Category: War
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A Soldier’s Journey
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Some real Hard types at work
During the German “Spring Offensive” of 1918, the British Expeditionary Force took on part of the brunt of the German onslaught in fierce fighting that nearly pushed them back against the English Channel. The British desperately wanted U.S. troops of the American Expeditionary Force incorporated into their lines as reinforcements and met resistance from American General John Pershing.
U.S. soldiers inspecting British Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifles.
At the beginning of the Spring Offensive, U.S. soldiers of the AEF were not available to help the allies against the German push, as they were still in training camps. This changed by summer 1918, when the first units of the AEF started trickling into France. General Pershing answered the British request for American reinforcements by sending elements of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments to join the British lines under British command.
Soldiers packed into a trench on the Western Front surrounded by SMLE rifles and with a Lewis Light Machine Gun.
The U.S. soldiers of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments trained with elements of the Australian and New Zealand ANZAC corps to prepare for combat in the trenches. On July 4, 1918, these American troops joined British and Commonwealth forces in the Battle of Hamel, under the command of the Australian General John Monash. During the fighting, the joined AEF and ANZAC forces contributed to a new form of combat in the Western Front, with a combined and coordinated effort of infantry pushes, air cover, artillery and intelligence that would ultimately change the nature of trench warfare.
Shooting a British No.1 MKIII* SMLE rifle.
Unlike other AEF troops on the Western Front, the men of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments did not use standard American arms like the M1903 Springfield and M1917 Enfield rifles. Instead, they were issued British arms and gear as they fought under British command. These arms included the Short Magazine Lee Enfield, Lewis Light Machine Gun and Vickers Heavy Machine Gun, all chambered for the rimmed .303 British cartridge.
A view of the action of the No.1 MKIII* SMLE ejecting a spent .303 British casing.
The bolt-action Short Magazine Lee Enfield, or SMLE, rifle used by British and Commonwealth forces was one of the best service rifles used during World War I. While the standard-issue SMLE did not have the same long-range accuracy potential compared to the M1903, M1917 and German Gewehr 98, there were several features that made it better suited for the realities of fighting in trenches. The first of these notable features is its magazine capacity of 10 rounds, double the capacity of the other service rifles in use.
Soldiers sitting around a crate with a No.1 MkIII* SMLE in the foreground.
The SMLE was also slightly shorter than both the M1903 and M1917 rifles in use with other AEF troops, making it easier to maneuver within the tight confines of trench warfare. The cock-on-close action, in addition to the magazine capacity, of the SMLE also meant that trained soldiers could manipulate the action faster and put out a greater rate of fire compared to other bolt-action service rifles in use at the time. The SMLE uses a tangent rear sight and front sight post surrounded by large guard ears, protecting the sights from drops or falls.
A Marine demonstrating use of the Lewis Light Machine Gun from the hip using a sling.
Another British weapon system used by the soldiers of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments under British command was the Lewis Light Machine Gun, designed by a U.S. Ordnance Officer, Isaac Newton Lewis. Lewis based his design off of an earlier machine gun prototype, the McClean, which used a drum feed and gas-operated action. The Lewis Gun fed from a top-mounted rotating drum magazine containing 47 rounds, and was light enough that a single man could carry and operate it versus the more cumbersome and stationary Vickers Heavy Machine Gun.
One of the McClean prototype machine guns, off which Issac Newton Lewis borrowed design features for his own machine gun.
One of the most notable features of the Lewis Gun was its finned barrel contained within a hollow shroud. Using a concept called the “Venturi” system, the barrel of the Lewis Gun ended before the opening of the shroud and the muzzle blast pushed air forward through the front while brining in cooler air through opening slits at the back of the shroud near the receiver. It was thought that this method of using flowing air and heat dissipating fins around the barrel would keep it cool during sustained fire while keeping the overall weight down in comparison to a water-cooled jacket.
Shooting the Lewis Light Machine Gun.
The Lewis Gun also featured adjustments for the gas regulator and action spring, allowing it to be tuned as fouling built up within the system in order to keep the gun running. The demand for Lewis Guns was high throughout the war as its light weight, magazine capacity and ability to sustain fire made it a valuable asset for British soldiers fighting in the trenches. The number of Lewis Guns in use by British forces constantly grew throughout the war.
Soldiers crew a Vickers Heavy Machine Gun on the Western Front.
The Heavy Machine Gun Battalions of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments were issued the water-cooled, belt-fed British Vickers Heavy Machine Gun. The Vickers was essentially the same design as the American Maxim Gun, albeit a slightly lighter and improved version with the toggle lock turned upside-down. The Vickers uses a recoil-action operating system in which the barrel recoils backwards slightly within the water-jacket to unlock and operate the toggle action. The Vickers proved to be a reliable heavy machine gun on the Western Front, and a trained crew with plenty on ammunition, spare parts and water could fire it continuously.
Shooting the British Vickers Heavy Machine Gun.
