1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:02,176 --> 00:00:04,003 [narrator] 1966. 3 00:00:05,353 --> 00:00:07,964 A war that begins in the rice paddies 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:08,007 --> 00:00:09,531 of South Vietnam 6 00:00:09,574 --> 00:00:12,708 moves into the skies over the North. 7 00:00:13,883 --> 00:00:17,713 and US pilots are paying a high price. 8 00:00:18,714 --> 00:00:22,674 You could die at any time and you might not see it coming. 9 00:00:23,849 --> 00:00:26,461 [narrator] Follow a fearless commander. 10 00:00:26,504 --> 00:00:28,202 [Olds] Missiles streak past, 11 00:00:28,245 --> 00:00:30,421 flak black in the sky. 12 00:00:31,683 --> 00:00:33,946 [narrator] A gung-ho prodigy. 13 00:00:33,990 --> 00:00:36,558 [Richter] Set up your sights, babe, there's a MiG out there. 14 00:00:37,733 --> 00:00:40,040 [narrator] And a cautious rookie. 15 00:00:40,083 --> 00:00:43,782 [Rasimus] I'm afraid of being captured, I'm not ready to die. 16 00:00:43,826 --> 00:00:48,265 [narrator] Their goal, survive 100 missions. 17 00:00:48,309 --> 00:00:51,790 The hundred missions gives them that light at the end of the tunnel. 18 00:00:51,834 --> 00:00:53,705 [narrator] Their reward, 19 00:00:53,749 --> 00:00:55,881 a raucous send off, 20 00:00:55,925 --> 00:00:57,231 and a ticket home. 21 00:00:57,274 --> 00:00:58,319 [men cheering] 22 00:01:03,889 --> 00:01:06,675 [plane engine roaring] 23 00:01:09,504 --> 00:01:11,158 [electric guitar playing] 24 00:01:19,253 --> 00:01:24,039 [narrator] Few fighter pilots in Vietnam are as renowned as Flying Ace, 25 00:01:24,084 --> 00:01:25,215 Robin Olds. 26 00:01:27,130 --> 00:01:29,306 [Olds] Fighter pilot is an attitude, 27 00:01:29,350 --> 00:01:31,961 it's aggressiveness, it's self-confidence. 28 00:01:33,093 --> 00:01:35,356 It is a streak of rebelliousness. 29 00:01:35,399 --> 00:01:37,445 But there's something else, 30 00:01:37,488 --> 00:01:39,795 a desire to be second to no one. 31 00:01:40,795 --> 00:01:44,800 [Hankins] If anyone is to be held as the example to live up to of 32 00:01:44,843 --> 00:01:48,499 what the brash, aggressive, hard drinking, 33 00:01:48,543 --> 00:01:51,241 hard talking fighter pilot is, it's Robin Olds. 34 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,291 During World War II, he had flown P-38 Lightings and P-51 Mustangs. 35 00:01:57,334 --> 00:02:01,164 He had become a double ace. He had twelve kills, 36 00:02:01,208 --> 00:02:02,818 and had been very successful. 37 00:02:05,429 --> 00:02:07,779 [narrator] Swashbuckling pilots like Olds 38 00:02:07,823 --> 00:02:10,782 are becoming relics by the time Vietnam begins. 39 00:02:13,176 --> 00:02:17,180 The US Air force is focused on strategic bombing, 40 00:02:17,224 --> 00:02:21,402 and has put behind it the classic dogfights of World War II. 41 00:02:22,577 --> 00:02:25,667 [Hankins] Fast forward to mid-1966, 42 00:02:25,710 --> 00:02:28,539 to the eighth tactical fighter wing in Vietnam, 43 00:02:28,583 --> 00:02:30,933 which is having a little bit of a morale problem. 44 00:02:31,934 --> 00:02:35,155 Robin Olds gets plucked out and dropped into Vietnam 45 00:02:35,198 --> 00:02:39,637 purposefully to try to infuse this sort of warrior spirit, 46 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,337 fighter pilot culture mentality into that unit. 47 00:02:47,167 --> 00:02:49,038 [narrator] The eighth tactical fighter wing 48 00:02:49,081 --> 00:02:50,953 is based in Ubon, Thailand. 49 00:02:51,997 --> 00:02:54,348 One of seven bases the US is using 50 00:02:54,391 --> 00:02:56,088 to bomb North Vietnam. 51 00:02:58,874 --> 00:03:01,572 Its campaign, called Rolling Thunder, 52 00:03:01,616 --> 00:03:05,968 is rolling North, and into the most heavily defended areas. 53 00:03:07,056 --> 00:03:09,014 [Olds] The action was heating up. 54 00:03:09,058 --> 00:03:12,148 Our fighter squadrons were striking targets around Hanoi, 55 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:13,758 and there was heavy opposition. 56 00:03:13,802 --> 00:03:16,413 -[man speaking over radio] -[bombs exploding] 57 00:03:16,457 --> 00:03:22,027 [narrator] For the pilots, the odds of capture or death are staggering. 58 00:03:22,071 --> 00:03:25,683 And the thought of serving a typical one year tour is bleak. 59 00:03:27,728 --> 00:03:30,688 To boost morale, the Air Force sets a limit. 60 00:03:31,689 --> 00:03:34,430 Fly one hundred sorties into Vietnam, 61 00:03:35,563 --> 00:03:37,042 and you can go home. 62 00:03:38,043 --> 00:03:40,045 [Hankins] As a pilot keeps flying more and more missions, 63 00:03:40,089 --> 00:03:41,656 it's taking a toll, 64 00:03:41,699 --> 00:03:43,875 emotionally, physically. 65 00:03:43,918 --> 00:03:46,835 There's got to be an end point that they can work towards. 66 00:03:47,879 --> 00:03:49,359 That's what the hundred missions does. 67 00:03:49,403 --> 00:03:51,317 It gives them that light at the end of the tunnel. 68 00:03:52,667 --> 00:03:56,236 [narrator] To Robin Olds, the benchmark is a nuisance. 69 00:03:56,279 --> 00:03:58,063 [Olds] The magical one hundredth mission 70 00:03:58,107 --> 00:04:01,197 would send me home sooner than end of tour. 71 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:03,286 There was no way I would leave my men. 72 00:04:04,853 --> 00:04:07,551 [narrator] But most pilots do not have the experience 73 00:04:07,595 --> 00:04:09,901 and proven skill of Robin Olds. 74 00:04:12,469 --> 00:04:16,430 Lieutenants like Ed Rasimus ave never even flown in combat. 75 00:04:18,822 --> 00:04:20,781 [Rasimus] I was on my way to fly in the air war 76 00:04:20,825 --> 00:04:22,218 against North Vietnam. 77 00:04:22,262 --> 00:04:25,352 Hell, six months earlier, 78 00:04:25,395 --> 00:04:27,571 I didn't even know there was an air war 79 00:04:27,615 --> 00:04:28,659 against anybody. 80 00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:32,750 [narrator] After completing ROTC, 81 00:04:32,794 --> 00:04:37,929 Rasimus was surprised to rise to the top of his flight school class. 82 00:04:37,973 --> 00:04:40,497 But his skill has not come with nerves of steel. 83 00:04:41,933 --> 00:04:45,110 [Rasimus] Now the thought is, how do I get out of this? 84 00:04:45,154 --> 00:04:48,984 To say I felt sick is an understatement. 85 00:04:51,291 --> 00:04:54,511 [narrator] The good news for Rasimus is that he gets to fly 86 00:04:54,555 --> 00:04:57,122 the supersonic F-105 Thunderchief. 87 00:05:00,735 --> 00:05:02,563 In 1966, 88 00:05:02,606 --> 00:05:05,740 he's posted to the US base at Korat, Thailand. 89 00:05:07,132 --> 00:05:10,832 Home to 36 Thunderchiefs, known as Thuds. 90 00:05:13,008 --> 00:05:18,056 The super fast Thuds are flying most of the bombing missions into North Vietnam, 91 00:05:18,100 --> 00:05:20,929 and suffering the highest losses. 92 00:05:20,972 --> 00:05:23,148 [Rasimus] In the previous seven days, 93 00:05:23,192 --> 00:05:25,673 Korat had lost eight aircraft and pilots. 94 00:05:27,196 --> 00:05:30,155 New aircraft were being ferried in daily from Japan, 95 00:05:30,199 --> 00:05:33,768 but pilots were in extremely short supply. 96 00:05:35,378 --> 00:05:38,425 [narrator] Rasimus is relieved to see Karl Richter, 97 00:05:38,468 --> 00:05:40,775 a buddy from F-105 training 98 00:05:40,818 --> 00:05:43,647 who arrived ten days earlier 99 00:05:43,691 --> 00:05:46,346 and is much more eager for the fight. 