Days before this color film was shot by Air Force cameramen, Barry McGuire’s iconic protest song, “Eve of Destruction”, made its debut on American Top Forty radio. The Beatles’ “Help!” shared the top 10 with music including Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe”, the Beach Boys’ “California Girls”, and the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction”. Average cost of a house in the U.S. was a bit over $20,000.
F-100s flew strike missions, and later, ground support sorties. Through the ensuing years of war in Southeast Asia, more than 240 F-100s were lost.
In these scenes, F-100 tail number 63056 receives a brand new tire. This F-100 outlived the war, ultimately being written off in 1985 as a QF-100 drone.
Footage provides great historical imagery about ground handling and arming operations for the F-100s and also F-105s. Wires prevent the fuse vanes from spinning until the bomb is dropped, retaining the wire at the pylon, now freeing the vane to spin and arm the weapon in free-fall.
Silver Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs roar from the runway, bombs clustered on each F-105’s centerline as well as one outboard on each wing. Built with an internal weapons bay, F-105s in Southeast Asia combat often carried a fuel tank in the bay, with bombs mounted externally on the aircraft. The last combat downing of an F-105 in Southeast Asia came in November 1972. In this war, 395 F-105s were lost; 334 to enemy action and the rest o operational accidents.
In this footage, F-105D 61-0139 is seen on the tarmac. Two years later, this F-105 collided with another Thunderchief in flight, destroying both aircraft.
The footage includes views from inside an Air Force O-1 Bird Dog firing white phosphorous – Willy Pete – rockets to mark targets for the fighter bombers to strike.
I’m Fred Johnsen for the Airailimages Channel. It’s more than 60 years since this historic film was made. How many of the men depicted here are still with us? I hope you enjoyed this rare film, and will give it a Thumbs Up..."
