"O' Dark Thirty - Vietnam" Close Air Support footage.

[2495]

Nearly an hour of varied CAS footage from Vietnam conflict - Its insanely amazing look back at the sheer savagery and precision brought to the battle field by Close Air Support airframes.

The cluster bomb attack 10 minutes in is just simply unbelievable in its detail (shot through high speed cameras all the way to impact!)


Factual Factory- Stock Footage, (color) "O'Dark Thirty: Vietnam." Air to ground- A-1E Sandy: Rockets being fired, 750 lbs bombs, straffing & A-7 Corsair: The forward air controler was essential to fighting the enemy. They would scope out the land, find the targets and mark them for the fighter pilots. 0-1 Birddog, OV-10 Bronco, O-2 Super Skymaster, PHU CAT AB, Misty FAC, CBU- Cluster Bombs, Napalm & Snakeye Bombs.

For soldiers, air strikes were what evened the playing field and often they were the only way for soldiers to get out of a bad situation. Fighters and Attackers: F-4 Phantom- The Airforce, Navy and Marines all flew the F-4. F-105 Thunderchief could carry almost twice the pay load of a WWII Bomber the B-17. A-1E Skyraider- pilots called it the most effective, close support plane in the world.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-9168085988538784366&ei=ODDnSrd5w82VB5zh-CE&q=OV-10+vietnam&hl=en&view=2#

[Laworkerbee]

Warning to all, make sure you can a clean pair of shorts or a box of tissues on hand before watching this.

[Jurpula]

Cool stuff!

[2495]

I got to 20 minutes in, and then it started with A-1 Sandy ***... I nearly fainted. Twice. The whole video is simply amazing and for any history or aviation buffs, a must watch in my humble opinion.

[Hollis]

Really looks different than it does from the ground. A little over 20 years I was talking to a pilot. I mentioned his sighting device for nape was pretty darn good, considering how close they would drop it to us. He mentioned there was no such sighting device, it was by guess and experience.... Just glad I did not realize that earlier. We had part of our position catch some nape once, fortunately only some equipment was burnt.

[commanding]

Really looks different than it does from the ground. A little over 20 years I was talking to a pilot. I mentioned his sighting device for nape was pretty darn good, considering how close they would drop it to us. He mentioned there was no such sighting device, it was by guess and experience.... Just glad I did not realize that earlier. We had part of our position catch some nape once, fortunately only some equipment was burnt.

damn that's scary. ya know, i hope someone is recording all the memories of vn vets like you and that pilot. I know a couple of pilots that flew combat missions in vn, one of those guys, flew: B52s, B58s, and I believe the other was F104s. Another guy I knew a long time ago flew a zillion combat missions over nam and I think he flew F104S or F5s?? (I ain't up on my aircraft) but he ate lunch with me everyday and we played poker and he regalled us with war stories from nam. My hats off to those pilots, flight crews, and to you ground pounders who were in the sh1t. All gave some, some gave all.
PS.. lots of stuff scared me in the army, including napalm, white phos. and grenades. WP was the most scarey 2 me.
PS #2...the guy who flew the B58s, and B52s, believe it or not, is the step brother of the actor who played George on Seinfeld.

[2495]

Really looks different than it does from the ground. A little over 20 years I was talking to a pilot. I mentioned his sighting device for nape was pretty darn good, considering how close they would drop it to us. He mentioned there was no such sighting device, it was by guess and experience.... Just glad I did not realize that earlier. We had part of our position catch some nape once, fortunately only some equipment was burnt.

Yup - I heard that too when chatting to a former USN Pilot. The Napalm cannister had such poor aerodynamics that it was 'best guess through experience' - he said that they all shared ancedotes, and worked out a rough knee board for all the angles and speeds best suited to the weapon.

Amazing to hear it from you though HOLLiS as a Veteran who was there on the ground. Thanks for sharing.

[Jacknola]

Warning... post has graphic content...

I have an intense love for Sandy A-1. Near SF camp A-244 Ben Het in Summer, 1968, they worked over the landscape repeatedly in support of our people and the 4th Infantry fire bases. The B-52s would drop then the A-1s would nape and burn whatever was left. That summer, though we were shelled repeatedly the NVA were never able to concentrate enough to ground assault.

