Nguyễn Văn Bảy (1936 – September 22, 2019), was a Vietnamese jet
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
for the
Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
(
North Vietnamese
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...
) during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Piloting a
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
F while assigned to the 923rd Fighter Regiment, Bay claimed 7 aerial combat victories while engaged against aircraft of the
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
and
USN
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
: 2
F-8
The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the F ...
s, 1
F-4B
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowe ...
, 1
A-4C and 1
F-105D. Of the 7 claimed victories, 5 are acknowledged by American documents. Of 16 VPAF (
North Vietnamese
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
) aces during Vietnam War, only Bay,
Luu Huy Chao
Luu Huy Chao (1936-; Vietnamese: Lưu Huy Chao) is a former pilot of the Vietnam People's Air Force and a Vietnam War flying ace. From 1966 until 1968, Lưu Huy Chao flew a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 "Fresco" with the 923rd Fighter Regiment agains ...
, and
Le Hai solely flew
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
s.
Background
Nguyen Van Bay was born in 1937 in a place nowadays
Sa Đéc
Sa Đéc is a Provincial city in Đồng Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. It is a river port and agricultural and industrial trading center. The Sa Đéc economic zone consists of Châu Thành, Lai Vung and Lấp Vò ...
City,
Đồng Tháp Province. He was the seventh of 11 children. At the age of 16, Bay went North to join the army to fight against the French during the
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh ( Democratic Republic of ...
(aka the
French Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
). When the war ended in 1954,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
was temporarily divided into two states along the 17th Parallel;
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
and
South Vietnam. Bay chose to stay in the North, at which time he lost all contact with his family.
In 1962, Bay volunteered for flight training and was among the first pilot trainees sent to train in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
. As he told it, he "''went from the bicycle to the airplane with no stop in between''." He learned to drive a car only long after he began flight training.
Bay and the other trainees started with
Yak-18
The Yakovlev Yak-18 (russian: Яковлев Як-18; NATO reporting name Max) is a tandem two-seat military primary trainer aircraft manufactured in the Soviet Union. Originally powered by one 119 kW (160 hp) Shvetsov M-11FR-1 radial ...
s, then moved on to
MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one o ...
s, finally graduating to the
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
s. Similar to U.S. pilots, the North Vietnamese usually flew 200 hours in training before going into combat. Bay's training took four years, successfully completing his training in January 1966.
Vietnam People's Air force
Bay began his combat aviation career with the 910th Air Training Regiment in Vietnam in 1959, and started
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
training in
China in the early 1960s. Bay returned to Vietnam for combat duty with the 921st Fighter Regiment, but scored his first aerial victory with the 923rd Fighter Regiment in April 1966 during the early part of the U.S.-involved Vietnam War; Bay was awarded the coveted Hero of the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces medal on 1 January 1967.
[Toperczer, 2015, pp. 232.]
Note: The following aerial engagements do not match with the number of aircraft he shot down, according to the United States Air Force. The aircraft he shot down as claimed by the
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
are 2
F-8
The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the F ...
s, 1
F-4
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowe ...
B, 1
A-4C and 1
F-105
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
D. In addition, the following engagements suggest that he shot down 8 aircraft even though he is credited with 7. Nevertheless, the following aerial-combat victories listed, at the very least, include all the kills acknowledged and credited to Nguyễn Văn Bảy by the VPAF:
October 6, 1965
Bay had his first engagement when he was attacked by an F-4 Phantom. The F-4 fired an
AIM-7
The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air force ...
D missile
that detonated off his left wing. His MiG-17 then pitched down and started vibrating. Bay managed to land safely at
Noi Bai
Nội Bài International Airport ( vi, Sân bay quốc tế Nội Bài) in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is the second largest and busiest airport for passenger traffic, after Tan Son Nhat International Airport. It is currently the main airpo ...
airfield, just north of
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
. He later stated, "I felt like a light boxer who confidently walked up to the ring and tried to knock out the super heavy boxers. It was not a single fight but dozens of
dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every maj ...
s. We were outnumbered four or five to one. Our thoughts were on survival, nothing more."