100 00:05:46,389 --> 00:05:51,873 Like me, you know, what happens, you know, if, uh, if I get shot down? 101 00:05:51,916 --> 00:05:54,136 I'm too mean. They'll never get me anyway. 102 00:05:54,179 --> 00:05:55,877 [Rasimus] I trusted him. 103 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,141 He didn't exaggerate or make up stories. 104 00:05:59,183 --> 00:06:01,361 And I was pretty sure that unlike me, 105 00:06:01,404 --> 00:06:04,581 he had never had a moment's fear about flying combat. 106 00:06:06,714 --> 00:06:08,455 [narrator] Taught to fly as a boy, 107 00:06:08,498 --> 00:06:11,719 Richter became a skilled pilot by eighteen 108 00:06:11,762 --> 00:06:14,374 when he enrolled in the Air Force academy. 109 00:06:15,940 --> 00:06:18,334 Now Richter and Rasimus 110 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:20,249 have combat skills to learn. 111 00:06:21,424 --> 00:06:23,078 [Rasimus] The first missions 112 00:06:23,121 --> 00:06:24,906 were the most dangerous for new pilots, 113 00:06:24,949 --> 00:06:27,865 because of fear, lack of experience, 114 00:06:27,909 --> 00:06:30,781 and unfamiliarity with the whole pattern of the war. 115 00:06:30,825 --> 00:06:34,437 [Hankins] They're being shot at from all kinds of enemies that they can't see, 116 00:06:34,481 --> 00:06:35,830 that they don't know are there. 117 00:06:35,873 --> 00:06:37,397 They're trying to pull maneuvers. 118 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:38,832 They're trying to hit their targets. 119 00:06:38,876 --> 00:06:40,356 This is all very different 120 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,402 than the training that they've had. 121 00:06:44,099 --> 00:06:46,841 [narrator] New arrivals are supposed to get their feet wet 122 00:06:46,884 --> 00:06:48,582 on low risk flights. 123 00:06:52,586 --> 00:06:54,979 But only four days after arriving, 124 00:06:55,023 --> 00:06:58,679 Richter receives a baptism by fire. 125 00:06:58,722 --> 00:07:01,421 [man speaking over radio] 126 00:07:01,464 --> 00:07:02,900 [Rasimus] In a perfect world, 127 00:07:02,944 --> 00:07:04,424 Karl wouldn't have been anywhere near 128 00:07:04,467 --> 00:07:05,860 a mission that dangerous. 129 00:07:07,601 --> 00:07:09,820 But with the losses of the previous week, 130 00:07:09,864 --> 00:07:13,389 it was almost inevitable that he be thrown into the cauldron. 131 00:07:13,433 --> 00:07:16,827 Any fresh meat was welcome. 132 00:07:17,915 --> 00:07:20,744 [narrator] The target is a railroad to Hanoi, 133 00:07:21,789 --> 00:07:24,444 a strongly defended supply line. 134 00:07:24,487 --> 00:07:28,622 And the sky is thick with anti-aircraft fire. 135 00:07:28,665 --> 00:07:31,451 [man over radio] 136 00:07:34,628 --> 00:07:37,457 Richter dives in exactly as planned. 137 00:07:38,545 --> 00:07:39,894 [man speaking over radio] 138 00:07:43,201 --> 00:07:45,508 But as he climbs away, 139 00:07:45,552 --> 00:07:49,294 he flies into the bomb blast of a friendly plane. 140 00:07:49,338 --> 00:07:51,340 [man over radio] Vegas one is hit. 141 00:07:51,383 --> 00:07:53,560 [narrator] The blast blows away part of his tail, 142 00:07:53,603 --> 00:07:56,084 and his Thud pitches violently. 143 00:07:56,127 --> 00:07:59,261 [man speaking over radio] 144 00:08:01,872 --> 00:08:04,266 [narrator] Richter's flying skill saves him 145 00:08:04,309 --> 00:08:06,398 from bailing out over North Vietnam. 146 00:08:09,053 --> 00:08:12,666 The close call seems only to embolden him. 147 00:08:12,709 --> 00:08:16,321 [Rasimus] As he recounted the story, Karl's voice got louder 148 00:08:16,365 --> 00:08:19,020 and the tale was punctuated with more and more profanity. 149 00:08:20,195 --> 00:08:22,850 All the story meant to me was that you could get killed 150 00:08:22,893 --> 00:08:24,721 flying even one mission. 151 00:08:26,593 --> 00:08:30,988 Just a few days later, Rasimus gets his turn in combat 152 00:08:31,032 --> 00:08:32,729 on his third mission. 153 00:08:32,773 --> 00:08:35,645 [man speaking over radio] 154 00:08:35,688 --> 00:08:37,865 [narrator] The target is far from Hanoi. 155 00:08:39,562 --> 00:08:41,782 But it's an anti-aircraft site, 156 00:08:41,825 --> 00:08:45,394 a ring of guns that can down an F-105 157 00:08:45,437 --> 00:08:47,004 with a few lucky shots. 158 00:08:47,048 --> 00:08:49,746 [man speaking over radio] 159 00:08:49,790 --> 00:08:52,662 [Hankins] By far, the largest amount of aircraft losses 160 00:08:52,706 --> 00:08:54,229 over North Vietnam 161 00:08:54,272 --> 00:08:55,665 are coming from small arms fire 162 00:08:55,709 --> 00:08:57,667 and anti aircraft artillery, 163 00:08:57,711 --> 00:09:01,453 which are claiming 60 to 70 percent or more of fixed wing aircraft. 164 00:09:01,497 --> 00:09:03,455 [man over radio] I got a guy at twelve. 165 00:09:03,499 --> 00:09:05,588 -[narrator] His fear briefly forgotten, -[beeping] 166 00:09:05,632 --> 00:09:08,460 Rasimus is spellbound by what he sees. 167 00:09:08,504 --> 00:09:12,160 [Rasimus] The valley floor, ten miles long by five miles wide, 168 00:09:12,203 --> 00:09:14,031 was a sea of white flashes. 169 00:09:14,075 --> 00:09:16,251 It was amazing. 170 00:09:16,294 --> 00:09:19,384 [narrator] Then, the reality sinks in. 171 00:09:19,428 --> 00:09:21,212 [man shouting over radio] 172 00:09:21,256 --> 00:09:23,606 [Rasimus] The flashbulbs, the fireballs, 173 00:09:23,650 --> 00:09:25,434 the twinkling circles, they were guns. 174 00:09:26,740 --> 00:09:29,786 This was flak. They were shooting at me. 175 00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:34,704 [narrator] He's got two choices. 176 00:09:34,748 --> 00:09:38,447 Quit now, or face the danger head on. 177 00:09:41,581 --> 00:09:44,627 [man speaking over radio] 178 00:09:44,671 --> 00:09:46,890 [narrator] Ed Rasimus is feeling the heat 179 00:09:46,934 --> 00:09:49,110 on his third mission in Vietnam. 180 00:09:50,111 --> 00:09:52,853 Diving onto an anti-aircraft gun 181 00:09:52,896 --> 00:09:57,597 he sees it explode, hit squarely by the plane ahead of him. 182 00:10:00,338 --> 00:10:02,732 He drops his two massive bombs... 183 00:10:02,776 --> 00:10:04,734 [man speaking over radio] 184 00:10:07,084 --> 00:10:09,173 And escapes unscathed. 185 00:10:13,177 --> 00:10:15,049 But he's shaken up, 186 00:10:15,092 --> 00:10:18,313 and he's got 97 missions to go. 187 00:10:18,356 --> 00:10:20,228 [Rasimus] I'm not ready to die, 188 00:10:20,271 --> 00:10:22,317 and I'm afraid of being captured. 189 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,146 One hundred could be done in four or five months, 190 00:10:25,189 --> 00:10:27,496 one hundred could be survived, couldn't it? 191 00:10:28,584 --> 00:10:31,674 [Hankins] It was such a deadly environment, 192 00:10:31,718 --> 00:10:34,677 a lot of pilots thought they were not going to make it to 100 missions. 193 00:10:34,721 --> 00:10:38,115 And among some of the F-105 squadrons 194 00:10:38,159 --> 00:10:40,030 there were sayings that developed, 195 00:10:40,074 --> 00:10:43,294 pilots saying, "there's no way I can make it to 100 missions." 196 00:10:43,338 --> 00:10:44,687 That became a catchphrase. 197 00:10:47,908 --> 00:10:49,953 [narrator] North Vietnam's defenses 198 00:10:49,997 --> 00:10:52,173 also surprised Robin Olds. 199 00:10:52,216 --> 00:10:54,044 [Olds] Nothing I had experienced 200 00:10:54,088 --> 00:10:55,742 in World War II matched it. 201 00:10:55,785 --> 00:10:59,049 Missiles streaked past, flak blackened the sky, 202 00:10:59,093 --> 00:11:02,052 tracers laced patterns across my canopy, 203 00:11:02,096 --> 00:11:06,404 and then, capping the day, MiGs would suddenly appear. 