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Um, the F-105 didn't lose "half" they're number. The losses were high, relatively speaking, as they were low flying bullet magnets. But that %-number is an exaggeration that would be unsustainable. The pilots themselves, most of whom already hated flying the "Thud" (nicknamed so because that was the sound it made when hitting the ground), would have mutinied and Congress would have halted the use after an inevitable investigation if the losses had been that high. They weren't...
The US did suffer some significant losses on Vietnam and the numbers of shot down aircraft and the tonnages of bombs dropped (more than in all of WWII) can be staggering. But they were made good without any real threat to Western national security, which is sort of staggering in its own right...
Most losses were suffered from anti-aircraft artillery, with sophisticated Soviet made missiles such as the SA-2 being a far greater threat than the MIGs of North Vietnamese Air Force, being second. However, there were some epic dogfights and the North Vietnamese, who usually fired their missiles and ran, did have some exceptional pilots who were aces.
I recall there was a classic two hour dogfight between a US Navy F-4 Phantom, whose pilot had totally misjudged and underestimated his enemy, and a North Vietnamese ace flying a MIG-21. Thinking the NVAF pilot would fire and run giving him an easy kill, the Navy pilot (who might have been the defrocked CA Senator Randy "Duke" Cunningham) was almost shot down as his foe completely confounded him and turned back towards him after feigning a retreat.
The F-4 pilot only was able to shoot him down after the NVAF pilot, Nguyen Toon, made only a slightest of mistakes...
Nguyen Toon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More:
The US did suffer some significant losses on Vietnam and the numbers of shot down aircraft and the tonnages of bombs dropped (more than in all of WWII) can be staggering. But they were made good without any real threat to Western national security, which is sort of staggering in its own right...
Most losses were suffered from anti-aircraft artillery, with sophisticated Soviet made missiles such as the SA-2 being a far greater threat than the MIGs of North Vietnamese Air Force, being second. However, there were some epic dogfights and the North Vietnamese, who usually fired their missiles and ran, did have some exceptional pilots who were aces.
I recall there was a classic two hour dogfight between a US Navy F-4 Phantom, whose pilot had totally misjudged and underestimated his enemy, and a North Vietnamese ace flying a MIG-21. Thinking the NVAF pilot would fire and run giving him an easy kill, the Navy pilot (who might have been the defrocked CA Senator Randy "Duke" Cunningham) was almost shot down as his foe completely confounded him and turned back towards him after feigning a retreat.
The F-4 pilot only was able to shoot him down after the NVAF pilot, Nguyen Toon, made only a slightest of mistakes...
Nguyen Toon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Cunningham
During his service, Cunningham and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) "Irish" Driscoll became the only Navy aces in the Vietnam War, flying an F-4 Phantom from aboard aircraft carriers, and recording five confirmed kills. He was one of the early graduates of the Navy's TOPGUN school that taught dogfighting techniques to F-4 Phantom pilots and RIOs.
It has been alleged that Cunningham downed a MiG-17 piloted by North Vietnam Air Force fighter ace Col. Nguyen Toon, aka, "Colonel Tomb". Although "Col. Toon" was an American-manufactured myth, several Vietnamese pilots were superb dogfighters, and the North Vietnamese Air Force helped perpetuate the myth of "Colonel Toon", or "Tomb".[8] "Colonel Toon" was not only skilled but unorthodox, as Cunningham found out, when the Navy pilot made an elementary tactical error engaging him. The resulting dogfight became extended. Cunningham climbed steeply, and the MiG pilot surprised Cunningham by climbing as well. Remembering his TOPGUN training, Cunningham finally forced the MiG out ahead of him and destroyed it with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.
During his service, Cunningham and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) "Irish" Driscoll became the only Navy aces in the Vietnam War, flying an F-4 Phantom from aboard aircraft carriers, and recording five confirmed kills. He was one of the early graduates of the Navy's TOPGUN school that taught dogfighting techniques to F-4 Phantom pilots and RIOs.
It has been alleged that Cunningham downed a MiG-17 piloted by North Vietnam Air Force fighter ace Col. Nguyen Toon, aka, "Colonel Tomb". Although "Col. Toon" was an American-manufactured myth, several Vietnamese pilots were superb dogfighters, and the North Vietnamese Air Force helped perpetuate the myth of "Colonel Toon", or "Tomb".[8] "Colonel Toon" was not only skilled but unorthodox, as Cunningham found out, when the Navy pilot made an elementary tactical error engaging him. The resulting dogfight became extended. Cunningham climbed steeply, and the MiG pilot surprised Cunningham by climbing as well. Remembering his TOPGUN training, Cunningham finally forced the MiG out ahead of him and destroyed it with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.
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