April 26, 1966
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
F-4C Phantom IIs participated in a strike along Route 10 at
Bac Son-
Binh Gia, and a flight of four MiG-17s that included pilot Nguyen Van Bay were directed by North Vietnamese
ground control intercept radar (GCI) to fly at 2,500 meters and 15 km south of Bac Son-Binh Gia; due to the constant shifting of direction of flight by the U.S. aircraft, the MiG-17 pilots decided engaged the American raiders head-on, and in the ensuing melee, Luu Huy Chao claimed a Phantom shot-down, while Nguyen Van Bay scored hits on another Phantom, damaging it for certain, but couldn't confirm it as a kill.
[Toperczer, 2015, pp. 45.]
April 29, 1966
On 29 April 1966, North Vietnamese GCI directed the 923rd Fighter Regiment MiGs into two separate battles against USAF and
USN
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
aircraft. A pilot of one flight of MiG-17s from the 923rd regiment, Bui Dinh Kinh claimed the downing of a USAF
A-1E Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...
piloted by Col. Leo "Sid" Boston; although some sources may have misidentified the loss as a USN
A-4E Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed an ...
piloted by ''navy Captain'' (same rank as ''air force Colonel'') L.S. Boston.
In the other interception flight of the 923rd regiment MiG-17s that day, Nguyen Van Bay intercepted USAF F-105s and F-4s, shooting down the
F-105D Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
piloted by Lt. Donald W. Bruch of the
333rd TFS, just north of
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
, although the US-side claims this loss was due to
AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and ...
; Lt. Bruch according to witnesses, was not seen to eject from his stricken aircraft, and was declared
KIA
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
on 4 May 1966.
June 21, 1966
Bay and three other MiG-17s were sent to engage an RF-8A (reconnaissance variant) and its escorting F-8s. Despite two Migs being destroyed by the F-8s, Bay managed to down one F-8 piloted by Cole Black.
While Bay and the other MiG-17s were engaging the F-8s, the lead Mig-17, piloted by
Phan Thanh Trung, shot down the RF-8A.
June 29, 1966
Bay and three other MiG-17s were sent to engage F-105s heading for the fuel depots in
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
. With the help of fellow pilot
Phan Van Tuc, catching the lead F-105 off-guard, Bay shot it down. The F-105D that was downed in this engagement between Nguyen and Phan, was piloted by Capt. M.N. Jones, who then spent 2,420 days at the prison camp often referred to as the "''
Hanoi Hilton''",
although as typical of American sources, the counter-claim is that Jones was shot down due to "fire from rockets and anti-aircraft cannons".
September 5, 1966
Le Thanh Chon, the senior control officer at
Gia Lam airfield
Gia Lam Airport () is an airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, located in Long Biên District, on the eastern bank of the Red River. It is primarily a military field, used by the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF), with MiG-21 fighters and Kamov Ka-28 he ...
, vectored Bay and his wing-man
Vo Van Man to an unknown target in the South. As they headed south, Bay observed a flight of A-4 Skyhawks flying away from a smoking bridge. To his front, he observed two F-8 Crusaders approaching the A-4s from the right of where he was heading. Bay and his wingman jettisoned their drop tanks in preparation for battle. The F-8s took position behind the A-4s to escort them from the bridge. Chon, watching the events on radar ordered Bay to fly forward, Bay was then given permission to engage, at which time he attacked the trailing F-8, adjusting his fire on the tracers. As his rounds struck near the canopy of the F-8, the plane began coming apart, Crusader pieces filled the air as Bay's MiG started to fly through them. Avoiding the danger, he pulled away, at the same time observing the pilot ejecting from his aircraft. The engagement lasted approximately 45 seconds, and when he landed, Plexiglas from the F-8 was found in his engine intake. The American F-8 pilot was captured shortly after ejecting, and turned out to be Wilfred K. Abbott, serving in the squadron VF-111, carrier .
September 16, 1966
In the early afternoon at Gia Lam airfield, Bay was flying in the number three position in a flight of four, when they were directed to engage US aircraft. Bay was the first to observe a flight of F-4s, and asked his flight leader,
Ho Van Quy, for permission to attack, but Quy doubted they could catch up to the faster F-4s. Then Bay spotted an opportunity, the Phantoms began to make a climbing turn. Bay and his flight commenced to cut off the F-4s, he rolled in behind the F-4C piloted by Major
John "Robbie" Robertson and his backseater
Hubert Buchanan
Hubert E. Buchanan (born April 24, 1941) is a former United States Air Force captain and fighter pilot in the Vietnam War who was shot down, captured, and spent 2,362 days as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and surrounding areas. He was one of the f ...
