Category Archives: cold war

Good Luck and Godspeed, Gen. Anders

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Rest in peace, Maj. Gen. (ret.) William “Bill” Anders (USNA 1955), who passed away last Friday in San Juan Islands, Washington state, at the age of 90.

Apollo 8 was the first manned Saturn V mission, and the first to orbit the moon

(27 Dec. 1968) — “The Apollo 8 crew stands in the doorway of a recovery helicopter after arriving aboard the carrier USS Yorktown, the prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. Left to right, are astronauts Frank Borman, commander; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and William A. Anders, lunar module pilot. Apollo 8 splashed down at 10:51 a.m. (EST), Dec. 27, 1968, in the central Pacific approximately 1,000 miles south-southwest of Hawaii.” (NASA Photo S69-15737 )

Of the Apollo 8 Astronauts, only Jim Lovell now remains.

Born in 1933, Bill began his career as an Air Force pilot and, earning a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering in 1962, Major Anders was selected two years later to join NASA’s astronaut corps, serving as backup pilot for the Gemini XI and Apollo 11 flights, and lunar module pilot for Apollo 8– among the first man to orbit the moon, which he accomplished as a “space rookie” at age 35.

He later served as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ambassador to Norway, and served on the board of General Dynamics.

Of the Apollo Astronauts who only flew to the moon, Biloxi’s Fred Haise, and Lovell are the last two among us. Only four moonwalkers are left, David Scott, Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt, and Buzz Aldrin.

Ad Astra.

Hornet at 50

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Some 50 years ago today: The first Northrop YF-17 Cobra prototype made its first flight on 9 June 1974, with Northrop’s Chief Test Pilot, Henry “Hank” Chouteau, at the controls. The flight ran 61 minutes, reaching an altitude of 18,000 feet, and clocked a maximum speed of 610 miles per hour in the clear skies above Edwards AFB.

Photo: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

YF-17 chief test pilot Hank Chouteau, left, shakes hands with the Northrop CEO, T.V. Jones. Chouteau logged more than 7,300 flight hours in more than 80 models of aircraft and, having flown F-51s in Korea and F-5s in Vietnam, called the YF-17 a fighter pilot’s plane. (Photo credit: Northrop Grumman)

The aircraft, a single-seat all-weather interceptor powered by a pair of General Electric YJ-101s, was Northrop’s initial entry into the US Air Force’s Lightweight Fighter (LWF) technology evaluation program but would lose out when compared to the YF-16.

Via the March 1974 issue of Air Enthusiast International, click to big up

However, it would later morph into the carrier-capable Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF), the GE F-404 powered F/A-18 Hornet multirole fighter and attack aircraft, which would be adopted in 1978 with the first production aircraft delivered on 12 April 1980.

The same aircraft, now in Navy colors, was operated by NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in May-July 1976 for a series of drag studies. NASA Photo Collection

The above aircraft, 72-01569 (MSN 1), had been rolled out on 4 April 1974 and passed on to the Navy as Bu. No 201569.

It was later retired and is currently in the collection of the Western Museum of Flight at the old Torrance, California airport.

It currently wears a now proudly displays a rather fictitious paint scheme as well as the emblem of the Navy Fighter Weapons School.

Its only Cobra sister, 72-01570 (MSN 2), flew in August 1974 and was exhibited for a couple of years marked as the “F-18 Prototype.” In the collection of the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola since at least 1989, it has been on exhibit at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park since 1996.

YF-17(F/A-18) Prototype 72-01570 (MSN 2), Bu.No 201570 at USS Alabama Memorial Park, beside the USS Drum in the background. Note the Bicentennial flash on the tail, the Cobra program emblem on the nose, the GE logo on the body, and “Hank Chouteau” under the cockpit. The aircraft to the left is a Vietnam-era F-105B-1-RE 54-0102, an early Thunderchief test bird that spent most of her life at Edwards and in NASA’s hands before retiring to Brookley AFB and then the Alabama park. Photo by Chris Eger

Near Toronto? Time for CIAS!

