It's July 1965. Just a year after the Vietnam War entered a new phase, Operation Rolling Thunder is in full swing. American bomber aircraft make daily sorties over the territory of Northern Vietnam, targeting vital strategic points in the country.

But the operation doesn't proceed as smoothly as everyone anticipates. When they least expect it, disaster strikes that left Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell "hopping mad." Two of his F-105 fighter bombers are shot down in a dogfight over enemy territory, both pilots lost. A group of North Vietnamese pilots, flying in old subsonic MiG-17s, sneak into the formation of 67 planes, causing havoc.

The entire military is in shock. No one sees this coming. The war has indeed shifted. The skies, once a domain of relative safety for the American pilots, now feel treacherous. From this point on, they always have to watch over their shoulders. The old but fierce MiG-17s are a threat they can't ignore.

Contents of this Video:
00:00 MiG-17 in Vietnam
01:09 Setting the Stage
03:39 Pivotal Upgrades
08:31 Homecoming
11:06 Showdown
14:33 Bait
16:23 Pilots in the Box

The Militology Channel does it's best to produce historically accurate content for history enthusiasts. All content is carefully researched and sources shared. Images and footage of the actual events may not be 100% accurate due to availability, but we do our best. Some images and footage may be used for dramatic effect, but the narrative content adheres to historical accuracy based on available sources. Please reach out with any concerns around historical accuracy so we can incorporate feedback. We also want to hear your constructive interpretation of historical events in our video comments.

Contact:
Militologyshow@gmail.com

Script Author:
Dejan Milivojevic

Sources:
Davies, Peter E. USN F-4 Phantom II vs VPAF MiG-17/19: Vietnam 1965–73. Osprey Publishing, 2009.
Gordon, Yefim. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17: The Soviet Union's Jet Fighter of the Fifties. Voyageur Press (MN), 2002.
Stapfer, Hans-Heiri, David Gebhardt, and Don Greer. MiG-17 Fresco Walk Around: OP. Squadron/Signal Publications, 2007.
Sweetman, Bill. Modern Fighting Aircraft: MiGs, 1985.
Toperczer, István. MiG-17/19 Aces of the Vietnam War. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.

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