If you know of any good websites or air war stories on the web that you think should be added to this list, tell us by sending us a link to the web page in the comment box at the end of the links.
Web Sites about F-4 Phantoms
- Boeing’s Official F-4 Site – Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas. Lots of F-4 pictures.
- Joe Baugher’s F-4 Encyclopedia – Best and most comprehensive F-4 (every model for all the services and foreign export) history on the web.
- The F-4 Phantom II Society – A great organization for Phantom lovers. Members get regular issues of “Smoke Trails,” a hard copy magazine about the Phantom.
- RF-4B Phantom II Society – Dedicated to the preservation of the Marine RF-4B flown by VMCJ and VMFP-3 from 1964 to 1990.
- 8th Tactical Fighter Wing Phantom’s Lair – The Wolf Pack flew F-4s out of Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, during the Vietnam war.
- F-4 WOLF FACs – Lee Hillard’s (Wolf 03) site about the Wolf FACs based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand.
- 12th Tactical Fighter Wing – This wing flew the F-4 in combat in Vietnam.
- 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron – RF-4Cs
- F-4D #65-0749 – The Collins Foundation’s privately owned F-4D. Donations welcome.
- F-4D Air show Schedule – The Collins Foundation’s air show and itinerary for its privately owned D model.
- Aviation Enthusiast Corner – List & location of F-4s on static display or in museums.
- Location of F-4s on Static Display – Another list.
- Michael Klaver’s F-4 Site
USAF & Navy Aircraft Used in Vietnam
- A-1 Skyraider Association
- A-4 Skyhawk
- A-4 Skyhawk Association
- A-4 Skyhawk, a Pictorial Remembrance
- A-6E Intruder
- A-6 Intruder – Jeff “Winnie” Winston’s site.
- A-7 Corsair II
- CH-3 Jolly Green Giant
- F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger
- F-5 Freedom Fighter – Joe Baugher’s summary.
- F-8D Crusader – Joe Baugher’s summary.
- F-100C Super Sabre – Joe Baugher’s summary.
- F-101C Voodoo – Joe Baugher’s summary. The recon version of the Voodoo was the only model that served in Vietnam.
- F-102A Delta Dagger – Joe Baugher’s summary. This interceptor saw limited action in Vietnam.
- Craig Baker’s F-105 Site – The Awesome Thunderchief. Absolutely the best fighter website on the internet. If you like fighters, you must spend some time on this site. There is a lot to see and hear.
- Thuds, the Ridge, and 100 Missions North – How the Republic F-105 got good at a mission it was not designed to fly. By Carl Posey, Air & Space Magazine, March 01, 2009.
- F-105 Thunderchief – Bob Huntley’s YGBSM site has information about all 833 Thuds.
- F-105 Thunderchief - USAF Museum
- F-105 Thunderchief
- F-105D Thunderchief – Joe Baugher’s summary. The D model was the primary USAF fighter/bomber of the early years of the Vietnam war.
- F-105F Wild Weasel III – Joe Baugher’s summary. Another legend of the Vietnam war. The F model had an electronic warfare officer in the back seat.
- F-105G Wild Weasel – Joe Baugher’s summary. G models were Wild Weasel F models converted with additional advanced avionics.
- F-105 – Craig Baker’s F-105 Site: The Awesome Thunderchief
- YGBSM – Former F-105 Wild Weasel driver Bob Huntley’s Thud site contains information about F-105 combat and accident losses sorted numerous ways, locations of surviving Thuds, and a 100 mission movie.
- F-111A Ardvark – John Pike’s summary.
- F-111 Ardvark – Joe Baugher’s summary.
- O-1A Bird Dog
- O-2 Skymaster - USAF Museum
- OV-10 Bronco Association
- OV-10 Bronco.net
- B-52 Stratofortress – Joe Baugher’s summary. See also B-52 Service.
- B-52 Stratofortress – John Pike’s stats and information.
- B-52 Stratofortress – Department of the Air Force Fact Sheet.
- B-57 Canberra – John Pike’s stats and information.
- B-66
- EA-6B Prowler – John Pike’s stats and information.
- C-5A/B Galaxy -
- C-5 Galaxy – Department of the Air Force Fact Sheet.
- C-9 Nightingale -
- C-130 Hercules -
- AC-130H Spectre & AC-130U Spooky -
- MC-130P Combat Shadow -
- KC-135A Stratotanker – John Pike’s stats and information.
- KC-135R Stratotanker -
- KC-135 Stratotanker – Department of the Air Force Fact Sheet.
- C-141 Starlifter -
Vietnam Aviation Stories
- Spad Stories – Various authors relate their combat experiences in the A-1. It also has downloadable video clips of actual A-1 combat missions.