But those A-1 jockys ... like all close-support pilots were combat hard. One time we had nape down our collars.... (so to speak). The patrol leader shouted into the radio to the FAC... "Good drop, Good drop...you're burning people!!" The Fac relayed to the four Sandys and you could hear them all excited, wagging wings and circling in low to look ... like a school of sharks that smells blood: "yoweeee... hot damn... can you see them!? Can you see them?!!?"

Answer: "Nope... but I can hear them..."

[Warlock762]

Thanks for the vid. Very interesting and much appreciated !

[vryhpyammoadded]

I had almost forgotten the story of the one Phantom pushing the other to safety. Nice vid!

[2495]

Its one hell of a video - I always like to flick it on and watch the footage - a stark reminder of the skill, bravery and dedication these great men had.

The anti air artillery and missile footage of it rising up to meet the strike A/C is truely heart thumpingly stark - it just goes to show the sheer density and threat level these brave men faced on a daily basis.

[Red-Phos]

Wow never seen most of that before.

[wicked_hind]

Thumbs up on the strafing and the F-100 dropping napalm footage, nothing more frightening than to see those bright red 57 millimeter rounds coming at you.

[shilka234]

I had almost forgotten the story of the one Phantom pushing the other to safety. Nice vid!

Thanks. Never eared about that myself before. Pretty interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardo's_Push

[2495]

Pressing Charlie's flesh from the skies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/OpTeyI4cOdM

The minigun from the JGG and huey is awesome, and just watch those napalm tanks take an ungainly tumble through the skies. Dammit though, those mega shockwaves from the 1000lb'ers sure as hell shake the tree canopy.

[SBL]

Nice find!

[tangosix]

I really wish these upload sites would stop stretching videos. The quality is terrible.

[2495]

I really wish these upload sites would stop stretching videos. The quality is terrible.

Then upload some thing better quality - frankly we are lucky to get the video and enjoy watching it / learning from it.

[tangosix]

Then upload some thing better quality - frankly we are lucky to get the video and enjoy watching it / learning from it.




There are ww2 videos with better quality. Oh sorry I'm just being elitist :bash:

[Vince S]

I downloaded it and fapped to it

Thanks a bunch 2495

[2495]

My pleasure. I hoover up links and articles / Pdf files for use, and every now and again I find an absolute diamond.

I posted this one after being very humbled at the amount of Vietnam Veterans here on the board, and thought they might like a look back at times gone by.

[jklv]

Yes!!! yes!!!! Finally!!!
I looked for CAS footage in Vietnam for so long without luck, finally you've found it. Thanks.

[NUCKINFUTS]

I watched a special on SAR's where the rescuer would rather be left in the danger zone because of heavy fire while the pilot that was shot down was carried to safety. Something about these Vietnam videos and the music chosen always draws you into it. Thanks for sharing.

[Hollis]

Warning... post has graphic content...

I have an intense love for Sandy A-1. Near SF camp A-244 Ben Het in Summer, 1968, they worked over the landscape repeatedly in support of our people and the 4th Infantry fire bases. The B-52s would drop then the A-1s would nape and burn whatever was left. That summer, though we were shelled repeatedly the NVA were never able to concentrate enough to ground assault.

But those A-1 jockys ... like all close-support pilots were combat hard. One time we had nape down our collars.... (so to speak). The patrol leader shouted into the radio to the FAC... "Good drop, Good drop...you're burning people!!" The Fac relayed to the four Sandys and you could hear them all excited, wagging wings and circling in low to look ... like a school of sharks that smells blood: "yoweeee... hot damn... can you see them!? Can you see them?!!?"

Answer: "Nope... but I can hear them..."

Those CAS pilots where amazing, I would be glad to but them a beer anytime.

[MOKA.ROUX]

Warning to all, make sure you can a clean pair of shorts or a box of tissues on hand before watching this.


yer, quite cool, could not agree more with Laworkerbee :-)