The
B57 Canberra was a
light tactical bomber
that played a varied
role in the Vietnam
conflict. A veteran of
operations Rolling
Thunder and Steel
Tiger, B57's from the
8th Tactical Bombing
Squadron at Phan Rang,
South Vietnam had also
been equipped with
infrared sensors for
night strike
operations in Tropic
Moon II and III in the
spring of 1967.
On
13 December 1968, then
Major Thomas W.
Dugan, pilot; and
Major Francis J.
McGouldrick, co-pilot;
comprised the crew of
a B57B Canberra, call
sign "Yellowbird
72."
Their night bombing
mission was being
guided by a C123K
Provider, call sign
"Candlestick
44," operating as
the on site Forward
Air Controller (FAC)
and whose mission it
was to direct the
bombers against a
convoy of enemy trucks
traveling along Routes
911 and 912. These
routes were cut
through the rugged
jungle covered
mountains
approximately 2 miles
north of the
demilitarized zone
(DMZ), 14 miles
northwest of Ban Namm,
18 miles southwest of
Ban Loboy, 35 miles
northwest of Muang
Xepon and 26 miles
southwest of the
Lao/North Vietnamese
border, Savannakhet
Province, Laos.
Additional data places
the loss approximately
47 kilometers
northwest of Xepon, 3
kilometers east of Ban
Kok Nak and Route 411,
and 1 kilometer
southeast of Ban Pa
Dong.
This
area of eastern Laos
was considered a major
artery of the infamous
Ho Chi Minh Trail.
When North Vietnam
began to increase its
military strength in
South Vietnam, NVA and
Viet Cong troops again
intruded on neutral
Laos for sanctuary, as
the Viet Minh had done
during the war with
the French some years
before. This border
road was used by the
Communists to
transport weapons,
supplies and troops
from North Vietnam
into South Vietnam,
and was frequently no
more than a path cut
through the jungle
covered mountains. US
forces used all assets
available to them to
stop this flow of men
and supplies from
moving south into the
war zone.
Candlestick
44's crew was
comprised of 1st Lt.
Thomas M. Turner,
pilot; 1st Lt. Joseph
P. Fanning, co-pilot;
1st Lt. John S.
Albright, II,
navigator; 1st Lt.
Morgan J. Donahue,
navigator; SSgt.
Douglas V. Dailey,
flight engineer; TSgt.
Fred L. Clarke,
loadmaster and SSgt.
Samuel F. Walker, Jr.,
loadmaster.
Flying
at an altitude of no
more than 2000-3000
feet, the Provider
crew's mission was to
spot enemy truck
convoys traveling
along the trail, then
to drop flares to
illuminate the area
for the accompanying
bombers to attack.
Weather conditions at
the time were clear
with a half moon,
ground fog, no wind
and no cloud ceiling.
At 0300 hours, as the
crew of the C123K
guided the B57B onto
an enemy convoy, the
FAC was jolted by a
blow to the top of
their aircraft in the
aft section by the
overhead bomber as it
approached the target.
Candlestick 44's
pilot, 1st Lt. Turner
was stunned by a blow
to the head and lost
consciousness as his
aircraft lost power.
Because of its glider
configuration, the
C123K did not fall
straight to the
ground, but drifted
lazily in a slow flat
spin that lasted
several minutes.
During
his post-rescue
debriefing, Thomas
Turner reported:
"Yellowbird 72
made either one or two
passes over the target
and received no ground
fire while Candlestick
44 maintained position
in our quadrant at
altitude. While the
bomber conducted its
strikes, I began a run
to our left in order
to stay in our own
quadrant, yet be able
to scope to clear the
previous strike (to
observe the bomber's
attack pass and its
pull off of the
target). Just as we
rolled out straight
and level, I looked
out the window and saw
the strike area. The
next moment there was
an explosion and the
aircraft was out of
control. I was knocked
unconscious for
several moments. When
I came to, I turned in
my seat and could see
the co-pilot's seat
was empty and fire was
coming into the
cockpit from the
fuselage area. I
turned to the left and
opened the window,
then unbuckled my
seatbelt. I looked out
at the wing tip and
could see the wing tip
and that the left
engine was still
running. The next
minute I was out and
clear of the aircraft.
I pulled the
"D" ring
when clear to deploy
my parachute. On my
descent I saw another
parachute below me and
2 or 3 fires on the
ground. At that time I
was unaware of the
other aircraft's fall,
and didn't know if it
was one of the fires
on the ground or
not." 1st Lt.
Turner went on to say:
"I landed safely
in a treetop where I
remained until search
and rescue (SAR)
personnel rescued me
at dawn. I did not
hear any of the other
crewmen come up on the
radio, and I
understand that the
only beeper the SAR
aircraft heard was
mine."
Members
of other aircrews
provided additional
information about this
loss incident. One
witness stated he saw
a steady stream of
enemy anti-aircraft
artillery fire aimed
in the direction of
the aircraft just
before the large
explosion caused by
the collision. Several
other witnesses
reported there was a
large explosion that
broke the aircraft
into three parts
shortly after the
initial explosion.
After
plucking Thomas Turner
out of the tree,
aerial SAR personnel
continued to search
for the other crewmen
in the rugged jungle
covered mountains.
Because this area was
under total enemy
control, no ground
search was possible.
At 0900 hours on 15
December, the formal
SAR effort was
terminated when no
trace of the remaining
crew could be found.
At that time Thomas
Dugan and Francis
McGouldrick were
listed Missing in
Action. Likewise, no
trace of the C123K
crew was found and
they were also
declared Missing in
Action at the same
time.
Over
the years numerous
reports filtered
through the
intelligence community
regarding the crews of
the Canberra and the
Provider including
National Security
Agency (NSA)
intercepted enemy
radio communications
correlated to at least
3 of the missing men.
In 1974 a Laotian
refugee who escaped
reported having
observed an American
prisoner thought to
have been a member of
this aircrew who had
been moved to the
caves near Tchepone
where he was held
during the 1968 to
1970 timeframe. This
American was later
transferred to another
location unknown to
the refugee.
Thomas
Dugan and Francis
McGouldrick are among
the nearly 600
Americans who
disappeared in Laos.
Like this aircrew,
many of these men were
known to be alive on
the ground. The
Laotians admitted
holding "tens of
tens" of American
Prisoners of War, but
these men were never
negotiated for either
by direct negotiations
between our countries
or through the Paris
Peace Accords that
ended the Vietnam War
since the Laotians
were not a party to
that agreement.
Since
the end of the Vietnam
War well over 21,000
reports of American
prisoners, missing and
otherwise unaccounted
for have been received
by our government.
Many of these reports
document LIVE American
POWs remaining captive
throughout Southeast
Asia TODAY.
Aircrews
in Vietnam and Laos
were called upon to
fly in many dangerous
circumstances, and
they were prepared to
be wounded, killed or
captured. It probably
never occurred to them
that they could be
abandoned by the
country they so
proudly served.
Incidental Information