By mid-1918, the tactics used by the British had improved since the disastrous first Battle of the Somme two years earlier, in which they suffered more than 60,000 casualties on the first day. The British has started off with one Vickers per battalion at the beginning of the war, which increased to several machine guns per company to support the infantry.
The number of Lewis Guns increased to two guns per platoon, or at least one per section. The British also incorporated the use of rifle grenades fired off the front of SMLE rifles as well as “bomber” troops, which were soldiers tasked with hurling multiple grenades at the enemy.
Another view of the Vickers Heavy Machine Gun in action.
The combination of better arms and tactics being used by the British by 1918 allowed for an increased degree of fluidity to be brought back into the fighting which had previously been a near constant stalemate. This was the environment that the U.S. soldiers of the 27th and 30th Infantry Regiments under British command participated in on the old Somme battlefield in 1918. General Monash, who commanded the two American regiments, went on to say that there were “no finer troops” in regards to the U.S. soldiers fighting with the British and ANZAC forces.
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Part of Ridley Scotts Napoleon
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Battle of the Pyramids 1798 [Eng Sub]
An anomaly in the Space Age, the A-1 Skyraider was a prop-powered attack aircraft developed during World War II for naval operations. It’s first flight was in 1945, but it did not see combat until the Korean War. While jets ruled the skies over Vietnam, the A-1 had a unique impact in both attack roles and search and rescue. We take a look at this amazing aircraft that could get low and slow like no others of the time.
All pilots are terrified of fire.
It takes discipline not to think about it unduly. You’re tearing through the sky in a flimsy metal tube filled with an unsettling volume of profoundly flammable aviation gasoline or jet fuel. If something goes wrong, there’s just no place to go.
Burning to death in flight is a phobia common to all aviators. On the 1st of September, 1968, Lt. Col. William Atkinson Jones III came face-to-face with that very primal fear. The unnatural way he faced that fear earned him the Medal of Honor.
Behind Enemy Lines
An F-4 Phantom pilot had been brought down 20 miles northwest of Dong Hoi in North Vietnam. Now helpless and alone amidst a rugged karst formation and surrounded by enraged North Vietnamese troops equipped with heavy anti-aircraft systems, this beleaguered U.S. Air Force pilot prepared to die. Then he heard it.
1968 was the middle of the Space Age. The U.S. military operated the most advanced jet combat aircraft in the world. However, this was something different. What this helpless pilot heard was the deep, throaty rumble of a Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engine. That sound would have been right at home in the skies over Europe during World War II.
To that downed American pilot, the growl of that massive piston-driven engine was the sound of angels singing.
That particular big Wright radial was perched on the nose of a Douglas A-1 Skyraider piloted by Lt. Col. Bill Jones. Everyone called the Skyraider the Spad after the famed French fighter of WWI fame. When assigned to combat search and rescue duties, the Skyraider was called Sandy. Sandys would fly cover while a Jolly Green Giant helicopter recovered the downed pilot.
Jones’ Sandy was part of a rescue package deployed to try to snatch this downed American pilot out of the jaws of death. While they had radio contact with the isolated aviator, they did not yet have his exact location. Everything else turned on that piece of information.
Jones dove his heavy strike aircraft down on the deck and began looking for trouble. Suddenly the North Vietnamese defenders opened up with a ZSU-23-2 twin-barrel 23mm antiaircraft gun. AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) was the alpha killer of airplanes on low-level strike missions. Several rounds struck Jones’ Skyraider, and the cockpit filled with smoke.
This is where most normal pilots, even the steely-eyed sort, would have passed the reins off to a wingman and returned to base. However, Lt. Col. Jones knew what was riding on this. Minutes counted. If the NVA got to this downed aviator before the Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter did, the Phantom driver would spend the rest of the war in a prison camp…or worse.
With his plane damaged and smoke filling the cockpit, Lt. Col. Jones wheeled the big plane around and made another pass.
This time he zeroed the pilot as well as the nearby ZSU that had shot up his airplane. Arming his weapons, Jones made two runs against the AAA position, slathering it with 20mm cannon and rocket fire.
On his second pass, nearby NVA guns pounded his big airplane mercilessly. One round detonated the Yankee Extraction System rocket located behind his headrest. This rocket-assisted ejection device subsequently burned inside the cockpit, filling the space with searing flames. Jones blew the canopy off of his airplane, which made the fire briefly worse. However, his ejection system was spent. Now there was no way for the badly burned pilot to egress his aircraft.
Jones had not been able to notify the rest of his team of the downed pilot’s location. The battle damage had destroyed his radios. Now desperately burned, Jones wracked his stricken plane over and firewalled the throttle. He successfully landed his big airplane and was rushed to surgery.
Before he would allow the surgical team to put him under, Lt. Col. Jones insisted on relating a detailed description of the downed pilot’s location from the operating table. This information was radioed back to the rescue package that was working the area. The downed pilot was successfully recovered later that day.