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A Canadair CF-5 (officially designated the CF-116 Freedom Fighter) Serial No. 116742 from 433 “Porcupine” ÉTAC squadron based at CFB Bagotville, Quebec flies over Toronto, in September 1974. The pilot is doing a preview of the high-speed passes its squadron will make at the annual Canadian International Air Show (CIAS). Note the unfinished 1,800-foot-high CN Tower in the background.

(Toronto Star Archive)

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year, the Canadian International Air Show is North America’s longest-running airshow, and tickets go on sale this week.

The CN Tower still dominates the skyline.

Meanwhile, the top Freedom Fighter airframe, as detailed by Silverhawkauthor, was:

Originally ordered as RCAF 14742, re-marked before completion. Delivered directly to CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, where it served with No. 419 Squadron. With 433e L’Escadre de Combat when it visited Lossiemouth, UK in November 1975, and California in 1983. With No. 434 Squadron at CFB Chatham, NB in 1988. Back to No. 419 Squadron, with them in July 1989. Became instructional airframe 900B on 3 April 1993, used as a cockpit procedures trainer. In storage at Bristol Aerospace, Winnipeg, in December 1994. Reported damaged in handling accident at CFD Mountain View in the summer of 1995. Front fuselage in storage at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta in May 2006. Still there in 2009, stored for Cold Lake Museum. Nose section on display at Cold Lake Museum by 2010. Reported sold to Botswana, but that may just have been pieces of the airframe for spares.

 

Cold War Bruisers– IN COLOR!

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How about this great original color image of brand new frontline RAF and USAF strategic bombers, right out of the Cuban Missile Crisis era.

A Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan B.2 (s/n XH535) in flight with a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52H-135-BW Stratofortress (s/n 60-0006)–the first B-52H to fly– over the Mojave desert near Edwards Air Force Base on 10 July 1961. 

U.S. Air Force photo 342-C-KE-14932. National Archives Identifier 176246788

It is notable to compare the two frames, as most people forget just how big the Vulcan was. For reference, the B.2 Vulcan, which entered service in 1960, had a 111-foot wingspan and was 105 feet in length while the B-52H, which entered service the same year, spanned 185 feet and taped out at 159 feet in length. 

Both of these beautiful aircraft went on to meet tragic ends early in their career.

XH535 crashed during a test flight under A&AEE control near Chute, Wiltshire, on 11 May 1964 after entering a spin and then belly-flopping. Four of six crewmembers died, with the pilots saved (albeit the co-pilot with a broken back) as they were able to eject at low altitude.

SN 60-0006, while part of the 34th Bombardment Squadron, 17th Bombardment Wing, crashed while making a ground-controlled approach to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio on 30 May 1974– 50 years ago today– because the aircraft’s rudder and elevators failed. Luckily, there were no fatalities.

Freedom is never free.

ROKAF Pharewell

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South Korea recently held a ceremonial final flight for their F-4E Phantom IIs, and it is just beautiful imagery of the big beast.

The last 19 equipped the 153rd Fighter Squadron of the 10th Fighter Wing, based at Suwon, and included birds in special livery.

The lead jet, 80-735 was built as F-4E-67-MC No. 78-0735 and was the 5059th Phantom constructed in the U.S.. Of note, the last run of U.S.-built F-4s went to South Korea under the “Peace Pheasant II” program with 78-0744 being the 5068th and last Phantom to be built in America.

The F-4s recently took part in a 33-aircraft elephant walk, leading F-35s and FA-50s.

And graced the ROKAF’s beautiful poster marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Korean independence movement.

“I will remember your noble patriotic spirit”

The Phinal formation was escorted by KF-21 Boramae (Northern Goshawk) South Korea’s very F-22-like domestically-developed multi-role 4.5 gen fighter aircraft.

While the KF-21 is still in its teething phase, the ROKAF has no fighter shortage with the F-4 leaving as the country still has 170 F-16C/Ds, 39 F-35s (with more on order), 59 F-15Es, 60 locally built FA-60s, and 80 legacy 1970s era F-5 Tigers, which will be the next type to retire.

Korea first fielded the F-4D model in 1969 and over the years has had some 222 Phantoms of assorted types in service.

