Description
It had stood for almost ten years against every conceivable ordinance that the Americans could muster via air power, surviving wave after wave of determined American airmen. For the North Vietnamese, it assumed a prominence that approached mythical status and became a symbol for the North of their determination, fortitude and cause.
Begun in 1957 and completed in 1964, it spanned the Ma River in the Annam province in North Vietnam. It did not die easily. Surrounded by what can only be described as the most hostile air space known to man, it was defended by every known defensive anti-aircraft weapon known, including surface to air missiles (SA-2’s), AAA (up to 100mm) small arms fire and Migs at nearby airfields. The missions to Thanh Hoa bridge via Route Pack 4, became a veritable gauntlet that few combat pilots would relish. But these were not just ordinary men. They were determined men who supported each other and believed in a cause to defend the liberty and freedom of all people, including all of Vietnam and South East Asia. 104 American pilots were shot down within a 75 square mile vicinity of the target! The communists used the bridge to push Russian and Chinese supplies southward to the ground front by rail, truck and foot. Many airmen who survived being shot down would endure years of torture, mistreatment and malnourishment at the hands of their tormentors. They were housed in such infamous prisons as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ while the biased world media believe that the POWs were being treated humanely.
Few people today ponder the hot action that occurred over the Thanh Hoa bridge. Fewer still know anything about it. But to the men and their families who endured, the memories of these valiant warriors stand as a testament to the noble and deeply rooted concepts of duty, honor and country.
Robert Bailey’s latest painting depicts an attack scenario that was repeated many times. F-4 Phantoms fly flak suppression, targeting any and all who contest their arrival. Meanwhile, the A-4 Skyhawks deliver their carefully armed ordnance. Entering the target area at high speed, the pilots and their planes leave the bridge surrounded by an ever-expanding flak maelstrom in the hope that this will be the mission that will break the Dragon’s Jaw and remove it from the dreaded target list.
By: Robert Bailey