204 00:11:07,884 --> 00:11:10,321 [narrator] Fighter pilots are famous for their bravado 205 00:11:10,365 --> 00:11:12,454 in the face of danger. 206 00:11:12,497 --> 00:11:15,718 [Hankins] This is a job where you could die at any time 207 00:11:15,762 --> 00:11:18,765 and you might not see it coming. 208 00:11:18,808 --> 00:11:22,986 The psychological stresses that these pilots are going through 209 00:11:23,030 --> 00:11:27,382 require some sort of coping mechanism, some release valve 210 00:11:27,425 --> 00:11:29,689 to deal with that fear. 211 00:11:31,429 --> 00:11:34,215 [narrator] The release valves get a workout. 212 00:11:36,913 --> 00:11:38,872 -Drinking, horseplay... -[men cheering] 213 00:11:38,915 --> 00:11:41,744 And especially bucking minor regulations. 214 00:11:42,963 --> 00:11:46,488 Robin Olds overgrown mustache quickly catches on. 215 00:11:53,321 --> 00:11:55,584 [Olds] I was far away from home. 216 00:11:55,627 --> 00:11:57,368 It was a gesture of defiance. 217 00:11:57,412 --> 00:11:59,719 The kids on base loved it. 218 00:11:59,762 --> 00:12:01,851 [Rasimus] If there was any truth to the notion 219 00:12:01,895 --> 00:12:04,071 that mustaches made you bulletproof 220 00:12:04,114 --> 00:12:06,116 we weren't about to press our luck. 221 00:12:09,076 --> 00:12:11,731 [narrator] New arrivals quickly trade their blue caps 222 00:12:11,774 --> 00:12:13,950 for Australian boonie hats, 223 00:12:15,822 --> 00:12:17,780 that double as log books. 224 00:12:19,303 --> 00:12:21,088 [Rasimus] When you flew a combat mission 225 00:12:21,131 --> 00:12:24,047 you inked a hash mark on the band. 226 00:12:24,091 --> 00:12:26,746 If there was ever any question about your mission count, 227 00:12:26,789 --> 00:12:30,532 your hat was the primary source document. 228 00:12:30,575 --> 00:12:32,186 [Hankins] Any young pilot that comes in 229 00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:33,970 that's walking around the squadron 230 00:12:34,014 --> 00:12:37,191 is gonna know just from looking how experienced someone is. 231 00:12:37,234 --> 00:12:39,759 That's an instant sign of, 232 00:12:39,802 --> 00:12:44,241 that is a veteran that's been through some business. 233 00:12:46,330 --> 00:12:49,420 [narrator] After the pilots adopt a mutt named Roscoe, 234 00:12:49,464 --> 00:12:53,729 they start to read his behavior for signs of danger. 235 00:12:53,773 --> 00:12:55,775 [Rasimus] If Roscoe slept through the briefing, 236 00:12:55,818 --> 00:12:57,298 the mission would be an easy one. 237 00:12:58,429 --> 00:13:01,128 If he was agitated or walked out midway, 238 00:13:01,171 --> 00:13:03,478 well, things would not go smoothly. 239 00:13:06,873 --> 00:13:09,223 [narrator] Whether by superstition or skill, 240 00:13:09,266 --> 00:13:12,443 Ed Rasimus survives his first 20 missions. 241 00:13:13,531 --> 00:13:15,359 [Rasimus] I'd seen I could do this. 242 00:13:15,403 --> 00:13:17,840 I was part of this group, 243 00:13:17,884 --> 00:13:21,017 and I'd glimpsed maybe just a bit of fear in the other pilots. 244 00:13:23,498 --> 00:13:26,240 Because I'd kept my mouth shut and done my job, 245 00:13:26,283 --> 00:13:28,938 no one would know about my fear. 246 00:13:28,982 --> 00:13:32,246 [Hankins] These behaviors are seen as the ideal. 247 00:13:32,289 --> 00:13:36,598 We won't talk about the fear. We won't let that seep into our brains, 248 00:13:36,641 --> 00:13:39,601 because we need to stay concentrated on our job. 249 00:13:39,644 --> 00:13:42,691 We need a little bit of that arrogance to be able to do this job effectively. 250 00:13:45,737 --> 00:13:48,653 [narrator] Despite a perilous first flight to Hanoi, 251 00:13:48,697 --> 00:13:52,048 Karl Richter only grows more eager for battle. 252 00:13:53,571 --> 00:13:55,747 He skips R and R 253 00:13:55,790 --> 00:13:58,881 to fly high-risk observation missions over the South, 254 00:14:00,143 --> 00:14:03,538 and doesn't care that they won't count towards the magical 100. 255 00:14:04,495 --> 00:14:06,019 [Richter] I really enjoy the flying. 256 00:14:06,062 --> 00:14:08,325 You know, it's so good, I can't believe it. 257 00:14:09,544 --> 00:14:12,199 Everybody says "yeah, I'm waving a flag", 258 00:14:12,242 --> 00:14:14,201 but where are you gonna stop communism? 259 00:14:14,244 --> 00:14:16,986 Are you gonna wait until they're in Des Moines, Iowa? 260 00:14:19,902 --> 00:14:22,818 [narrator] By September, 1966, 261 00:14:22,862 --> 00:14:26,648 Richter has flown more than 80 missions over North Vietnam, 262 00:14:27,649 --> 00:14:29,433 [man speaking over radio] 263 00:14:29,477 --> 00:14:32,001 [narrator] He is near the port city of Haiphong 264 00:14:32,045 --> 00:14:36,310 when he spots two MiG-17s closing in on the planes ahead of him. 265 00:14:36,353 --> 00:14:38,529 [man speaking over radio] 266 00:14:38,573 --> 00:14:40,444 [Richter] Right away, the only thing that passed my mind 267 00:14:40,488 --> 00:14:43,665 was, "set up your sights, babe, there's a MiG out there." 268 00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,667 [man speaking over radio] 269 00:14:49,671 --> 00:14:52,282 [narrator] Richter drops his bombs, 270 00:14:52,326 --> 00:14:54,458 and races after the MiGs. 271 00:14:56,808 --> 00:15:00,160 [man speaking over radio] 272 00:15:01,770 --> 00:15:03,685 [Richter] I started firing, 273 00:15:03,728 --> 00:15:05,948 I thought, "this is really going to be embarrassing 274 00:15:05,992 --> 00:15:07,297 if you miss this guy." 275 00:15:08,559 --> 00:15:11,780 Then, the second time I fired, I saw my 20 millimeter rounds 276 00:15:11,823 --> 00:15:13,303 start to sparkle on his right wing. 277 00:15:13,347 --> 00:15:15,523 [man speaking over radio] 278 00:15:17,394 --> 00:15:20,006 He ejected okay. He got a good parachute. 279 00:15:20,049 --> 00:15:22,138 [narrator] At 23, 280 00:15:22,182 --> 00:15:24,924 Karl Richter is the youngest US pilot 281 00:15:24,967 --> 00:15:27,448 to shoot down a MiG over Vietnam. 282 00:15:29,276 --> 00:15:32,975 [Hankins] It's very difficult to get a MiG kill in an F-105. 283 00:15:33,019 --> 00:15:35,978 The F-105 is designed specifically 284 00:15:36,022 --> 00:15:38,459 to go really fast, really low, 285 00:15:38,502 --> 00:15:41,201 drop a bomb on a target and then get out of there really quickly. 286 00:15:43,855 --> 00:15:46,684 [narrator] Richter's MiG victory is a bright spot 287 00:15:46,728 --> 00:15:50,601 in a bombing campaign that is dragging on. 288 00:15:50,645 --> 00:15:53,256 And frustration is rising. 289 00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:55,737 Particularly among F-4 pilots 290 00:15:55,780 --> 00:15:59,045 who are best equipped to tangle with the MiGs. 291 00:16:00,133 --> 00:16:02,831 [Olds] I could sense lethargy among the troops. 292 00:16:02,874 --> 00:16:04,833 Morale seemed to be in the toilet. 293 00:16:05,877 --> 00:16:07,140 Things had to change. 294 00:16:09,098 --> 00:16:13,146 [narrator] Spirits lift when Olds dubs his fighter wing the Wolf Pack, 295 00:16:13,189 --> 00:16:15,975 in honor of his World War II commander. 296 00:16:17,193 --> 00:16:19,500 He recruits as his second in command 297 00:16:19,543 --> 00:16:23,286 a fighter pilot who flew 100 combat missions in Korea. 