MAG-13, H&MS-13

8 November 1961 - - - - - - Douglas A4D-2 (A-4B) Skyhawk * 19 July 1971- - - - - - - - Douglas A4D-5 (A-4E) Skyhawk * 19 June 1968- - - - - - - - Douglas TA-4F Skyhawk 9 November 1979 - - - - - - Douglas OA-4M Skyhawk * November 30, 1962 The A4D-2 designation changed to A-4B The A4D-5 designation changed to A-4E

A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned to this unit

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Commanding Officers

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Events

March 1965:
First Marine Division mud Marines waded ashore at Da Nang to protect the allied airfield from the Viet Cong. The mud Marines were soon in the midst of heavy combat and were requesting air support of their own. The Marine landing coincided with a need for a new air base on the coast in order to reduce flight time to targets in Quang Tin province and adjacent districts.

Da Nang was the first Marine air base in South Vietnam. Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) would direct most operations assigned Da Nang aircraft that flew north of the base and over the DMZ and southern North Vietnam.

A second airfield was sorely needed. Chu Lai located about 50 miles south of Da Nang was chosen for the new airfield. Navy Seabees worked in 100-degree-plus temperatures to prepare the remote Chu Lai site for an aluminum plank SATS (short airfield for tactical support) "tinfoil strip" 4,000-foot runway. A catapult and arresting gear were planned to allow Skyhawks to use the field. The arresting gear was soon installed but a catapult was not available. So JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) was planned to reduce the Skyhawk takeoff distance by half. Soon the Chu Lai facility had a runway, arresting gear, taxiways, and a parking ramp. A catapult was installed May 14, 1966.

Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) was assigned to Chu Lai to direct most Skyhawk operations in South Vietnam. The plan was to rotate Skyhawk squadrons to and from Chu Lai and Japan to conduct combat operations. Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13) was also assigned to Chu Lai -- The dates and mission are a mystery.

The Skyhawk --- The Marine Corps had flown the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk since 1957, but had to wait eight years to fly the Skyhawk in combat. The A-4 Skyhawk was armed with two internal 20mm cannons and could carry additional guns in external pods. The A-4C had three external stores stations available and the A-4E had five external stores stations available. From the external stores stations Marine pilots could deliver approximately 8,500 pounds of ordnance ---"iron" bombs weighing up to 1,000 pounds, napalm, Zuni semi-guided rockets, cluster bombs, and unguided rockets.

June 1, 1965:
Colonel John D. Noble, MAG-12 Commanding Officer, lead Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Baker, VMA-225 Commanding Officer, and two other VMA-225 "Fighting Eagle" A-4C Skyhawks (tail code CE) into the new Chu Lai air base (June 1, 1965 - October 1965).

Several hours later on June 1, 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Bernard J. Stender, VMA-311 Commanding Officer, lead three VMA-311 "Tomcat" A-4E Skyhawks (tail code WL) into the new Chu Lai air base. (June 1, 1965 - October 1965; February 1966 - March 1967; June 1967 - February 1970; May 1972 - January 1973).

Still later on June 1, 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Baker, VMA-225 Commanding Officer, lead the first "Fighting Eagle" combat mission from Chu Lai striking the enemy six miles north of the base.

August 1965:
During Operation Starlite North Vietnamese forces tried to attack Chu Lai but were driven off by mud Marines on land and in Skyhawks in the air.

October 15, 1965:
MAG-12 now commanded about 80 Skyhawks at Chu Lai.

May 14, 1966:
Chu Lai's aircraft carrier type mobile catapult system became operational. The aircraft catapult was able to launch Skyhawks on either north or south runway headings.

October 1966:
Chu Lai West, a 10,000-foot concrete runway with aircraft hardstands and taxiways, was completed.

(1967):
Tropical weather in Vietnam provided much low cloud and rain to cover the Viet Cong. The Marines used ground controlled precision radar to allow bombing through clouds and at night. The pilot would put the Skyhawk on autopilot and couple to the ground precision radar controller when headed toward the target. The computerized system initiated directional changes and released ordnance at the correct altitude and time via radio signals received by the Skyhawk's computer.

Tactical air control increasingly passed to jet aircraft during the war. Marine Skyhawk pilots worked with Air Force FAC (forward air controllers) using the Cessna O-1E Bird Dog; and the Marines had their own FAC aircraft --- the two-seat TA-4F Skyhawk dual-control trainer. The TA-4F had the two-cannon armament and similar stores delivery capability of the single seat Scooter. The TA-4F and single seat Skyhawk's avionics were similuar --- making for maintenance ease. The TA-4F was flown by Headquarters & Maintenance Squadron 12 and H&MS 13 at Chu Lai, and H&MS-11 at Da Nang.

May 1967:
Skyhawk squadrons initiated "hot pad" alerts at Chu Lai, during which a section of armed aircraft awaited a scramble call with pilots in their cockpits and engines turning over.

January 1968:
The North Vietnamese Tet Offensive began in January 1968, a focal point of the North Vietnamese attack was the Marine outpost at Khe Sanh. Having been isolated by the loss of the A Shau Valley area in 1966, the 26th Marines stationed there were hardly surprised when the attack began.

The core of the enemy offensive was concurrent attacks on towns and U.S. installations throughout South Vietnam. Among the targets was Chu Lai, where, on January 31, rockets injured two men from VMA-311, damaged four of that squadron's A-4s and destroyed part of the bomb dump. In retaliation, the Bulldogs destroyed an enemy rocket dump south of their base on February 25.

The battle to prevent the capture of Khe Sanh became one of the epic ground-air actions of the war. It included a huge logistics airlift to bring the Marine defenders food, medical supplies and ammunition. To help this effort, the Corps devised the "Super Gaggle" formation, which centered on a Lockheed Hercules C-130 cargo plane, flying with helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft escort. Twelve A-4s flew the first Super Gaggle on February 24, 1968, joining 20 CH-46 and UH-1E helicopters on a mission coordinated by a TA-4F. The role of the Skyhawks was to "sanitize" the en route and landing areas by working them over with bombs, napalm and 20mm cannon fire. Operation Niagara, the huge, coordinated air plan to hold Khe Sanh helped break the Tet Offensive; yet the break was not exploited, and the United States ultimately began withdrawing combat units. A number of bases lost their front-line status, among them Chu Lai.

February 1970:
MAG-12 accompanied by VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers and VMA-311 Tomcats departed Chu Lai, Vietnam and relocated in Japan. The VMA-223 Bulldogs returned to CONUS.

The VMA-311 Tomcats moved to Da Nang under the operational control of MAG-11, continuing to support the ongoing war in Laos and Cambodia. One of the earliest arrivals in the war zone, VMA-311 had by May 7, 1971, flown 47,663 sorties.

September 3, 1970:
Marine Base Chu Lai was transfered to the United States Army; the last Marine (VMA-311 Tomcat) sorties were flown from Chu Lai on September 11, 1970.

January 28, 1973:
VMA-311 Da Nang's ground personnel refuel the last Tomcat Skyhawks, hung the last bombs (painted red, white and blue and daubed with slogans for the occasion) on the Tomcat Skyhawks and strap in the last duty Tomcat pilots.
Colonel Dean Macho, commander of MAG-12, led the last mission, a strike into the Mekong Delta region. Da Nang's ground troops waited anxiously for the Skyhawks to return. They all did.

February 1973:
MAG-11 departed Da Nang, Vietnam. The VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers and VMA-311 Tomcats relocated to Japan.

September 1973:
H&MS-13 turned in its Douglas TA-4F Skyhawks.

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Awards

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Harry S. Gann

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