Anatomy of the Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider first flew on March 18, 1945, but it was not operational by the end of WWII. The Skyraider was designed to be a carrier-based, single-seat, long-range, high-endurance torpedo/dive bomber. Prior to entering active service with the U.S. Navy, Japan formally surrendered and ended the Second World War. While the Skyraider never faced off against Japanese aircraft carriers, these attributes turned out to be ideal for close air support in the skies above Vietnam.
In 1946, the Skyraider’s designation was changed to AD-1. During the course of development, engineers stripped the airframe of every piece of unnecessary equipment in a successful effort to give it a long loiter time. In the process, they faired over the bomb bay but mounted a total of 14 external hard points on the wings along with one on the centerline. This gave the Douglas aircraft the capability of carrying a breathtaking array of ordnance.
In addition to being powerful, the Wright engine was rugged. The big 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine proved exceptionally resistant to battle damage.
Douglas eventually produced versions of the Skyraider that carried two, three or four aircrew members. Variants were capable of night attack operations and electronic warfare missions.
The entire production run of 3,180 aircraft progressed through seven major variants. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines used the Skyraider during the Korean War. As the United States entered the Vietnam War, the Navy employed the Skyraider as a medium attack aircraft while the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior held the role of carrier-based strategic bomber.
As the new jet-powered A-6 Intruder was delivered, the US Navy phased out the rugged old Skyraider. Many of the Navy’s Skyraiders were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam. The South Vietnamese Air Force used the Skyraiders extensively in ground attack roles.
The United States Air Force also adopted the plane during the Vietnam War. The U.S.A.F. frequently used the A-1 in the Sandy role to recover lost pilots.
The last Skyraiders were phased out of the active U.S. inventory in 1973. However, their legacy lives on.
AD-6/A-1H Skyraider Technical Specifications
| Length | 38′ 10″ |
| Wingspan | 50′ |
| Powerplant | Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engine |
| Maximum Speed | 280 knots/322 mph |
| Range | 1,316 miles |
| Armament | 4xAN/M3 20mm cannon with 200 rounds per gun |
| Ordnance | 15 external hardpoints with a total capacity of 8,000 pounds |
A-1 Skyraiders at War
The pilots who flew the Skyraider adored the plane for its rugged construction and forgiving flight characteristics. The grunts and downed aviators who were supported by it veritably worshipped the machine. In a world of fast-moving attack jets, it was the lumbering Skyraider that most reliably brought the pain.
Throughout the Korean War, Marine and Navy Skyraiders were workhorses in ground attack roles. While newer jet aircraft were the darlings of many, it was the Skyraider that was able to fly long missions, loiter extended periods over the battlefield and deliver large quantities of ordnance. While the aircraft were rugged, the pilots paid a heavy price to support their countrymen and allies on the ground. More than 100 Skyraiders were lost in combat.
On July 26, 1954, a pair of Skyraiders splashed two Chinese Lavochkin La-11 “Fang” fighters during an international incident near Hainan Island, China. Chicom fighters launched an unprovoked attack against a DC-4 Skymaster civilian airliner operated by Cathay Pacific Airways. During a search for survivors, Skyraiders shot down the La-11 fighters.
While the ground attack capabilities of the Skyraider were frequently demonstrated in Vietnam, they also picked up air-to-air kills. A pair of North Vietnamese MiG-17 fighters were downed on June 20, 1965, by Lt. Clint Johnson and Lt. Charles Hartman. These were the first gun kills of the war.
On August 5, 1964, Lt. Richard Sather was shot down while flying as part of Operation Pierce Arrow. He was the first Navy pilot lost during the war. In October 1965, to commemorate the 6 millionth pound of ordnance dropped over Vietnam, Cmdr. Clarence Stoddard of VA-25 dropped a Navy surplus toilet along with the rest of his standard combat load.
Legacy of the A-1 Skyraider
Entering the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy already had the A-6 in development. The Air Force, however, did not have a clear upgrade path.
While the Skyraider performed well during the conflict, losses were heavy — many due to ground fire. Taking the hard-won lessons to heart, the Air Force began the process of developing dedicated close air support aircraft. The initial proposal indicated a need for increased survivability and additional ordnance delivery. By 1970, the Air Force requirements were updated to include all weather and anti-tank capabilities. The result was the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II.
During Vietnam, more than 250 of the A-1 planes — and too many pilots — were lost. However, the number of downed pilots, soldiers and Marines saved by the Skyraider is so great as to be uncountable.
Lt. Col. Jones was promoted to Colonel and awarded the Medal of Honor. Sadly, he died in a Virginia aircraft accident before the MoH presentation. His widow accepted the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon at the White House on August 6, 1970.
Lt. Col. William Jones’ complete disregard for his personal safety at the controls of his A-1 exemplifies the American warrior ethos — and the capabilities of the humble Skyraider.
WILL DABBS, MD
Will was raised in the Mississippi Delta and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After eight years flying Army helicopters, he left the military as a Major to attend medical school. Will operates an Urgent Care clinic in his small Southern town and works as the plant physician for the local Winchester ammunition plant. He is married to his high school sweetheart, has three adult children, and has written for the gun press for a quarter century.