F-4 Phantom II: Vietnam and Beyond
The birth of the F-4 began in October of 1954 when the United States Navy submitted a letter of intent to acquire prototypes of a new fighter design from the McDonnell Douglas Company. The need at the time for the Navy was an aircraft with very specific capabilities, the ability to fly 250 miles in front of the fleet, maintain a combat air support role for 2 hours, engage in aerial combat and after all of that return safely to the aircraft carrier all within a three hour time frame (Boyne, 1985). The first prototypes of the F-4 had missiles only as guns were considered out of date and useless in aerial combat; this would prove to be untrue and later variations of the aircraft would include guns. Little
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Cuban MiG-17s had reportedly strafed a fishing vessel 50 miles south of the United States coast. A pair of United States Marine Corps F-4s were scrambled to investigate. The ensuing event was the jets maneuvering with one another, over the water, with no shots fired. This meeting would come to show that the F-4 did not have the maneuverability to beat the MiG-17 in a tight turning dog fight. Another negative to the F-4 comes from its powerful turbo jet engines, the Navy requires its aircraft to have dual engines for survivability, a feature that would serve the Phantom well in its ground support role as it took constant ground fire; however, when fully loaded the engines would create a smoke trail that could be seen for up to 30 miles away. These factors and lessons learned would lead to a change in the doctrine of U.S. aerial warfare. The F-4 was built with the ability to quickly climb and set numerous world records in speed, altitude, and climb. These records would be utilized as the tactic for F-4s in a dog fight with an aircraft more maneuverable than them would be to roll and climb, creating distance between themselves and their opponents before turning nose down and diving towards their enemy for the kill. This would help even the odds and would lead to a higher kill than death ratio over the skies of
... aircrafts in their time. Likewise they also sunk a German destroyer and permanently put a German torpedo boat out of action due to damages.
For as long as most of the world can remember aviation has played a major factor in how wars are fought. Starting in World War I the worlds fighting forces began using aircraft to conduct surveillance missions over enemy territory. While these aircraft were not the masters of stealth that todays aircraft are there was no technology to take down these planes at the time. Air-to-air combat was an event that rarely happened and was almost never effective.
In today’s world, the use of airplanes in wars or in everyday life has become a part of how we live as human beings. Removing the air forces of the world is like taking a step back in time when wars were only fought on land or sea. WWI began only eleven short years after the Wright brothers achieved powered flight in 19031 and yet aircrafts were being used for surveillance and eventually combat purposes. It is understood that these aircrafts were primitive, but they laid down the foundation for what we know today as fighter jets. The Fokker Eindecker “revolutionized air combat by successfully employing a synchronized forward -firing machine gun mounted on the engine cowling”2. Because this airplane became the first to successfully use a synchronized machine gun, it allowed its pilots to become the first aerial combat tactitions3.
In Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Iraqi forces fired 93 Scud missiles at coalition forces in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. (Rostker) Air Defense Artillery (ADA) played an immensely significant role in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with units from 11th Brigade Air Defense Artillery and the 32d Air Defense Command rapidly deploying into theater. The effectiveness of the units and their roles in fighting this war proved that Air Defense Artillery was critical to the success of the campaign. Although Patriot Batteries placed strategically throughout Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel played a tremendous tactical role in these wars, High-Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) was not the only type of surface to air missile system in place to protect ground forces and valuable military assets. Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) units also deployed with the air defense units. These weapon systems, integrated with ground forces, provided air defense to dominate against aircraft and Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBM) on the front lines.
The British were outnumbered 900 fighters to 640 fighters plus the Germans had an additional 1,300 bombers. With these statistics, the Luftwaffe thought that they would have a very easy time defeating the Royal Air Force. Even though the British were outnumbered, they had a few advantages that the Luftwaffe was unaware of. First, they develope...