298 00:16:24,722 --> 00:16:27,464 Daniel James, who goes by "Chappie", 299 00:16:27,508 --> 00:16:29,989 is a strong mentor to young pilots. 300 00:16:31,468 --> 00:16:33,949 [James] We had an outfit that believed in us. 301 00:16:33,993 --> 00:16:35,820 It was mutual. 302 00:16:35,864 --> 00:16:37,822 We believed in them, too. 303 00:16:38,823 --> 00:16:41,957 [Hankins] Their men gave them the nickname "Black Man and Robin", 304 00:16:42,001 --> 00:16:44,481 as a way to kind of refer to them as this dynamic duo 305 00:16:44,525 --> 00:16:46,701 that commanded so well together. 306 00:16:48,572 --> 00:16:51,923 [narrator] James and Olds set out to bolster the team work 307 00:16:51,967 --> 00:16:54,317 among the fighter wings in South East Asia. 308 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:02,978 During a bombing pause for the Buddha's birthday, 309 00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:05,936 the Korat base welcomes them in style 310 00:17:05,981 --> 00:17:09,070 for a meeting of pilots from across the region. 311 00:17:09,115 --> 00:17:11,508 [music playing] 312 00:17:27,829 --> 00:17:29,352 [Olds] I led a parade 313 00:17:29,396 --> 00:17:31,615 from the flight line to the O club. 314 00:17:31,659 --> 00:17:33,313 There was a lot of whiskey drinking, 315 00:17:33,356 --> 00:17:36,664 fun and games, songs, skits and stuff. 316 00:17:39,536 --> 00:17:42,844 But the serious business of talking to one another went on, too. 317 00:17:47,675 --> 00:17:51,113 [narrator] A top concern is North Vietnam's growing arsenal 318 00:17:51,157 --> 00:17:53,507 of supersonic MiG-21s. 319 00:17:55,335 --> 00:17:58,903 Olds comes up with a bold scheme to defeat the MiGs, 320 00:17:58,947 --> 00:18:01,515 dubbed Operation Bolo. 321 00:18:01,558 --> 00:18:04,083 [Hankins] The main plan for Operation Bolo, 322 00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,869 which some historians describe as an electronic Trojan horse maneuver, 323 00:18:07,912 --> 00:18:09,349 was to trick MiGs 324 00:18:09,392 --> 00:18:11,916 into attacking what they would think 325 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:13,744 was some vulnerable F-105s. 326 00:18:15,094 --> 00:18:17,835 [narrator] F-4 pilots will fly into North Vietnam 327 00:18:17,879 --> 00:18:22,492 disguised as a strike force of F-105s. 328 00:18:22,536 --> 00:18:25,582 They'll be armed with a Thuds' radar jamming gear, 329 00:18:28,455 --> 00:18:30,326 but instead of bombs, 330 00:18:30,370 --> 00:18:33,895 they'll have missiles for air to air combat. 331 00:18:35,418 --> 00:18:37,507 [Olds] The MiGs would come up after us 332 00:18:37,551 --> 00:18:38,987 and get a deadly reception. 333 00:18:40,771 --> 00:18:42,512 [narrator] After weeks of planning, 334 00:18:42,556 --> 00:18:45,036 the daring mission gets the green light. 335 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,474 With dozens of pilots lives 336 00:18:47,517 --> 00:18:49,563 in the balance. 337 00:18:54,785 --> 00:18:58,354 [narrator] January 2nd, 1967. 338 00:18:58,398 --> 00:19:00,965 H hour for Operation Bolo. 339 00:19:02,445 --> 00:19:06,145 The ruse to trick North Vietnam's air force gets underway, 340 00:19:07,450 --> 00:19:11,280 as F-4 pilots, including Chappie James and Robin Olds, 341 00:19:11,324 --> 00:19:13,108 strap themselves in. 342 00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:16,764 Even the Commander is nervous 343 00:19:16,807 --> 00:19:19,158 about the biggest gamble of his career. 344 00:19:20,289 --> 00:19:23,162 [Olds] I felt a searing pain in the pit of my stomach 345 00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:26,382 and was already drenched in sweat by the time I reached my bird. 346 00:19:26,426 --> 00:19:31,126 Dear God, please let me lead these wonderful men into a successful battle 347 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:32,432 and safely back home. 348 00:19:32,475 --> 00:19:35,435 [man speaking over radio] 349 00:19:36,479 --> 00:19:39,178 [narrator] The first to launch are F-105s. 350 00:19:40,309 --> 00:19:41,832 They'll suppress ground fire. 351 00:19:43,312 --> 00:19:46,968 Electronic warfare planes, known as Big Eyes, 352 00:19:47,011 --> 00:19:49,884 will orbit nearby to detect threats, 353 00:19:49,927 --> 00:19:51,929 and jam North Vietnamese radar. 354 00:19:53,757 --> 00:19:57,979 Then, 56 Phantoms take off from bases in Thailand 355 00:19:58,022 --> 00:19:59,415 and South Vietnam. 356 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,986 The plan calls for them to take turns sweeping over airfields 357 00:20:05,029 --> 00:20:07,945 to lure the MiGs into attacking. 358 00:20:07,989 --> 00:20:12,385 But the F-4s from Da Nang run into bad weather, 359 00:20:12,428 --> 00:20:16,084 and they turn around, cutting the force by a third. 360 00:20:17,128 --> 00:20:18,869 [man speaking over radio] 361 00:20:18,913 --> 00:20:20,697 [narrator] It leaves the entire mission 362 00:20:20,741 --> 00:20:24,440 in the hands of Robin Olds and the Wolf Pack. 363 00:20:24,484 --> 00:20:26,834 [ man speaking over radio] 364 00:20:26,877 --> 00:20:29,706 [narrator] Olds flight fuels up, 365 00:20:29,750 --> 00:20:31,882 it activates the radar jammers 366 00:20:31,926 --> 00:20:34,363 borrowed from the F-105s. 367 00:20:34,407 --> 00:20:37,540 [Hankins] This jamming pod gave off a certain 368 00:20:37,584 --> 00:20:40,282 electronic signature that the MiGs could detect. 369 00:20:40,326 --> 00:20:44,504 The F-4 Phantoms also flew in the same formations and used the same call signs 370 00:20:44,547 --> 00:20:46,070 as the F-105s would typically use. 371 00:20:46,114 --> 00:20:47,420 That way if the MiGs 372 00:20:47,463 --> 00:20:49,160 had picked up any communications, 373 00:20:49,204 --> 00:20:50,858 they would think that it was that group of F-105s 374 00:20:50,901 --> 00:20:52,729 that they were used to seeing in that area. 375 00:20:52,773 --> 00:20:54,818 [man speaking over radio] 376 00:20:56,167 --> 00:20:58,561 [narrator] And the MiGs fall for it. 377 00:20:58,605 --> 00:21:00,563 [Olds] Chappie calls a MiG-21 on my flight 378 00:21:00,607 --> 00:21:02,565 that has popped up out of the undercast. 379 00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:07,135 I break hard just in time to see another MiG at my eleven o'clock. 380 00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:12,575 MiGs are popping out of the cloud deck everywhere. 381 00:21:12,619 --> 00:21:14,534 [man yelling over radio] 382 00:21:22,759 --> 00:21:25,153 [narrator] Olds spots a third enemy fighter. 383 00:21:25,196 --> 00:21:27,416 [man speaking over radio] 384 00:21:27,460 --> 00:21:30,463 [Olds] I got up on top of him and half upside down, 385 00:21:30,506 --> 00:21:32,421 waited for him to complete his turn, 386 00:21:32,465 --> 00:21:34,989 Then timed it so I continued down behind him. 387 00:21:39,602 --> 00:21:42,257 Frankly, I am not sure he ever saw me. 388 00:21:42,301 --> 00:21:44,738 [man speaking over radio] 389 00:21:44,781 --> 00:21:48,307 [narrator] Meanwhile, two MiGs attack the second flight, 390 00:21:48,350 --> 00:21:50,352 lead by Chappie James. 391 00:21:50,396 --> 00:21:52,441 [James] The MiG broke left and for a split second 392 00:21:52,485 --> 00:21:53,964 I could clearly see the pilot 393 00:21:54,008 --> 00:21:55,836 and the bright red star markings. 