With over 5,000 F-4s built between 1958 and 1981, the type used to be flown by every branch of the U.S. military save for the Coast Guard as well as over a dozen key American allies. Now, with the Japanese retiring the Phantom in 2021 and Egypt putting it to bed in 2020, there are only the Greeks, Turks, and Iranians that still fly the type with, ironically, the latter being the most numerous with an estimated 60 D and E model birds still in service.

Sea Orbit at 60

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Some 60 years ago this week, the world’s ocean saw a novel naval squadron take to sea. On 13 May 1964, the first all-nuclear-powered task group, “Task Force One,” was organized and deployed to the Fleet as Carrier Division 2.

Comprising the brand new 93,000-ton supercarrier USS Enterprise (CVAN 65), the sleek and enigmatic 15,000-ton cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN 9), and the 9,000-ton destroyer leader USS Bainbridge (DLGN 25), the group, thanks to their dozen installed nuclear reactors (8 A2Ws on Enterprise, on 2 C1Ws on Long Beach, and 2 D2Gs on Bainbridge) could make 30+ knots non-stop for years, with their endurance limited generally to the amount of food aboard for their combined 7,600 sailors and Marines, and the finite quantity of lubricants and spare parts to keep things in motion.

U.S. Navy National Naval Aviation Museum photo NNAM.1996.488.125.008

They weren’t just showboats and had serious combat potential as well.

The “Big E,” whose radio callsign was “Climax,” had the newly redesignated Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 6 embarked (F-4B Phantoms of VF-102, F-8E Crusaders of VF-33, A-4C Skyhawks of VA-64, VA-66 and VA-76; A-1H Skyraiders of VA-65, A-5A Vigilantes of VAH-7, and smaller dets of E-1Bs, EA-1Fs, RF-8As, UH-As, and C-1As) while the two escorts brought a combined four twin Terrier launchers (with 200 missiles), a Talos twin (52 missiles), two ASROC matchboxes (16 missiles), two 5″/38s, two 3″/50s, and 4 triple ASW tubes along to keep the flattop safe.

Operation Sea Orbit, 1964. A formation of A4 Skyhawk jet aircraft flies over nuclear Task Force One, on whose return to the United States on October 3, 1964, concluded a sixty-five-day unreplenished world cruise. The three ships, USS Enterprise (CVAN-65); USS Long Beach (CLGN-9), and USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25), are under the command of Rear Admiral Bernard M. Strean, aboard the carrier. Photograph released October 2, 1964. Accession #: 330-PSA-211-64 (KN 29719)

The force was under the command of RADM (later VADM) Bernard M. Strean (USNA 1929)– an Oklahoma-born naval aviator who earned the Navy Cross for personally scoring a direct bomb hit on a Japanese aircraft carrier in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Task Force One’s Mediterranean deployment turned into a high-speed circumnavigation, dubbed Operation Sea Orbit. In all, they traveled 34,732 statute miles without refueling or taking on supplies in just 65 days (57 steaming), covering 600 miles each steaming day on average.

Nonetheless, they made time to make six non-replenishing port calls (Karachi, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, and Rio De Janeiro) and “fly-by” visits in which local dignitaries were flown in from 10 other far-lung ports (Rabat, Dakar, Monrovia, Freetown, Abidjan, Cape Town, Nairobi, Montevideo, Buenos Aries, and Sao Paulo).

Operation Sea Orbit, 1964. Officials at Dakar, Senegal, were flown to Enterprise for an air demonstration as the nuclear task force sailed down the coast of Africa in the first phase of the global cruise. Captain E.W. Hassel, Chief of Staff for the Commander of the Task Force escorts Senegalese cabinet officials. Photograph released August 22, 1964. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. (2015/11/03). Accession #: 330-PSA-178-64 (USN 11042204)

As noted by the Navy:

The World Cruise has a dual mission. It offers practical experience in the operation of nuclear-powered warships independent of support ships, a fast impractical for conventionally powered ships. Equally important, and immediately evident is the opportunity to win friends in areas not frequently visited by U.S. Navy ships, and to show the world an all-nuclear element of the world’s great power for peace.

Of note, several men of TF1 were descendants of Great White Fleet sailors, Teddy Roosevelt’s slow battleship force that had taken 14 months to cover its 42,000 mile/20 port call circumnavigation a half-century prior.

