In the Air Wing on Midway the F-4s were used as flak suppressors a couple of times. Then one came back with a big hole in it and CAG said, “No more. Too expensive to do that crap.” (They were a really expensive airplane for the times.) So they were always CAP after that. The F-8s were used for flak suppression and the Photo Det flew F-8s as well.

The A-4s and A-1s did all the dive bombing. They did have Bull Pups, a wire line guided bomb, which the A-4s tried to drop on a few occasions. They always went ballistic, so they kind of gave up on them.

The A-1s were also used for RESCAP and that is how one of the MIG kills came about. It was fortunate that VA-25′s XO, later CO, Harry Entslinger, was a Korean vet. On the first RESCAP mission a division was sent up to loiter on station near the picket destroyer. They were flying a loose division formation as they orbited in their assigned area. Harry found out about it and he called an all pilots meeting, post haste. He explained to everybody that when loitering on station like that you needed to fly sections on each side of the loiter circle. The reason was each section was then in position to turn into any attacker. It’s an old tactic from WWII called the Thach Weave. Fighter jocks knew this stuff, but SPAD drivers seldom thought about, “What if a MIG attacks me?” That APM paid off.

Anyhoo, a coupla days later the two VA-25 sections are using the tactic, when, the DD calls ‘em up and says, “We got bogies closing on your position!” The A-1 drivers armed their 20MMs and put their heads on swivels.

Sure enough two MIGs were making a beeline for those tempting looking 150 knot targets. The MIGs picked one section and went for them. The other section turned across the orbit and had a perfect deflection shot at the attacking MIGs. The A-1 section leader was Clint Johnson. He said all he saw was a MIG filling his wind screen as he blasted away. Then he saw MIG pieces flying around. (4 20 MMs can be pretty devastatingwhen on target.) The other MIG didn’t like what he saw and took off. Score one MIG for the SPADs with an assist from the Thach Weave.

Hope that helps.

Although a few of my details may have been slightly suspect, my (sidetracking) message was mostly legit, no?

And thanks for the unsolicited advice, but I believe I can hold my own with this sometimes august, and sometimes not, motley and urbane crowd…. Even if I’m the odd-man-out, ‘lefty’. Also I suppose if everyone here stuck solely to what they truly and thoroughly know, rather than merely what they think they know, there might be at least 50% less comments . . . you think?

[PS. I'm still working on throttling back any excessive, 'gas-bagocity', just for you, SnakeE.]

Snake has shamed me by calling me a “goober”, plus I’m scared he’ll send me one of dem supeenies on your behalf, the old ambulance chaser.

I was uneccesarily hard on ya by lumping ya in with Jay’s defenders. I apologize. You did say Jay’s remarks were “reprehensible”. I simply saw red and fired at the messenger when you went further to mitigate and well..you hopefully know.

Now I gotta figure out what besotted means..it don’t sound good.

b2