394 00:21:55,879 --> 00:21:58,055 I immediately started a barrel roll 395 00:21:58,099 --> 00:22:00,319 to gain separation for attack 396 00:22:00,362 --> 00:22:03,539 but he broke right into the flight path of my number two. 397 00:22:03,583 --> 00:22:06,150 [man speaking over radio] 398 00:22:06,194 --> 00:22:09,197 [narrator] James' wingman gets the victory. 399 00:22:14,507 --> 00:22:16,378 In just 13 minutes, 400 00:22:16,422 --> 00:22:19,816 US fighters down 7 North Vietnamese MiGs, 401 00:22:21,427 --> 00:22:23,777 without a single loss. 402 00:22:23,820 --> 00:22:27,346 The deliberately planned fighter sweep went just as we hoped. 403 00:22:27,389 --> 00:22:31,001 The MiGs came up, the MiGs were aggressive, 404 00:22:31,045 --> 00:22:34,048 we tangled, they lost. 405 00:22:34,091 --> 00:22:37,399 [Hankins] This is a huge morale boost for the Wolf Pack. 406 00:22:37,443 --> 00:22:40,271 They come out of this celebrating. They're excited. 407 00:22:40,315 --> 00:22:43,187 What operation Bolo does, it shows that 408 00:22:43,231 --> 00:22:46,669 in the hands of skilled pilots, in the right conditions, 409 00:22:46,713 --> 00:22:50,543 these Phantoms can wreak havoc against a North Vietnamese Air Force. 410 00:22:50,586 --> 00:22:52,675 [men cheering] 411 00:22:52,719 --> 00:22:55,112 [narrator] The Wolf Pack wipes out almost half 412 00:22:55,156 --> 00:22:58,289 of North Vietnam's supersonic MiG-21s. 413 00:23:01,684 --> 00:23:04,861 [narrator] Many in the Wolf Pack have also moved closer 414 00:23:04,905 --> 00:23:08,343 to the coveted 100 missions. 415 00:23:08,387 --> 00:23:13,261 But Robin Olds has no plans to go home. 416 00:23:13,304 --> 00:23:16,307 [Olds] I started covertly erasing my missions. 417 00:23:16,351 --> 00:23:18,222 Nobody could figure out what number 418 00:23:18,266 --> 00:23:20,703 I had or hadn't flown. 419 00:23:20,747 --> 00:23:24,098 [narrator] The Wolf Pack is happy to keep him. 420 00:23:26,143 --> 00:23:28,885 North Vietnam's leader, Ho Chi Minh, 421 00:23:28,929 --> 00:23:30,539 has plenty of tricks of his own. 422 00:23:30,583 --> 00:23:32,976 [Olds] Missions got tougher than ever. 423 00:23:33,020 --> 00:23:35,414 Uncle Ho had lost a lot of his MiGs 424 00:23:35,457 --> 00:23:39,330 but he rewarded us with barrages of SAMs. 425 00:23:39,374 --> 00:23:42,769 [narrator] North Vietnam deployed the first Surface to Air Missiles, 426 00:23:42,812 --> 00:23:46,120 or SAMs, in 1965. 427 00:23:46,163 --> 00:23:48,035 [Hankins] If you're a pilot, it's terrifying. 428 00:23:48,078 --> 00:23:50,994 Now you've got this telephone pole sized missile 429 00:23:51,038 --> 00:23:54,650 flying right at you at way faster than the speed of sound. 430 00:23:54,694 --> 00:23:57,653 And it can track you, it can follow you. 431 00:23:57,697 --> 00:24:00,351 [man speaking over radio] 432 00:24:02,092 --> 00:24:03,920 [Rasimus] Whether or not you got targeted 433 00:24:03,964 --> 00:24:07,228 depended on something between luck and magic. 434 00:24:07,271 --> 00:24:09,448 And they chased you down to kill you. 435 00:24:10,579 --> 00:24:15,454 [men over radio] Oh man. Take it down, Take it down, baby. See the launch. 436 00:24:15,497 --> 00:24:18,587 [Rasimus] The best defense was a last-second hard turn up 437 00:24:18,631 --> 00:24:22,025 and into the missile's flight path, 438 00:24:22,069 --> 00:24:23,679 forcing it to overshoot. 439 00:24:23,723 --> 00:24:26,160 [man over radio] Oh, they're big mother--! 440 00:24:26,203 --> 00:24:30,207 [narrator] Fail to spot the missile, and you lose your plane, 441 00:24:30,251 --> 00:24:32,775 and maybe your life. 442 00:24:32,819 --> 00:24:35,735 [man over radio] It we'd gone down, we would've run right into him. 443 00:24:39,086 --> 00:24:41,567 [narrator] The missile threat devastates the pilots' hopes 444 00:24:41,610 --> 00:24:43,743 of surviving 100 missions. 445 00:24:45,353 --> 00:24:48,225 The air force responds with a fleet of aircraft 446 00:24:48,269 --> 00:24:51,402 equipped to destroy North Vietnam's SAMs, 447 00:24:51,446 --> 00:24:53,666 dubbed Wild Weasels. 448 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,411 [Rasimus] I like the idea of viscous carnivores 449 00:25:00,455 --> 00:25:03,284 attacking the enemy that was trying to kill me. 450 00:25:04,851 --> 00:25:07,331 [narrator] Wild Weasels have a second seat 451 00:25:07,375 --> 00:25:09,508 for an electronic warfare officer. 452 00:25:11,335 --> 00:25:13,860 They fly ahead of the strike force. 453 00:25:14,948 --> 00:25:16,863 [Hankins] The basic concept of the Wild Weasels 454 00:25:16,906 --> 00:25:18,560 is you're going to serve as bait. 455 00:25:18,604 --> 00:25:20,475 You're gonna go up there. 456 00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:22,608 You're gonna get an enemy radar to lock onto you. 457 00:25:22,651 --> 00:25:25,436 [man speaking over radio] We're in the main beam. 458 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,656 [Hankins] And you will then fire a missile 459 00:25:27,700 --> 00:25:29,266 that is specifically designed 460 00:25:29,310 --> 00:25:30,877 to track those radar signals 461 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,750 down to their source and take out that radar. 462 00:25:34,794 --> 00:25:38,362 The first time this mission was briefed, one of those officers says, 463 00:25:38,406 --> 00:25:42,584 "So, sir, you want me to go get a SAM to lock on to me and get shot at? 464 00:25:42,628 --> 00:25:44,499 You've gotta be shitting me." 465 00:25:44,543 --> 00:25:47,458 And that phrase was turned into an abbreviation, 466 00:25:47,502 --> 00:25:49,460 YGBSM, which is now the official motto 467 00:25:49,504 --> 00:25:51,288 of the Wild Weasels to this day. 468 00:25:56,642 --> 00:25:59,296 [man shouting over radio] 469 00:25:59,340 --> 00:26:03,953 [narrator] The first Weasels are slaughtered. 470 00:26:03,997 --> 00:26:07,696 Five are shot down within weeks of arriving in Vietnam. 471 00:26:14,442 --> 00:26:16,618 But one crew seems unstoppable 472 00:26:16,662 --> 00:26:19,012 on its path to 100 missions. 473 00:26:20,404 --> 00:26:21,492 Stan Goldstein 474 00:26:21,536 --> 00:26:23,451 and pilot John Revak. 475 00:26:25,540 --> 00:26:27,673 [Goldstein] John and I were both New Yorkers, 476 00:26:27,716 --> 00:26:30,501 we were happy to drink and fly. 477 00:26:30,545 --> 00:26:33,069 It was my first marriage. 478 00:26:33,113 --> 00:26:36,638 [narrator] Goldstein and Revak managed to fly 99 missions 479 00:26:36,682 --> 00:26:38,814 over North Vietnam together, 480 00:26:38,858 --> 00:26:40,860 completely unscathed. 481 00:26:40,903 --> 00:26:44,864 Wild Weasel pilots have over 50 percent loss rate. 482 00:26:44,907 --> 00:26:47,257 A combination of high losses 483 00:26:47,301 --> 00:26:49,912 with just the realities of staffing, 484 00:26:49,956 --> 00:26:53,524 most of those duos don't fly together every single mission. 485 00:26:55,526 --> 00:26:58,442 [narrator] The pair are a flight away from 100 486 00:26:58,486 --> 00:27:02,359 when stunning news arrives from President Lyndon Johnson. 487 00:27:02,403 --> 00:27:04,753 I have now ordered 488 00:27:06,363 --> 00:27:10,672 that all air, naval, and artillery bombardment 489 00:27:10,716 --> 00:27:12,761 of North Vietnam cease. 490 00:27:12,805 --> 00:27:15,721 [narrator] Washington's bombing pauses are an attempt 491 00:27:15,764 --> 00:27:19,289 to test North Vietnam's desire to negotiate. 492 00:27:19,333 --> 00:27:23,772 For the pilots, the pause means missions no longer count. 