I will just relay this email I got from a friend. The circumstances are absolutely true but as far as I know have never been made public. That's a shame.
We need more Generals like Gen Sullivan. If you read the book “The Eleven Days of Christmas” highly recommend he rebelled at SAC’s mandatory tactics of same time, altitude, route and long turn after target witch blanked out any jamming night after night. . The film is 38 minutes long. He saved many B-52’s by refusing to let his crews do this after many were lost. He bypassed entire chain of command and went directly to SAC CC and succeeded in tactics change. It cost him his future career, but was glad he did it. Several good interviews with crew members and POW’s. This article appeared in the River Rats Weekly.
A movie about LB II Screw ups
This is a Movie made by B/G Glen Sullivan's son about the stupid tactics of the first three nites of B-52 Bombing during LB II. It is 38 minutes long and worth watching. You will see Ed Rasimus, BC Connelly, Jeff Duford ,Bud Day , Jeremiah Denton, and many POW's from those nights including a Thud Weasel, Jim Pieczko Mentioned in the credits are Tom Coady, Don Harten, Chuck Rouhier.
https://vimeo.com/channels/peachtreefilms/195186849
On the third night of LB II three B-52s were shot down on the first raid. Seventh Air Force Headquarters Headquarters in Saigon and SAC Headquarters in Omaha went into shock. As a result they recalled the six B-52Gs targeted for Hanoi on the second raid, with the result that the North Vietnamese had done something that the Germans, Japanese, Soviets, Chinese, and North Koreans had never been able to to achieve – they had made an American bombing raid abort for fear of losses (Michelle, The Eleven Days of Christmas).
On the third wave, two more G’s were lost with nine of twelve cremembers lost. When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Moorer was briefed on the third night losses of the B-52’s, he picked up the phone and called the SAC Command post - “they’re setting their God-damned watches by the timing of your bombing runs!”
Brigadier General Glenn Sullivan at U-Tapao had had enough with the SAC/Omaha imposed “same way, same time, single file bomber streams that were costing lives and aircraft. At 0930 the next morning, General Sullivan Sent a U-Tapao developed set of recommended new tactics directly (copy only to Eighth Air Force in Guam) to General J.C. Meyer, Commander of SAC. Things changed, but Sullivan’s action came at the cost of his career- one more assignment, not promoted and retired.
We need more Generals like Gen Sullivan. If you read the book “The Eleven Days of Christmas” highly recommend he rebelled at SAC’s mandatory tactics of same time, altitude, route and long turn after target witch blanked out any jamming night after night. . The film is 38 minutes long. He saved many B-52’s by refusing to let his crews do this after many were lost. He bypassed entire chain of command and went directly to SAC CC and succeeded in tactics change. It cost him his future career, but was glad he did it. Several good interviews with crew members and POW’s. This article appeared in the River Rats Weekly.
A movie about LB II Screw ups
This is a Movie made by B/G Glen Sullivan's son about the stupid tactics of the first three nites of B-52 Bombing during LB II. It is 38 minutes long and worth watching. You will see Ed Rasimus, BC Connelly, Jeff Duford ,Bud Day , Jeremiah Denton, and many POW's from those nights including a Thud Weasel, Jim Pieczko Mentioned in the credits are Tom Coady, Don Harten, Chuck Rouhier.
https://vimeo.com/channels/peachtreefilms/195186849
On the third night of LB II three B-52s were shot down on the first raid. Seventh Air Force Headquarters Headquarters in Saigon and SAC Headquarters in Omaha went into shock. As a result they recalled the six B-52Gs targeted for Hanoi on the second raid, with the result that the North Vietnamese had done something that the Germans, Japanese, Soviets, Chinese, and North Koreans had never been able to to achieve – they had made an American bombing raid abort for fear of losses (Michelle, The Eleven Days of Christmas).
On the third wave, two more G’s were lost with nine of twelve cremembers lost. When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Moorer was briefed on the third night losses of the B-52’s, he picked up the phone and called the SAC Command post - “they’re setting their God-damned watches by the timing of your bombing runs!”
Brigadier General Glenn Sullivan at U-Tapao had had enough with the SAC/Omaha imposed “same way, same time, single file bomber streams that were costing lives and aircraft. At 0930 the next morning, General Sullivan Sent a U-Tapao developed set of recommended new tactics directly (copy only to Eighth Air Force in Guam) to General J.C. Meyer, Commander of SAC. Things changed, but Sullivan’s action came at the cost of his career- one more assignment, not promoted and retired.