Cunningham vs. “Col Tomb”
10 MAY 1972
CUNNINGHAM vs. “COL TOMB”
The title of “ace” has never been officially recognized by the US military. It originated in the French air force of WWI for whom it was a formal honor conferred on pilots downing five enemy aircraft. When LT David S. Ingalls, USN, scored his fifth kill from his Sopwith Camel on 24 September 1918, he became our first unofficial “ace.” Our Navy’s most successful “ace” was CDR David McCampbell, flying an F6F Hellcat in the Pacific in WWII, credited with 34 enemy kills. Today marks the first American “aces” of the Vietnam Conflict, a Navy F-4J pilot and radar intercept officer.
During the renewed bombing campaign against North Vietnam of 1972, the pilots of the VF-96 “Fighting Falcons” aboard CONSTELLATION (CVA-64) found themselves engaging enemy MiGs. On 19 January 1972, LT Randall H. “Duke” Cunningham and his RIO, LTJG William P. “Irish” Driscoll, scored a kill, a MiG-21. Four months later increasing North Vietnamese Air Force activity provided Cunningham and Driscoll their 2nd kill, a MiG-17, on May 8th.
On the morning of May 10th, the pair took off to escort an A-6/A-7 strike against the rail yards at Hai Duong. After dropping ordnance on a storage building, Cunningham climbed to engage the estimated 22 MiGs that rose in defense. They downed their first of that day when Cunningham turned sharply to chase two MiG-17s off his wingman’s tail. Then, noticing another Phantom with three enemy in pursuit, Cunningham turned again. Another Sidewinder splashed one of these. Four enemy planes now descended on his F-4, and “Duke” turned for the coast on afterburners.
On the way out they spotted a camouflaged MiG-17 against the canopy below. Cunningham engaged, endeavoring to bring the F-4s horsepower advantage to bear. But neither American expected the spectacular aerial dance that ensued! Repeatedly, Cunningham strained for position over this unusually skilled opponent. The jets traded loops, rolling scissors, and sharp turns, and each gained and lost the advantage several times. This cagy dogfighter proved elusive until, nearly out of fuel, he broke head-first toward the ground to escape. Cunningham wasn’t sure his heat-seeking Sidewinders could pick up his opponent against the jungle below but fired anyway. The missile crawled up the enemy’s tailpipe, and the MiG impacted the ground at a 45o angle. Though his true identity has never been established, rumor holds that the last opponent this day was the infamous “Colonel Tomb,” North Vietnam’s top ace and national hero, with an unconfirmed 13 US aircraft downings to his credit. Cunningham and Driscoll both received the Navy Cross. They are our only Navy “aces” of the Vietnam war and, as well, our most recent “aces.”
Watch for more “Today in Naval History” 15 MAY 22
CAPT James Bloom, Ret.
Cunningham, Randy and Jeff Ethell. Fox Two: The Story of America’s First Ace in Vietnam. Mesa, AZ: Champlin Fighter Museum, 1984, 98-113.
Foss, Joe and Matthew Brennan. Top Guns. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1991, pp. 409-44.
Mersky, Peter B. and Norman Polmar. The Naval Air War in Vietnam. Annapolis, MD: Nautical and Aviation Pub., 1981, pp. 186-90.
Site visit, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego, CA, 12 May 1992.
Stevens, Paul Drew. The Navy Cross Vietnam: Citations of Awards to Men of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps 1964-1973. Forest Ranch, CA: Sharp and Dunnigan, 1987, pp. 82, 102.
Sweetman, Jack. American Naval History: An Illustrated Chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-Present, 2nd ed. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1991, pp. 263-64.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: For years the enclosed central courtyard of the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park displayed a mock-up of this aerial duel. “MiG” is a western acronym for the Mikoyan Aircraft Corporation, named for its founder. The American military adopted codenames for all Russian aircraft; names beginning with “F” were given to fighters, names beginning with “B” for bombers. In US circles the MiG-17 is the “Fresco” and the MiG-21 the “Fishbed.”
Though the exemplary deeds of our Naval heroes inspire admiration, our heroes are, after all, only human. Following his 21-year Navy career, Cunningham served for 15 years in Congress as the Federal Representative from the 51st District of northern San Diego County, California. He resigned his seat abruptly in 2005, however, after pleading guilty to charges of bribery and corruption. He paid $1.8 million in restitution and served his entire 8-year term in the federal penitentiary in Tucson. He was released in 2013 and was granted a conditional pardon by President Donald Trump.
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