493 00:27:25,426 --> 00:27:27,646 Instead of one more combat flight, 494 00:27:27,689 --> 00:27:31,562 Goldstein and Revak settle in for six more months. 495 00:27:31,606 --> 00:27:33,782 [Goldstein] We were becoming rather infamous 496 00:27:33,826 --> 00:27:36,437 for possessing 99 missions. 497 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:38,047 John and I wonder 498 00:27:38,091 --> 00:27:39,875 what we can do to change our luck. 499 00:27:42,748 --> 00:27:45,576 [narrator] It takes the misfortune of another air crew. 500 00:27:48,101 --> 00:27:50,233 25 days after the bombing halt, 501 00:27:50,277 --> 00:27:52,453 the two are over Laos 502 00:27:52,496 --> 00:27:55,630 when word comes of a downed plane across the border, 503 00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:56,936 in North Vietnam. 504 00:27:56,979 --> 00:27:59,547 [man speaking over radio] 505 00:27:59,590 --> 00:28:02,332 [narrator] A reconnaissance flight has gone bad. 506 00:28:02,376 --> 00:28:05,248 The Weasel pair gets the go ahead 507 00:28:05,292 --> 00:28:08,599 to cross into enemy territory to protect the rescue. 508 00:28:08,643 --> 00:28:10,471 [man speaking over radio] 509 00:28:18,348 --> 00:28:20,611 [Goldstein] Unfortunately, the downed pilots 510 00:28:20,655 --> 00:28:22,744 land close to a North Vietnamese 511 00:28:22,788 --> 00:28:24,137 army jungle encampment. 512 00:28:25,791 --> 00:28:28,010 [narrator] The rescue fails. 513 00:28:31,535 --> 00:28:36,192 Goldstein and Revak return to Korat with mixed emotions. 514 00:28:37,716 --> 00:28:40,022 They're frightened for the downed pilots, 515 00:28:40,066 --> 00:28:43,722 but they finally completed their 100th mission 516 00:28:43,765 --> 00:28:45,114 into North Vietnam. 517 00:28:45,158 --> 00:28:47,813 [Goldstein] We smoke back to Korat. 518 00:28:47,856 --> 00:28:49,989 John agrees to give me the stick 519 00:28:50,032 --> 00:28:53,209 and let me make the flyby from the back-seat. 520 00:29:03,698 --> 00:29:08,007 Climbing down is like descending from a heavenly experience. 521 00:29:08,050 --> 00:29:10,705 [Hankins] 100 missions is one of the most 522 00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:14,361 celebratory moments in a fighter pilot's tour. 523 00:29:15,797 --> 00:29:18,234 You're going to be greeted with the entire rest of your squadron. 524 00:29:18,278 --> 00:29:21,237 There's gonna be champagne on the flight line, 525 00:29:21,281 --> 00:29:24,284 maybe some flares being lit up. 526 00:29:24,327 --> 00:29:26,329 [Goldstein] I could not have felt better 527 00:29:26,373 --> 00:29:28,375 than Caesar riding his chariot. 528 00:29:28,418 --> 00:29:31,813 We were greeted with cheers, water hoses 529 00:29:31,857 --> 00:29:34,816 and ignited smoke canisters, 530 00:29:34,860 --> 00:29:36,905 and then we were carried to the pool. 531 00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:43,607 John and I rang the bell, 532 00:29:43,651 --> 00:29:46,088 signifying we would buy the bar. 533 00:29:46,132 --> 00:29:49,048 100 Missions, like most things in fighter pilot culture, 534 00:29:49,091 --> 00:29:52,703 it is both very serious and also very goofy. 535 00:29:54,270 --> 00:29:56,838 [narrator] Goldstein and Revak don dry flight suits 536 00:29:56,882 --> 00:29:58,753 with a new patch. 537 00:30:00,973 --> 00:30:04,541 The first 100 mission celebration at Korat 538 00:30:04,585 --> 00:30:08,850 in 25 days goes on all night, 539 00:30:08,894 --> 00:30:13,681 while others wonder if they'll survive for a party of their own. 540 00:30:17,424 --> 00:30:19,905 [narrator] The Vietnam War drags on. 541 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,822 The bombing pauses don't rev up peace talks. 542 00:30:25,824 --> 00:30:29,305 Instead, the North beefs up its defenses, 543 00:30:30,872 --> 00:30:32,961 and Rolling Thunder resumes, 544 00:30:33,005 --> 00:30:35,659 with even larger strike forces. 545 00:30:37,270 --> 00:30:39,533 These formations could be dozens, 546 00:30:39,576 --> 00:30:42,318 maybe up to or over 100 planes. 547 00:30:42,362 --> 00:30:45,582 Most of those aircraft are not putting bombs on target. 548 00:30:45,626 --> 00:30:49,456 It just takes that many more aircraft to try to protect 549 00:30:49,499 --> 00:30:51,414 that core group at the middle. 550 00:30:51,458 --> 00:30:53,155 And even that doesn't always work. 551 00:30:55,157 --> 00:30:58,117 [narrator] Ground crews work tirelessly through the night 552 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,206 to turn the planes around quickly. 553 00:31:01,511 --> 00:31:02,730 [Rasimus] Preflight and taxi 554 00:31:02,773 --> 00:31:04,123 were in the morning twilight. 555 00:31:05,733 --> 00:31:08,823 These guys worked hard in horrendous heat and humidity 556 00:31:08,867 --> 00:31:11,086 to give us safe, mission-ready airplanes. 557 00:31:17,527 --> 00:31:20,966 [narrator] Ed Rasimus now has 80 missions behind him, 558 00:31:22,097 --> 00:31:24,186 and his fears have given way 559 00:31:24,230 --> 00:31:26,406 to a fire in the belly. 560 00:31:26,449 --> 00:31:29,452 [Rasimus] I seldom felt a fear anymore. 561 00:31:29,496 --> 00:31:32,064 Running along the treetops at 540 knots 562 00:31:32,107 --> 00:31:34,370 loaded with high explosive iron 563 00:31:34,414 --> 00:31:37,678 may be the most exciting thing a man can do with his pants on. 564 00:31:38,679 --> 00:31:42,248 [Olds] Flying is not just a job, it's a love affair. 565 00:31:42,291 --> 00:31:44,815 You don't climb into an aircraft and sit down. 566 00:31:44,859 --> 00:31:46,861 You strap the machine to your butt, 567 00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:48,123 become one with it. 568 00:31:51,648 --> 00:31:53,824 [narrator] After more than six months, 569 00:31:53,868 --> 00:31:57,611 Robin Olds has kept his mission count a secret. 570 00:31:57,654 --> 00:31:59,700 [Olds] We were busier than hell. 571 00:31:59,743 --> 00:32:01,963 Damned if I was going to record one hundred 572 00:32:02,007 --> 00:32:04,487 before I was ordered home. 573 00:32:04,531 --> 00:32:08,187 I kept the number hovering in the high 80s and low 90s. 574 00:32:10,493 --> 00:32:12,974 [narrator] In the late spring of 1967, 575 00:32:13,018 --> 00:32:17,500 the path to 100 missions once again becomes very steep. 576 00:32:18,893 --> 00:32:21,940 North Vietnam has replenished its MiG-21s, 577 00:32:23,506 --> 00:32:25,900 and expanded it's network of guns. 578 00:32:28,511 --> 00:32:32,428 F-105 pilots can now expect to bail out twice 579 00:32:32,472 --> 00:32:35,649 before they even reach mission 70. 580 00:32:36,650 --> 00:32:38,391 [Waldrop] It really got serious. 581 00:32:38,434 --> 00:32:40,262 Sometimes the flak would be so heavy, 582 00:32:40,306 --> 00:32:41,872 you'd think you could walk on it. 583 00:32:41,916 --> 00:32:44,440 We were losing a lot of guys. 584 00:32:45,876 --> 00:32:48,314 [narrator] David Waldrop starts his tour 585 00:32:48,357 --> 00:32:50,533 as a 90 day temporary replacement. 586 00:32:52,057 --> 00:32:55,147 But Korat is desperate for new pilots, 587 00:32:55,190 --> 00:32:59,238 and he volunteers to stay despite the danger. 588 00:32:59,281 --> 00:33:01,631 [Waldrop] I wanted to get my 100 missions. 589 00:33:01,675 --> 00:33:04,025 I wanted to be able to put on my flight suit, 590 00:33:04,069 --> 00:33:06,593 that patch with 100 missions in the F-105. 