VENETIC

Bridge Strike

Sông Lâu River

21 January 1967

by W.S. McCallum

Aerial reconnaissance shows recent reconstruction of a previously knocked-out bridge over the Sông Lâu River… As part of a multi-target operation on the Sông Lâu River, North Vietnam, 4 Phantoms and 4 Skyhawks have been assigned to destroy the bridge.

The bridge is guarded and watched by NVA ground troops and AA guns.

A 37 mm AA gun guards the western bank of the river.

On the eastern bank, there are two batteries of AA guns.

Two 85 mm AA guns…

And three ZPU-1s:

They cover the eastern side of the river.

They have already been warned by coastal radar units that aircraft are approaching, an air raid alarm has been sounded, and the vicinity of the bridge is now deserted.

The local street is empty and the shops are shuttered.

The strike starts with the flight of 4 Phantoms, who have been assigned the task of knocking out the AA guns before the Skyhawks go in with their heavy bombs.

The first Phantom comes in low over the karst hills.

Hearing the approach, the 37 mm AA gun is ready and opens fire.

It misses and the Phantom fires its 20 mm cannon, kicking up a lot of dirt and supressing the AA gun crew.

The Phantom flies over the gun’s position.

And then finds itself in the sights of the heavy guns on the other bank.

There is a hair-raising near-miss but the plane roars over unscathed.

The second Phantom dives in, making another strike at the 37 mm gun from up-river.

The gun crew are sitting ducks.

A third Phantom swoops in to take out the heavy guns, flying in over the shophouses on the eastern bank.

They open fire, but the plane is too fast and too low.

Its precision airstrike takes out both 85 mm AA guns.

The ZPU-1s fire at the Phantom as it passes by.

The fourth Phantom opts for the same approach, hoping that the smoke from the previous airstrike will reduce visibility.

It roars over the commander of the destroyed 85 mm battery, who is reduced to shaking his fist and swearing.

The ZPU-1s are ready for it and open fire.

Some of their fire is erratic, but they hit the Phantom.

The crew blow off their cockpit canopies and eject.

They land on the far side of the river, and are soon scrambling to reach a paddy field so they can wave to the next plane coming in.

Unfortunately, a squad of NVA soldiers is stationed in the grounds of a nearby temple. They move out to round up the pilots.

As they do so, the first Skyhawk zooms overhead to strike the bridge.

Its bomb misses the bridge, and the pilot starts receiving flak from the ZPU-1s.

The Skyhawk is hit!

The pilot hits the button to blast off his canopy and ejects. The wind carries him for miles, far away from the bridge. Maybe he will evade capture.

The second Skyhawk decides to come in over the jetty.

His bomb hits, but does not destroy the bridge.

The AA battery lets rip.

They hit but only cause superficial damage. The jet flies on.

A third Skyhawk comes in from the other side of the river.

Another hit! But again, the bomb only causes slight damage.

And the pilot passes into the fire zone of the awaiting AA battery.

Their aim is wide, and he opens up with his 20 mm cannon, causing them to duck but not hitting anyone.

The final Skyhawk takes a similar approach….

Its bombs miss the bridge and it roars over the flak battery, taking no hits.

The US strike force has lost two planes and three men to the NVA, with one other jet slightly damaged. The NVA have lost 3 of their 6 AA guns, but the bridge is still structurally intact and only requires light repairs. Further airstrikes will be needed, and the bridge will probably be more heavily defended next time.