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Two U.S. Fighter Bombers Shot Down over Laos

Jan. 14, 1965 - Two United States fighter-bombers shot down over Laos today were part of a growing attack concentration based at Da Nang, some 350 miles north of Saigon, which regularly raids Communist supply lines into South Vietnam.

Strikes against the complex of roads collectively called the Ho Chi Minh Trail — after the head of Communist North Vietnam — began after U.S. Ambassador Maxwell Taylor returned from his latest top secret conferences in Washington.

It is understood that President Johnson approved carrying the war against the previously privileged trail. The road network winds from North Vietnam through Laos to the south. The governments of both Laos and South Vietnam agreed to the action.

About 12 of the F-100 and F-105 jets used in the attacks have been damaged by increasingly severe Communist ground fire along the route.

They have, however, mauled a number of truck convoys when they caught the vehicles at station stops.

The two planes shot down today were the first the Communists managed to ground. Both pilots were saved.

Activities of the U.S. forces at Da Nang have been veiled in secrecy. It is known, however, that port and air base facilities there have been enlarged considerably in recent months.
Raids on the supply lines serve a double purpose since the same roads bring food, guns, and ammunition not only to the Viet Cong in South Vietnam but to the pro-Red Pathet Lao in Laos.

Captain Charles L. Ferguson, one of two U.S. Air Force pilots shot down over Laos, telephoned his wife in Clovis, N.M., today to say, “I’m safe and all right.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” said Mrs. Barbara Ferguson, who is 33 years old. Mrs. Ferguson said she and their three children were overjoyed. She said the telephone connection was so bad they could barely hear.

Capt. Ferguson, 34, has been in the service 10 years. He left Clovis in December for a tour of temporary duty in Vietnam.



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© 2024 by Joe Rubenstein

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