591 00:33:08,508 --> 00:33:11,554 [narrator] Waldrop's got more than 45 missions behind him 592 00:33:11,598 --> 00:33:13,643 when he joins a large strike force 593 00:33:13,687 --> 00:33:16,690 sent to destroy a railroad yard near Hanoi. 594 00:33:18,431 --> 00:33:20,041 [Waldrop] A concrete floor 595 00:33:20,085 --> 00:33:21,956 wouldn't be as hard as my stomach. 596 00:33:23,349 --> 00:33:25,699 And your mouth is like cotton. 597 00:33:27,179 --> 00:33:29,094 You know what you're up against. 598 00:33:31,226 --> 00:33:33,272 [man speaking over radio] 599 00:33:33,315 --> 00:33:35,448 [narrator] Protecting the strike from MiGs are F-4s, 600 00:33:35,491 --> 00:33:38,146 led by Robin Olds. 601 00:33:38,190 --> 00:33:40,801 [Olds] About 60 miles northwest of our target, 602 00:33:40,844 --> 00:33:42,933 Big Eye called, "Bandits! Bandits!" 603 00:33:42,977 --> 00:33:45,153 [man speaking over radio] Bandits, Bandits! 604 00:33:45,197 --> 00:33:47,025 Northwest at 60, heading 3-6-zero. 605 00:33:47,068 --> 00:33:48,678 [Waldrop] The force commander was saying, 606 00:33:48,722 --> 00:33:50,115 "Robin, you gotta get those guys." 607 00:33:50,158 --> 00:33:53,335 [man speaking over radio] 608 00:33:53,379 --> 00:33:55,946 [Waldrop] And we were looking. We were doing the best we can. 609 00:33:55,990 --> 00:33:59,602 And sure enough these MiG-21s come in, one point two mach, 610 00:33:59,646 --> 00:34:01,474 right out of the sun. 611 00:34:01,517 --> 00:34:03,824 [man speaking over radio] 612 00:34:03,867 --> 00:34:06,566 [narrator] The MiGs use the sun and clouds as cover. 613 00:34:06,609 --> 00:34:10,135 [Olds] Suddenly, two MiG-21s came screaming in 614 00:34:10,178 --> 00:34:13,659 supersonic at six o'clock and knocked my guys down. 615 00:34:13,703 --> 00:34:17,359 [man speaking over radio] May day, mayday, mayday. Get out. Get out! 616 00:34:17,402 --> 00:34:19,708 [narrator] Two Phantoms are destroyed. 617 00:34:19,753 --> 00:34:22,234 Three of the four pilots manage to eject. 618 00:34:22,277 --> 00:34:24,757 [man over radio] I got three chutes. I got three chutes. 619 00:34:24,801 --> 00:34:28,065 [narrator] With rescue impossible over such a hostile area, 620 00:34:28,109 --> 00:34:31,069 Waldrop and the strike force continue. 621 00:34:33,505 --> 00:34:36,117 [Waldrop] I dropped the bombs and I'm smoking along. 622 00:34:37,813 --> 00:34:40,252 I'm in the process of turning hard north, 623 00:34:40,295 --> 00:34:43,516 and I look up and I see this F-105 just going straight and level. 624 00:34:43,559 --> 00:34:47,911 There's two MiG-17s no more than 1500 feet behind. 625 00:34:47,955 --> 00:34:50,217 [man over radio] Two MiG-17s have just gone over the target. 626 00:34:50,262 --> 00:34:51,524 [narrator] Thinking fast, 627 00:34:51,567 --> 00:34:53,438 Waldrop dives and turns sharply 628 00:34:53,482 --> 00:34:55,223 to catch the trailing MiG. 629 00:34:56,659 --> 00:34:58,574 [Waldrop] So I was pulling about eight and a half Gs 630 00:34:58,618 --> 00:35:00,141 to stay behind these guys. 631 00:35:02,056 --> 00:35:04,754 I closed on the guy going about 1000 miles an hour 632 00:35:04,798 --> 00:35:06,669 almost 500 feet off the ground. 633 00:35:08,106 --> 00:35:10,804 [narrator] Waldrop sees his gun round strike the MiG. 634 00:35:12,327 --> 00:35:15,113 He pulls up to get another surprise. 635 00:35:16,375 --> 00:35:18,028 [Waldrop] And all of a sudden, 636 00:35:18,072 --> 00:35:19,682 out of this broken layer of clouds, 637 00:35:19,726 --> 00:35:21,684 here comes this MiG-17. 638 00:35:21,728 --> 00:35:24,861 [narrator] It's a third MiG. 639 00:35:24,905 --> 00:35:26,776 [Waldrop] How did this happen? 640 00:35:26,820 --> 00:35:28,561 I just pulled the nose down and I rolled out. 641 00:35:28,604 --> 00:35:30,606 [man speaking over radio] 642 00:35:30,650 --> 00:35:34,044 [narrator] Once again, Waldrop unleashes the gun 643 00:35:34,088 --> 00:35:35,698 in the F-105s nose. 644 00:35:35,742 --> 00:35:38,658 [man speaking over radio] 645 00:35:38,701 --> 00:35:40,703 [Waldrop] The first bullets went right through the cockpit. 646 00:35:40,747 --> 00:35:45,317 [narrator] This time, Robin Olds is watching. 647 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,667 [Olds] It looked like a shark chasing a minnow. 648 00:35:50,104 --> 00:35:52,193 He was scoring numerous hits on the MiG. 649 00:35:52,237 --> 00:35:54,848 I breached radio discipline and shouted, 650 00:35:54,891 --> 00:35:56,763 "Go get 'em, Thud!" 651 00:35:56,806 --> 00:35:58,678 God, it was a thrilling sight. 652 00:36:01,681 --> 00:36:04,640 [narrator] Both pilots see the MiG crash. 653 00:36:04,684 --> 00:36:08,253 [man over radio] He's down! He went down! 654 00:36:08,296 --> 00:36:11,169 [narrator] And then hightail it back to their bases. 655 00:36:13,649 --> 00:36:16,565 [Olds] When I got home I jumped on the phone and called Korat. 656 00:36:16,609 --> 00:36:20,221 "I wanna confirm some great goddamn son of a bitch's kill today!" 657 00:36:21,875 --> 00:36:24,834 [narrator] At 45 years old, and a full colonel, 658 00:36:24,878 --> 00:36:27,924 Olds enjoys mentoring lieutenants like Waldrop. 659 00:36:29,274 --> 00:36:32,190 He also takes a liking to Karl Richter. 660 00:36:33,713 --> 00:36:35,367 [Olds] Pilots from other wings 661 00:36:35,410 --> 00:36:38,544 often dropped over for social times at the O club. 662 00:36:38,587 --> 00:36:42,069 One of my favorites was a kid named Lieutenant Karl Richter. 663 00:36:42,112 --> 00:36:44,854 Karl and I were great pals. 664 00:36:44,898 --> 00:36:48,945 [narrator] Like his mentor, Richter's a bit of a maverick. 665 00:36:48,989 --> 00:36:51,252 He also does not want to leave combat. 666 00:36:52,558 --> 00:36:53,863 [Richter] People are only 667 00:36:53,907 --> 00:36:55,300 starting to do effective work 668 00:36:55,343 --> 00:36:57,606 after 70 or 80 missions. 669 00:36:57,650 --> 00:37:00,566 At 100, you're really getting your stride. 670 00:37:00,609 --> 00:37:03,612 [narrator] Richter puts in for a second tour. 671 00:37:05,223 --> 00:37:07,268 [Rasimus] Richter had made up his mind that he would become the first 672 00:37:07,312 --> 00:37:10,576 to reach an almost magical 200 missions. 673 00:37:10,619 --> 00:37:13,274 Until he got the word that his extension was going through, 674 00:37:13,318 --> 00:37:15,407 he was fudging his flight records. 675 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:21,021 [narrator] When a Sortie takes Richter over North Vietnam 676 00:37:21,064 --> 00:37:24,198 he logs it as a mission over Laos 677 00:37:24,242 --> 00:37:26,461 to keep his count below 100. 678 00:37:27,810 --> 00:37:29,682 [Rasimus] He was hooked on the rush. 679 00:37:29,725 --> 00:37:32,598 We knew instinctively that it wasn't a good thing. 680 00:37:34,121 --> 00:37:35,688 [narrator] Since he arrived, 681 00:37:35,731 --> 00:37:39,082 Richter's wing has lost 36 F-105s. 682 00:37:39,126 --> 00:37:42,956 As many planes as it started with. 683 00:37:42,999 --> 00:37:46,438 More than half the pilots have failed to complete their tours, 684 00:37:47,395 --> 00:37:50,180 with many killed or captured. 685 00:37:55,055 --> 00:37:57,884 Richter gets his wish for an extension. 686 00:38:00,234 --> 00:38:03,063 But he'll need more than flying skill 687 00:38:03,106 --> 00:38:05,631 to survive another 100 missions. 688 00:38:11,376 --> 00:38:13,943 [narrator] By the summer of 1967, 689 00:38:13,987 --> 00:38:16,642 Karl Richter has become one of few 690 00:38:16,685 --> 00:38:19,427 to rack up 197 combat flights 691 00:38:19,471 --> 00:38:21,211 into North Vietnam. 