Admiral Fletcher commanded the U.S.S. Yorktown before it was sunk by the Japanese. Then at 0750, Japan spots nine enemy (American) planes fifteen miles out. Tones, a Japanese cruiser, opened fire on the American pilot. Almost instantly, if an American bomber plane were hit, it would explode and go down. The bombers dropped their torpedoes far from their targets, so the torpedoes didn’t land a single blow to Japan.
The. Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Print. The. "
Lawson, Robert L., and Barrett Tillman. U.S. Navy Air Combat: 1939-1946. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub., 2000. Print.
During the World War II there was many different aspects on the Allies side that helped them defeat the Axis Powers. One crucial aspect for the Allies was the well-built airborne divisions. The 82nd Airborne Division, from the United States Army, was considered to be the firmest and most successful division during the Second World War. After being reactivated for World War II, the men of the 82nd Airborne division took on intense training to later on take part in some of the most dangerous missions of World War II.
American tanks were much quicker than other tanks, but with the downside of lighter armor. The reason American tanks were so cheap and were not of high quality was because they were mass produced and were made with thinner armor than Germany’s late war tanks. America also had to transport these tanks over an ocean to Europe, so the tanks had to be light. The Americans had produced forty eight thousand Sherman tanks during the war, making it the most produced tank during that time (Fleming 16). Two things that had helped the Americans during the war were the P-47 Thunder Bolt and the Bazooka. The P-47 Thunder Bolt was a plane that was used to break up Germany armor concentrations, clearing the way for the division’s advance. The Bazooka could
The Vietnam War both demonstrated the excellence of air defenders, and helped America learn lessons in order to evolve into an era with even better air defense than ever thought possible. The American military did not shoot down a single aircraft with air defense weapons during the Vietnam War. There were many operations which air defenders made a difference in Vietnam. Several of these operations occurred on Route 9. The events on Route 9 proved very difficult and brutal, however Sergeant Stout and other air defenders demonstrated the excellence still expected of air defenders today. The success of the North Vietnamese forced the United States (U.S.) to become better equipped as well. During operation
Much like pervious war movies, the 1968 film The Green Berets was a movie to promote the conflict in Vietnam. The movie stared American Hero John Wayne, who played in many war movies and westerns that justified American conflicts over its enemies. John Wayne and Ray Kellogg directed the film with intensions to plant a positive story for the public, particularly the children for the justification of Vietnam. They made the movie by laying a familiar cinematic feel through a cowboys vs. Indians feel. Almost portraying a modern day “wild west” feel, by having the Green Berets as Cavalry, South Vietnamese as friendly Indian trackers, North Vietnamese/Viet Cong as the bad Indians, and the Villagers as the besieged settles. John Wayne went to President
The United States Army has been through many changes since its start in 1775, yet it remains the greatest, most disciplined all volunteer fighting force in the world. Like the service members of the past and present, many Army units have contributed to the success of our military, and like those service members many have been lost. Even though these units are not as well known as the divisions they have belonged to, they have enriched the history of our Army just the same. The achievements of the 123rd Aviation Battalion have contributed to the history and success of our nations battles.
The men of the 714th Tank Battalion served their country in its greatest time of need. A key element of the 12th Armored Division, the 714th fought in harsh conditions against a desperate German enemy for five consecutive months, driving the Nazi Armies from France and back into the German heartland.
The Higgins boat, other wise known as an LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) played a major role in attacks upon shallow beaches throughout the war. The Higgins boat is a very rugged rectangle boat with a bow that lowers down like a ramp in order to deposit troops or vehicles on shore. The LCVP also had a tunnel that protected the propellers for shallow waters and unsuspected obstructions. The boat is 36’3” long and 10’10” wide, even though it is small it could carry 36 troops or 12 troops and a vehicle. The boat didn’t only play a major role in D-Day but in many attack on Japanese islands as well. This boat was a very important innovation because of it’s unique ability to land on any shore imaginable, from sandy bottom to coral reef.