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A Thrilling Edition Recording the Vital Role of the F-105 Thunderchief in Vietnam.
ROLLING THUNDER
By Robert Taylor
Artist Proof
Led by Jack Broughton, F-105 Thunderchiefs of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing fly down ‘Thud Ridge’ to strike the Thermal Power plant at Viet Tri, during the Vietnam War 12 March 1967. Scorching along in afterburner at just below the speed of sound, the heavily armed Thuds are just a few minutes short of the target.
The date: March 12, 1967. The target: The large thermal power plant at Viet Tri, on the Red River, a short distance to the northwest of Hanoi. Heavily defended by 100mm and 85mm gun positions, missile sites and the usual barrage of ground-fire encountered on any mission “downtown,” the task of the leading flight was to hammer the guns and clear the way for the closely following strike force to lay their bombs squarely on the power plant. They would all have to contend with the ever-present likelihood of MiG interception on the way out.
Leading the 355th TFW F-105 Thunderchiefs out of Takhli Thai Air Base, Colonel Jack Broughton took the familiar route, approaching the target area flying down Thud Ridge. As the high ground fell away he pushed his flight of four ships down to the deck and, “going like hell,” Broughton swung the leading Thuds southwest, just enough to give those on the ground the impression they were headed somewhere south of Viet Tri.
Not quite abreast of the target, Broughton called the “pop,” and as the Thuds passed vertical they rolled to inverted going over the top, completing a giant wifferdill, attacking the guns from the opposite direction. Beneath them the big gun pits were lined up, their gunners confused by the maneuver, and before they could work out what was happening the F-105 pilots emptied their loads of CBUs into the middle of them.
Behind the Thuds came the strike force and, with the air cleared of the usual flak barrage, unloaded their bombs right onto the thermal power plan. The facility was destroyed in one of the best-planned and executed raids of the war.
THE ARTIST PROOF SIGNATURESEach print is signed by four of the U.S. Air Force’s most distinguished and highly decorated F-105 pilots who saw combat action during the fiercest air fighting in North Vietnam:
ColonelJACK M BROUGHTON
Lieutenant ColonelHAROLD W BINGAMAN
Lieutenant ColonelMAX C BRESTEL
This outstanding secondary market artwork being signed by F-105 pilots makes this print one of the great collectors items from that era.
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Please note: The signatures on our pieces are not reproductions; they are original autographs, hand-signed by the veterans involved at the time of publishing.