692 00:38:22,691 --> 00:38:24,563 For his 198th, 693 00:38:24,606 --> 00:38:26,565 he's leading a new arrival 694 00:38:26,608 --> 00:38:28,915 on a low risk initiation flight. 695 00:38:30,569 --> 00:38:33,354 He spots a target and dives in. 696 00:38:34,921 --> 00:38:38,141 But a lucky shot knocks out his controls. 697 00:38:40,535 --> 00:38:43,495 The ejection breaks both of Richter's legs. 698 00:38:46,585 --> 00:38:50,240 He manages to open his chute, but lands hard 699 00:38:50,284 --> 00:38:52,242 and suffers more injuries. 700 00:38:52,286 --> 00:38:55,289 [man speaking over radio] 701 00:38:59,989 --> 00:39:01,556 [Rasimus] An intense rescue effort 702 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:03,253 snatched Karl out of the jungle, 703 00:39:08,694 --> 00:39:11,784 but shock and loss of blood were too severe, 704 00:39:12,959 --> 00:39:16,005 and Karl expired in the chopper. 705 00:39:16,049 --> 00:39:19,400 [narrator] Karl Richter is just 24 years old. 706 00:39:23,796 --> 00:39:27,321 As Ed Rasimus approaches his 100th mission 707 00:39:27,365 --> 00:39:30,455 the fate of his buddy is on his mind, 708 00:39:30,498 --> 00:39:32,979 and fears creep back in. 709 00:39:34,110 --> 00:39:35,677 [Rasimus] The worst parts of the tour 710 00:39:35,721 --> 00:39:37,375 were the first ten and the last ten. 711 00:39:38,419 --> 00:39:40,116 Stories of guys getting shot down 712 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:41,770 with mission counts in the high 90s 713 00:39:41,814 --> 00:39:43,946 raised lots of superstitions. 714 00:39:43,990 --> 00:39:46,427 No one was going to get a new flying suit. 715 00:39:46,471 --> 00:39:49,561 If you wore red socks, you kept doing it. 716 00:39:51,650 --> 00:39:53,565 [narrator] Rasimus and two others 717 00:39:53,608 --> 00:39:56,002 get orders for their 100th mission. 718 00:39:57,438 --> 00:39:59,005 They'll fly it together, 719 00:39:59,048 --> 00:40:01,181 going in ahead of a strike force 720 00:40:01,224 --> 00:40:03,444 to take out a SAM site. 721 00:40:03,488 --> 00:40:06,665 One of the most dangerous missions of the war. 722 00:40:08,057 --> 00:40:09,798 [Rasimus] We didn't want to wait any longer 723 00:40:09,842 --> 00:40:11,147 to get our 100th mission, 724 00:40:12,235 --> 00:40:14,673 but we weren't sure if being up at the pointy end of the spear 725 00:40:14,716 --> 00:40:17,327 for as long as required on a Weasel mission 726 00:40:17,371 --> 00:40:19,068 was a really good idea either. 727 00:40:21,593 --> 00:40:25,771 [narrator] Over North Vietnam, an F-105 is hit. 728 00:40:28,338 --> 00:40:30,819 The pilot ejects. 729 00:40:30,863 --> 00:40:33,953 Rasimus circles above to keep watch for ground fire, 730 00:40:33,996 --> 00:40:37,957 as the rescue team snatches the pilot from the jungle. 731 00:40:41,003 --> 00:40:44,267 But now, Rasimus is running out of fuel. 732 00:40:44,311 --> 00:40:48,489 The slightest mistake, and he won't make it. 733 00:40:48,533 --> 00:40:51,971 [Rasimus] There's no go around, there can be no overshoot. 734 00:40:52,014 --> 00:40:53,494 I can't screw it up. 735 00:40:53,538 --> 00:40:55,757 [man speaking over radio] 736 00:41:02,329 --> 00:41:06,072 [narrator] The celebration for all three starts immediately. 737 00:41:06,115 --> 00:41:07,943 [cars honking] 738 00:41:07,987 --> 00:41:09,554 [Rasimus] Guys from the squadron 739 00:41:09,597 --> 00:41:11,251 and the intel shop and maintenance 740 00:41:11,294 --> 00:41:12,861 are in the back of the various trucks. 741 00:41:12,905 --> 00:41:15,429 Some are waving orange smoke flairs. 742 00:41:15,473 --> 00:41:17,344 [men cheering] 743 00:41:17,387 --> 00:41:18,954 [Rasimus] We reach down and pull the handle 744 00:41:18,998 --> 00:41:20,695 to extend our refueling probes. 745 00:41:22,915 --> 00:41:24,656 We give the world the finger. 746 00:41:26,571 --> 00:41:28,616 [narrator] Rasimus dons a fresh new flight suit 747 00:41:28,660 --> 00:41:31,010 before he even leaves the tarmac. 748 00:41:31,053 --> 00:41:32,751 [Rasimus] On the left shoulder, 749 00:41:32,794 --> 00:41:34,535 incredibly, there's that shield. 750 00:41:34,579 --> 00:41:38,017 The 100 mission patch is mine. 751 00:41:38,060 --> 00:41:40,106 Some pilots talk about just seeing the patch 752 00:41:40,149 --> 00:41:41,803 when they got it for the first time 753 00:41:41,847 --> 00:41:43,892 moved them to tears. 754 00:41:43,936 --> 00:41:45,981 [Rasimus] My face hurts from smiling 755 00:41:46,025 --> 00:41:47,200 and laughing so much. 756 00:41:47,243 --> 00:41:49,855 The three of us are giddy. 757 00:41:49,898 --> 00:41:52,031 For the first time in six months 758 00:41:52,074 --> 00:41:54,642 we're certain that we will live through tomorrow. 759 00:42:01,127 --> 00:42:03,303 [narrator] MiG killer David Waldrop 760 00:42:03,346 --> 00:42:05,610 returns safely from his final mission 761 00:42:05,653 --> 00:42:07,829 in December, 1967. 762 00:42:07,873 --> 00:42:09,657 [Waldrop] I felt very proud 763 00:42:09,701 --> 00:42:11,877 of having flown that airplane to its maximum, 764 00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:14,575 having taken good care of it, never abused it. 765 00:42:14,619 --> 00:42:19,406 [narrator] Waldrop's name joins every 100 mission flyer in his squadron 766 00:42:19,449 --> 00:42:21,800 on the unit's celebratory scarf. 767 00:42:21,843 --> 00:42:24,280 [Waldrop] To have completed that tour 768 00:42:24,324 --> 00:42:28,633 and gotten out of it intact, of course, is a relief. 769 00:42:28,676 --> 00:42:30,286 I had done my part. 770 00:42:30,330 --> 00:42:31,636 [men cheering] 771 00:42:45,345 --> 00:42:47,565 [narrator] Robin Olds ends his tour 772 00:42:47,608 --> 00:42:50,916 in September, 1967. 773 00:42:50,959 --> 00:42:56,530 As he intended, he has served a full year. 774 00:42:56,574 --> 00:42:59,272 [Olds] The guys surprised me by carrying me to the club 775 00:42:59,315 --> 00:43:01,491 and up the front steps. 776 00:43:01,535 --> 00:43:03,711 It's a good thing there was a lot of shouting going on, 777 00:43:03,755 --> 00:43:06,496 because I couldn't stop the tears running down my face. 778 00:43:07,802 --> 00:43:10,152 [Hankins] Olds really reinvigorates this unit 779 00:43:10,196 --> 00:43:12,067 and pushes them to take the fight to the enemy 780 00:43:12,111 --> 00:43:13,895 in ways that they hadn't been doing before. 781 00:43:13,939 --> 00:43:17,682 [narrator] His mustache lives on as well. 782 00:43:17,725 --> 00:43:19,727 [Hankins] The month of March in the Air Force 783 00:43:19,771 --> 00:43:21,816 is Mustache March. 784 00:43:21,860 --> 00:43:25,211 It's a place where most officers and enlisted folks 785 00:43:25,254 --> 00:43:28,518 will grow out their mustaches in honor of Robin Olds. 786 00:43:28,562 --> 00:43:30,303 [narrator] As he leaves Thailand, 787 00:43:30,346 --> 00:43:33,001 the originator of the Bulletproof Mustache 788 00:43:33,045 --> 00:43:35,569 finally reveals his mission tally. 789 00:43:36,788 --> 00:43:41,183 He flew over North Vietnam 105 times. 790 00:43:41,227 --> 00:43:43,446 Escaping uninjured, 791 00:43:43,490 --> 00:43:46,972 and never losing an aircraft. 792 00:43:47,015 --> 00:43:50,845 Along the way, he exemplified the boldness 793 00:43:50,889 --> 00:43:54,936 and bravery that helped so many others survive 794 00:43:54,980 --> 00:43:57,025 to 100 missions.