Bailey - Night of the Phantoms

Night of the Phantoms,

by Robert Bailey

May 6, 1966. Phantoms from the USS Ranger (CVA 61) attack Hai Phong Harbor, North Vietnam.

The war in Vietnam cannot be compared to any previous war, with perhaps the exception of the conflict in Korea ten years earlier. It is there that the Rules of Engagement (ROE) began, and caused the effectiveness of American military power to deteriorate. In Vietnam, the politicians took these Rules of Engagement to a new and absurd height, making the day-to-day battle decisions that formerly were the job of military personnel. It was the military who had the expertise. Instead, battle goals were made unattainable, with the result of losing not only men, morale and material, but protracted the conflict for years.

The air war in Vietnam was not immune to this dangerous meddling by non-military planners. Targets that pilots were allowed to strike, often had no military value whatsoever, while key strike areas were forbidden, as they were too sensitive for world and public opinion. Fighting a battle where control of the battlefield was taken away from the military, spelled a stalemate at best.

The pilots knew this, as it became all too apparent in the daily sorties flown by the Navy, Marines and Air Force. Despite this situation, they still carried out their duties with precision and dedication as they flew in harm's
way to the fortified sites they were occasionally allowed to target. Missions to North Vietnam in particular posed serious threats to aircraft and crews. There were defensive batteries of triple-A's, SAMS, and an array of intensive anti-aircraft screens that few flight crews had ever seen before. A trip to Hanoi, Hai Phong Harbor or any of the other major North Vietnam targets was an exercise in faith by the men who flew the missions, by the ground crews, and by the rescue crews who would many times jeopardize their own safety to pick up downed flyers.

Robert Bailey's intensely dramatic painting, NIGHT OF THE PHANTOMS, shows a pair of F-4B Phantoms from the USS Ranger (CVA61) exiting their assigned target (Hai Phong Harbor) at 400 knots, having expended their 5-inch Zuni rocket packs. Their efforts have paid off by destroying an AA site, munitions storage facilities and sinking two surface vessels. Fire-walling the aircraft, the pilots and their RIO's take the necessary evasive action in anticipation of the NVA anti-aircraft response. With their feet wet, they head for home, to the relative safety of their carrier battle group, satisfied at the outcome of the mission and the night's work.

THE SIGNATURES:

Lieutenant Commander Fred J. Ferrazzano

Lt. Jack Rollins

Lieutenant Commander John C. Tibbs

Lieutenant Jim McIlrath