(USAF # 63–7643,
555th TFS
The 555th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It operates General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting multirole air and ground missions.
The squadron was first activated during World W ...
). As he closed the range he opened fire with his cannons. The F-4 pulled hard and then eased its turn. Bay adjusted and fired again, this time observing one of the F-4's wheels flying off of its wing. Buchanan ejected and was captured as POW, while Robertson is believed to have died in the wreck of their F-4 Phantom.
September 21, 1966
On this date, Bay was flying the lead of a four-ship flight, when he was directed to a target 10 miles ahead by ground control. After a few minutes, Bay spotted two F-105s at around 10,000 to 13,000 feet. Bay banked in pursuit, knowing that F-105s normally traveled in packs of four, he looked around for the other pair. Not able to locate the other F-105s, Bay gave his wing-man,
Do Huy Hoang
Do, DO or D.O. may refer to:
Languages
* The English verb, ''do'', which may serve as an auxiliary verb; see do-support
* ''Do'' (kana), a mora symbol in Japanese writing
* Ditto mark
People
* Đỗ, a Vietnamese surname
* Do (surname), inclu ...
, permission to attack. Hoang flew wide to the left,
[Nguyen Van Bay and the Aces from the North](_blank)
(July 3, 2008) and lined up behind the second F-105. Hoang waited for the "Thuds" to turn, but instead they rolled into a shallow bank. Bay's flight had flown into an ambush. Flying low to avoid radar behind the first F-105s were First Lieutenant
Karl Richter and Captain
Ralph J. Beardsley. Richter jettisoned his rocket pods and lined up behind Hoang. Richter fired his
M61 Gatling gun on Hoang. The airplane rolled on its own to wings level.
Hoang lit the afterburner on his MiG and tried to regain control as his jet rolled to the right. Hoang's left wing was in tatters from Richter's Gatling Gun. Hoang checked his engine instruments and thought he was going to be fine, but then the plane began to come apart. Hoang had to eject. Bay, now alone, and with his fuel becoming low, found himself dodging multiple missiles from US aircraft;however, they began to depart North Vietnam's air space. At this time, Bay spotted Vo Van and followed him back to base.
January 21, 1967
On this day at 14:45 hours, GCI directed a flight of four 923 regiment MiG-17s: Ho Van Quy, Phan Thanh Tai, Nguyen Van Bay and Vo Van Man. Just minutes after takeoff, Nguyen Van Bay made visual contact with an incoming flight of 20 F-105s and 4 F-4 Phantoms from 10 km away. At this point in time, the U.S. Thunderchiefs and Phantom crews also made visual contact with the VPAF MiGs, and were forced to jettison their bomb loads; the F-4s attacked the MiGs first, without success Ho Van Quy quickly approached a flight of F-105 with an advantageous shooting position at only 500–600 meters from his target F-105, but failed to score a hit. However, Nguyen Van Bay was able to shoot down the F-105D piloted by Capt. W.R. Wyatt (s/n 62-4278, of the 469th TFS/388th TFW) and claiming his 6th aerial victory, however, after Capt. Wyatt was rescued, US-side claimed the Thunderchief was shot-down by AAA.
April 24, 1967
Bay, assigned as flight leader, was scrambled from
Kien An airfield. His flight was to intercept a United States Navy air raid at the
Haiphong
Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta.
Haiphong w ...
docks. Bay closed in on an unsuspecting F-8 Crusader piloted by
Lt. Cdr. E.J. Tucker, and shot it down. Tucker ejected but later he died in North Vietnamese captivity. The escorting F-4s then counterattacked Bay's flight. The F-4s fired several
Sidewinders at Bay, but with his wing-man's warning, he was able to dodge them all. Bay was then able to maneuver himself into a good shooting position against the crew of the USN F-4B (BuNo 153000) from
VF-114
Fighter Squadron 114 (VF-114) was a fighter squadron of the United States Navy that was active from 1945 through 1993. Nicknamed the "Aardvarks", it was based out of Naval Air Station Miramar, California. The squadron flew combat missions during ...