The Navy men who had relatives aboard ships in the Great White Fleet, 1907-09, are, (left to right): Aerographer’s Mate Third Class William C. Longstreet, USN, whose grandfather made the cruise in 1907; Chief Electrician’s Mate J.E. Norton, USN, whose uncle Joseph Starr was a Quartermaster with the Great White Fleet; Boatswain’s Mate Third Class Henry Lopez, who had an uncle, Eddie Romers, in the Great White Fleet, and Fireman William C. Stock, whose father sailed with the 16 battleships on their history-making voyage. 330-PSA-208-64 (USN 1105502)

Of course, the above is a rarity that could never occur today, as the Navy has long ago put its nuclear-powered escorts to pasture as part of the Great Clinton-era Cruiser Slaughter. Speaking of which, all of the ships of TF1 have long been retired, with Enterprise the last leaving the fleet, decommissioned on 3 February 2017 (although her hulk remains).

VADM Strean passed in 2002, aged 91, and, besides Task Force One, he went on to be the technical adviser for the 1976 film “Midway” and helped establish the Naval Air Museum. His papers are in the NHHC Collection.

Tiger Stripe Redux

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Spotted in the PI recently, 1st Group guys are channeling a very 1969 Southeast Asia vibe with Tiger Stripe pattern cammies to include boonie hats and full-color patches. I think it is a great look for a peacetime training deployment, especially because Apocalypse Now was filmed in the Philippines and the obvious Vietnam-era tie-in to the pattern in that region.

A U.S. Army Green Beret from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) overlooks movement on an objective alongside a service member with the Philippine National Police Special Action Force the, during Balikatan 24 in Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2024. BK 24 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Asa Bingham)

U.S. Army Green Berets from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) meet with service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command with 5th Scout Ranger Company, 5th Scout Ranger Battalion, 1st Scout Ranger Regiment-1st Light Reaction Company, 1st Light Reaction Battalion, Light Reaction Regiment, and the Philippine National Police Special Action Force to discuss training in Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, during Balikatan 24, April 27, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Asa Bingham) (Portions of this image have been blurred for security reasons.)

A U.S. Army Green Beret from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducts an after-action review with service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command during Balikatan 24 in Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Asa Bingham) (Portions of this image have been blurred for security reasons.)

A U.S. Army Green Beret from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) practices military movement techniques alongside service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command 5th Scout Ranger Company, 5th Scout Ranger Battalion, 1st Scout Ranger Regiment during Balikatan 24 in Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2024.  (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Asa Bingham) (Portions of this image have been blurred for security reasons.)

For reference, check out this below shot of an ERDL-clad SGT Curtis E. Hester firing his M-16 rifle, while Tiger-striped SGT Billy H. Faulks calls for air support, Co D, 151st (Ranger) Inf., Vietnam, 1969.

For those curious about Tiger Stripe and its effectiveness, check the below.

Q Approved: The 7.65 PPK Returns

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When the Walther PPK was introduced in 1931, billed as a smaller version of the company’s PP series meant for use by plain-clothed detectives (the PPK stands for Polizei Pistole Kriminal), it was in chambered in 7.65x17mm Browning Short, which we know over here on this side of the Atlantic as John Browning’s .32 ACP.
This was soon augmented with variants offered in .380 ACP and, by 2013, Walther discontinued the .32 version of both the PPK and PPK/S.

Some 31 years after the PPK was introduced, MI6 armorer Major Boothroyd, or Q, would famously issue CDR James Bond, RN, one in lieu of his .25 ACP Beretta, describing it as: “Walther PPK. 7.65mm with a delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window.”

Now, with improvements in bullet and propellant design leading to the resurgence of 9mm over .40 caliber, and .380 seen as the new 9mm, and .32 seen as the new .380, the stubby little round is much more popular these days.
And so, it should be no surprise that Walther is bringing the “old” caliber back for both the PPK and the PPK/S, in both stainless and black variants. All models have the classic Walther styling coupled with a hammer drop decocking safety, fixed sights, and a wave cut atop the slide to reduce glare.

