) 12000 feet.    Once level, I call "Jackal12 from 11, close in tight".  Looking over to my left, I watch as 12 follows my directions.  It is only 25 miles to the target area and from our seat high above the battle we can see the flashes as the enemy forces get pounded from Allied air.  We check in with the FAC as we approach the target area.  Relaying our ordinance information to the FAC we wait our turn to join the assault.

As we close on the target we enter a holding pattern waiting our turn to join the foray.  And after several minutes of flying circles in the sky we receive instructions "Eyeball to Jackal1, you are number one to target, call when off target".  "Rgr"  I roll inverted to get a good look at the target area through the top of my cockpit.  The charred remains of enemy vehicles litters the field below but there are plenty of targets for us.  Continuing inverted I give the following "Jackal12, weapons red, attack targets".  "Rgr" is the reply.  I continue away from the target as Jackal12 rolls in.  Keeping my eye on the enemy, I roll right and pull around putting the enemy column on my nose.   Punching in my Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU-58B) as the active weapon.  Below I watch as Jackal12's bombs touch off in the midst of the enemy column.  "Damn"  I think as the napalm burns ferociously below.  "Well, that outta keep their heads down" I think as I close in on the target.  

Closing in I switch to CCIP as accuracy is important but since I am using clusters I just need to get it on line and let the spread pattern of the weapon do the rest.  Marching my death dot over the center of the enemy column I punch off one canister and then pull up into the sun.

Pulling off target, I crank my neck around to see if my bombs hit the target.  Little sparkles erupt in the target area as my bomblets impact the middle of the enemy column.  Vortices swirls off my wingtips as I climb out of harms way.  I continue south and my wing passes in the opposite direction making his second run on the target.  I get myself turned around just as my wing releases a string of CBUs on the target.  Jackal12 gets a little too close to the ground but is able to pull out before fragging himself.  Earth, men, and machine are flung into the air as several hundred bomblets detonate on the the enemy below.  I dive in watching as men run, and crawl for cover, some of their equipment still smoldering from our attack.  I quickly make my napalm the active weapon and maneuver to a good release point.    My plane buffets just a bit as it loses the weight of my napalm canisters.  

Instinctively I dump flares and chaff as I pull off target.  Again, I careen my neck around to see the effect of the attack.  The once mighty armored column is decimated and in retreat, I call for Jackal12 to rejoin and advise the Eye that we are off target.  

Closing ranks, Jackal12 and I head back towards base.  Calling for landing instructions I set up for a straight in approach.  We head back to the airfield in close formation and line up with the runway.  I pull the throttles back and pop out the air brake, the friction cause a fairly rapid deceleration and I pull the breaks in once my speed stabilizes at 150.  "The VASI lights are red over white so I am alright"  I concentrate as I drop my undercarriage.    Staying focused on the touch down spot (the numbers) I maintain my altitude by manipulating the throttle I ride the glide path all the way to the ground, touching down with a screech and a puff of smoke from my tires.  

In the debriefing we realize that between us Jackal12 and I have inflicted serious damage to the enemy, collectively we were responsible for 19 enemy kills.  We un-suit and head over for chow before we have to get ready for the next mission.   In a matter of hours our offensive will be starting and we will be thrust back into action flying Close Air Support missions for the rest of the day.  It is going to be a long one.

Puma -