- Jim “Jink” Bender – An A-1 Story
- Terry Bolstad & Robert Arnau – Bad News on the PDJ
- Robert DeGroat – The Sandy Spad
- Mel Elliott – Plei Me
- Jon Ewing – Belly Landing at Ubon
- Harry S. Gann – Jack Spanich & Skyraider Warbirds
- Byron Hukee – Down There Amongst Them
- George Marrett – The Jollys Get an Assist
- Al Martin – Down on the PDJ
- Tom Nelson – Spads . . . & Navy Spad Pilots . . . Between the Wars
- Jim Reid – Spad Sand Blower
- Jim Reid – That Damn Tow Plane
- Bob Russell – Why Yes . . . I Flew Spads
- Lt. Dieter Dengler’s Escape from Laos. Lt. Dengler’s A-1 Skyraider was shot down on his first mission over North Vietnam. This page has an audio clip of Dieter talking about his rescue with Gene Deatrick, the USAF A-1 Sandy driver who spotted Dieter on the ground.
- Medal of Honor Mission of Major Bernard F. Fisher, USAF, who landed his A-1 in hostile territory and picked up a downed pilot. This page has part of the audio tape of Fisher’s mission.
- Tullo and the Giant by Robert A. Hanson, Air & Space Magazine, June/July 1997. On July 27, 1965, Capt. Frank Tullo’s F-105 was went down over North Vietnam. This is the story of his rescue by a CH-3 helicopter.
- Counterpunch by Robert A. Hanson, Air & Space Magazine, August/September 1998. On December 22, 1965, Captain Jack Donovan, an electronics warfare officer, and his pilot, Captain Allen Lamb, took their F-100F into North Vietnam in search of SAMs during the pioneer days of the Wild Weasel mission.
- Mocked by the Mach by Thomas Utts. A ground pounder’s tale of his backseat ride in an F-105 Thunderchief.
- Change of Command by Ralph F. Wetterhahn, Air & Space Magazine, August/September 1997. Flying F-4s with Robin Olds in the Triple Nickel Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, in 1965.
- Old Lionheart, Robin Olds & the Eighth Tactical Fighter Wing, 1966-1967 by John Darrell Sherwood, an excerpt from his book called “Fast Movers.”
- Robin Olds by Chief Master Sgt. Tom Kuhn, Airman Magazine. General Olds’ background.
- She’s a Lady by Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, USAF (ret.). The legendary fighter pilot’s tribute to the Phantom.
- Night Mission on the Ho Chi Minh Trail by Maj. Mark E. Berent, USAF (ret.). What it was like to dodge AAA and the karst at night over the trail.
- A Group Called Wolf by Lt. Col. Mark E. Berent, USAF (ret.). Mark describes what the Wolf FACs were and what they did.
- The Glorification of War on the Fourth by JD Wetterling, who flew 268 combat missions in F-100s in the Vietnam War. JD describes a night scramble of a two ship of Huns to provide close air support to a fire base under attack.
- A Spectacular Save by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, June 1997
- Night Rescue at Loc Ninh by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, October 1993
- A Gift of Life by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, August 1998
- They’re Dead Without You by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, February 1994
- Triumph at Thai Nguyen by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, July 1988
- Thud Ridge: A Legacy and a Legend by John L. Frisbee, Air Force Magazine, October 1986
- Steve Richie, USAF’s first pilot ace of the Vietnam war.
- The Night Charlie Brown was Shot Down by Colonel Charles W. Brown
- Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and the Need to Counter North Vietnam’s SAMs brought forth the Wild Weasel by John D. Cugini
- Brave Jolly Green by Colonel Darrell D. Whitcomb, USAF Reserve (ret.)
- Keep’em Flying by Lt. Col. Karl J. Eschmann, U.S. Air Force
- Wild Weasel Story by GI Basel
- “Spooky” Dragon in the Sky by Lawrence M. Greenberg
- Testing the Rules of Engagement by Joe Patrick
- Republic Aircraft’s F-105 Thunderchief, Warhorse in Vietnam by John D. Cugini
- Eagle Dustoff, Medevac Choppers to the Rescue by William Osgood
- The Easter Halt by Walter J. Boyne, from Air Force Magazine, September 1998 – How Air Power Repelled North Vietnam’s invasion of South Vietnam in the spring of 1972
- A Group Called Wolf by Mark C. Berent, Lt. Col. (ret.)
- Sandy Superb by John L. Frisbee, from Air Force Magazine, May 1988
- US Air Losses in Vietnam by David Lednicer & Adrian Camp
- US Air to Air Victories in Vietnam by David Lednicer & Adrian Camp
- Still the Noblest Calling by JD Wetterling, from the Wall Street Journal. JD describes his first visit to the Vietnam War Memorial and remembers three close friends and fellow F-100 pilots who were killed in action.