The standard PPK, which is shorter at a pocketable 3.8 inches high, has a 7+1 shot capacity while the taller (4.3 inches high) PPK/S has an 8+1 capacity. All models share the same 3.3-inch barrel length and 6.1-inch overall length.

The Unrealized Promise of VTOL Fighters…

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Some 55 years ago, from 4-to-11 May 1969, the first “City-Centre to City-Centre” transoceanic jet flight in history was completed by an RAF Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1, XV741, from No.1(F) Squadron, conducting VTOL take-offs and landings from the water-soaked platforms in London and New York, with Squadron Leader Tom Lecky-Thompson at the controls.

As noted by the RAF:

It recorded the fastest time from [a disused coal yard near St Pancras Station in] London to the top of [a pier on the Hudson River near] the Empire State Building in Manhattan: 6 hours 11 minutes and 57.15 seconds. Refueled by a Victor tanker aircraft, this was completed for the Daily Mail-sponsored London – New York transatlantic air race.

The nonplussed Thompson, a Suez veteran who joined the RAF at 17, carried a sack lunch consisting of “a chicken leg and a bottled drink, possibly ginger beer, which I consumed halfway across.”

Meanwhile, XV741 is preserved at the Brooklands Museum, Surrey.

Weekend Warriors

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How about this great shot of a stubby U.S. Naval Air Reserve North American FJ-1 Fury fighter, BuNo 120368 F-101 of the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU) from Naval Air Station Oakland, May 1951. Note the large “Weekend Warrior” nose art.

U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.7237.023

The same jet– along with others assigned to Oakland with the same nose art– appeared in several images taken around the same time over the Bay Area, possibly taken for use in recruiting drives.

Ordered along with the similarly jet-powered carrier-borne fighters– Vought XF6U-1 Pirate, McDonnell XFD-1 Phantom, and the McDonnell XF2D-1 Banshee– late in WWII for Operation Olympic/Coronet, the planned invasion of Japan set for May of 1946, the FJ-1 Fury utilized the anemic Allison J35-A-2 turbojet, good for 4,000 pounds of thrust, to lift its 15,000-pound frame.

Good for about 475 knots, it carried a six-pack of .50 cal Brownings clustered in its nose– the last U.S. Navy jet with a .50 caliber armament– with 1,500 rounds carried, and no weight allocation for underwing hardpoints.

Notably, the first operational Navy jet fighter squadron, VF-5A (renamed VF-51 in August 1948), was equipped with FJ-1s and made history in March 1948 with a series of workups on the straight-decked Essex-class carrier USS Boxer (CV-21). 

FJ-1 Fury of VF 5A flown by CDR Pete Aurand traps on the flight deck of the carrier Boxer (CV 21) in the first underway test on 17 March 1948.

USS Boxer CV-21 March 1948 off San Diego, First operational jet fighter squadron VF-5A’s FJ-1 Fury. LIFE Kodachrome.

USS Boxer CV-21 March 1948 off San Diego, First operational jet fighter squadron VF-5A’s FJ-1 Fury. LIFE Kodachrome.

USS Boxer CV-21 March 1948 off San Diego, First operational jet fighter squadron VF-5A’s FJ-1 Fury. LIFE Kodachrome.

VF-5A also made a bit of history by winning the Bendix Trophy in 1948, beating out Air Force F-80 Shooting Stars in the cross-country race.

CDR Pete Aurand’s FJ-1 Fury aircraft of Fighter Squadron (VF) 51 lined up for the Bendix Trophy Race at Long Beach, California, in 1948.

With its first flight in November 1946, and, with the new and much better performing F9F-2 Panther introduced by 1949, the Fury’s career was limited and, with just 30 production models delivered to the Navy, they transitioned to the USNR as a transition trainer for pilots moving from Hellcats and Corsairs into jets, before the type was retired in 1953, having just served seven years.

In that short period, at least nine of the 30 operational FJ-1s were written off after crackups, lost in accidents, or ditched at sea, taking at least five aviators with them. Not an enviable safety record. 

Of course, the Fury would make a much more successful return to service in its swept-wing FJ-2/-3/-4 format, which was the tailhook-carrying hot rod brother of the famed F-86 Sabre, but that is another story.

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