,
USS ''Kitty Hawk'' (CVA-63) piloted by Lcdr. Charles E. Southwick along with RIO Ens. James W. Laing (call sign ''Linfield 210'') and claimed his seventh victory, however, Lcdr. C.E. Southwick and his RIO Ens. J.W. Laing believed that they had been "shot down by AAA" according to some sources, while "running out of fuel" according to others (the
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
n squadron ''Doan Z'' claimed an "F-4 shot-down", however the only other loss from U.S. carrier aircraft that day was an
A-6A ''Intruder'' (BuNo 152589) of
VF-85, also from the USS ''Kitty Hawk'', of which the U.S. claims to have been shot-down by AAA; both Lt(jg) L.I. Williams and Lt(jg) M.D. Christian became captured POWs). While both Lcdr. Southwick and Ens. Laing safely ejected out at sea and were rescued on that 24 April 1967 day, they were again shot-down on 14 May 1967, possibly by either MiG-17 ace fighter pilot Vo Van Man, or Nguyen The Hon, both of whom were also shot-down (and KIA) on this day; both U.S. pilot Lcdr. Southwick and RIO Ens. Laing became captured POWs.
April 25, 1967
Bay and his flight were able to bring down two American A-4 Skyhawks. One A-4 was shot down by Bay himself while the other was shot down by his wing-man. Bay was awarded the Hero's Medal of the Vietnamese People's Army for his outstanding skill and bravery in combat, and for his superb leadership of his flight.
April 29, 1967
In the afternoon of this day, Nguyen Van Bay was among a flight of MiG-17s flying out of Hoa Lac on a heading of 120-degrees over to
Hoa Binh, where he made visual contact of F-4 Phantoms from 8 km out, and engaging them in three-minutes time from the initial visual identification; he would quickly shoot-down one of the four USAF F-4Cs from the
389th TFS, piloted by Lt. L.H. Torkleson (POW) along with his WSO G.J. Pollin (KIA); the US-side claims the loss of this Phantom due to AAA.
Early 1972
It is a common misconception that this ''Nguyen Van Bay'' was the pilot who attacked the USS Oklahoma City on April 19, 1972. Rather, it was a different
''Nguyen Van Bay'', or ''Bay B'', who was downed and killed in Thanh Hoa province on May 6th the same year.
In 1971 ''Bay B'' and his fellow pilot ''Le Xuan Di'' were trained in anti-ship warfare by a Cuban advisor. On April 19, 1972, the two men from the 923rd Fighter Regiment flew their MiG-17s, each armed with two 250 kg bombs, towards the open sea in what was known as the
Battle of Đồng Hới
The Battle of Đồng Hới was a clash between United States Navy warships and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) MiG-17F fighter bombers, several torpedo boats and shore batteries on April 19, 1972, during the Vietnam War. This was the first tim ...
''Le Xuan Di'' headed his aircraft for the US
destroyer , whilst ''Nguyen Van Bay'' struck for the US Navy
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
, which had been shelling targets in
Vinh
Vinh () is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of north-central Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The city is ...
City.
''Bay's'' two bombs caused only slight damage to the ''Oklahoma City'', as they may have been "near misses", while ''Di'' was able to score a direct hit on the destroyer ''Higbee''
's aft 5" (127 mm) gun turret with one of his two 250 kg bombs.
[Toperczer p. 54 & 55] This was the first successful air strike made by an enemy jet fighter bomber on a US Navy warship while actively engaged in combat.
The , providing escort for the damaged warship, reportedly destroyed an enemy MiG interceptor. Following the initial attack, the USS ''Sterett'' deployed her
RIM-2 Terrier
The Convair RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. It underwent significant upgrades while in service, starting with beam ...
missiles and destroyed an
SS-N-2 "Styx" surface to surface missile in mid flight. The missiles were thought to have been launched from North Vietnamese patrol boats.
Grounded
Bay's victories made headlines in North Vietnam and fame soon followed. He dined regularly with
Ho Chi Minh
(: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as (' Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as P ...
and reportedly, was amongst his favorites. Bay was grounded sporadically, and then permanently. As is often the practice in many countries, high ranking "
Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ca ...
s" are often grounded during a continuing war, to utilize their attained status to inspire future generations.
After the war, Bay returned to his hometown and took on farming and gardening. He died in 2019 after a stroke.
See also
*
List of Vietnam War flying aces
The claimed flying aces of the Vietnam War, pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft, include 19 North Vietnamese pilots (six MiG-17 and 13 MiG-21 pilots), and five Americans.
The American aces flew as members of two-man crews on F-4 P ...
*
Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
References
Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
External links
Vietnamese Aces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Van Bay
1936 births
2019 deaths
North Vietnamese Vietnam War flying aces
People from Đồng Tháp Province