- Interview with Major Ed Rasimus (USAF, Ret) about his experiences flying the F-105 and F-4 during two tours in SEA and his book entitled “When Thunder Rolled”
- Flying the Thunderchief, by Ed Rasimus
- First In – Wrong Way Out – Captain Mike Gilroy recounts a memorable Wild Weasel mission on August 7, 1966
- Shoot Down of Covey 264 – Bill Townsley tells how he got shot down on January 18, 1969, over the Ho Chi Minh Trail
- FAC Rescue Mission in Laos – Bill Townsley
- Bailout of Stinger #839 – Lt. Col. Roy A. (Tony) Simon, USAF Ret.
Vietnam Era Fighter/Bomber Ordinance
- Bombs for Beginners - What happened to “Bombs for Dummies?”
- The Ordnance Shop – All about aviation ordnance.
- AIM-7 Sparrow – All aspect radar guided air intercept missile.
- AIM-9 Sidewinder – Infrared heat-seeking air intercept missile.
- Mk82 500 Lb General Purpose Bomb – The most used bomb of the Vietnam war.
Vietnam Era Military Aviation Associations
- A-1 Skyraider Association – Check out the actual combat search and rescue mission audio tapes:
Helborn 20 SAR – 25 Jul 68
Scotch 03 SAR – 30 Jun – 1 Jul 68
Jolly Green 71 shot down by Mig 21
Gunfighter 82 SAR – 18 Dec 71
Icebag 01B SAR – 12 May 72
- A-3D Skywarrior Association
- A-37 Association
- AC-130
- Able Dogs – The authoritative site for men who flew the A-1.
- Air America
- Air Commando Association
- Air Rescue Association
- American Fighter Aces Association – Members must have shot down at least five enemy aircraft in combat.
- C-7 Caribou Association
- Covey FACs Organization – OV-10 drivers
- Edgar Allan Poe Literary Society, Inc., Home of the Raven FACS
- F-8 Gunfighters
- HH-43 Pedro Rescue Helicopter Association
- International Bird Dog Association – O-1 drivers
- Jolly Green Association – Call sign of the Vietnam rescue helicopters. Actual combat rescue mission tapes and first person accounts of Vietnam rescues
- Misty FACs – Mistys flew the two-seat version of the F-100, the F-100F
- PJs in Vietnam – PJs are the para-jumpers-medics on a USAF helicopter who went on the ground to rescue downed aircrew members.
- Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association – Originally, the requirement for membership in the River Rats was that the prospective member must have flown at least one combat mission north of the Red River in North Vietnam. The membership requirements have been expanded to include Gulf War aviators and others.
- Rustic FACs – O-2s & OV- 10s
- Society of Wild Weasels
- Vietnam Prisoners of War
Military or Vietnam Aviation Related
- Vietnam War Resources – Tons of links about the war. A good resource.
- Stolen Valor - one of my favorite Vietnam books. It debukes many media-feed popular, but false public beliefs about Vietnam veterans. It also tells the story of many Vietnam wannabes discredited by the author.
- Joe Baugher’s Aviation Site – A complete military aviation encyclopedia.
- Lt. Keith Gallagher’s Survives Partial Ejection from A-6, July 1991 – a incredible story as told by the pilot and his bombardier / navigator, Lt. Gallagher, complete with actual video and audio.
- Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network – Detailed and comprehensive information about U.S. military weapons systems.
- Return with Honor – An excellent documentary about the men who endured the hardship and torture in the Hanoi Hilton, told by them in their own words.
- Peter Bird’s USAF Pilot Site – Peter’s biography from USAF undergraduate pilot training to flying C-141s then C-7s in Vietnam. Great site!
- Greg Johnson’s Site – Greg flew RF-4Cs for eleven years.
- Dick Jonas Site – Dick Jonas, fighter pilot and combat veteran, is the Vietnam era fighter pilots’ unofficial balladeer. His Vietnam fighter pilot songs are available for purchase here.
- Hanoijane.net – The official site for information about Jane Fonda’s trip to North Vietnam in 1972.
- Defense Prisoner of War / Missing Personnel Office – official U.S. government source of information about POWs and MIAs of all U.S. wars
- Task Force Omega – this site contains biographies and incident reports of Vietnam war prisoners of war and men who are missing in action (MIA)
- The Iron Hand Troll – Robert King’s first-hand recollections of as a Wild Weasel bear flying the Thud in Southeast Asia and the in the U.S.
United States Air Force
Military Aviation Units
- 36th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, Korea
- 80th Fighter Squadron
- 366th Fighter Group Association – Da Nang Gunfighters
- Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Seven