The AC-47 was developed from the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a military transport aircraft derived from the DC-3 commercial airliner.
The Norden bombsight, though not the technological marvel it was portrayed to be, played a significant role in World War II by boosting American morale and symbolizing innovation.
I've always been intrigued by a simple brass spoon displayed at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. My research only uncovered one Marine's story about his "Idi Wah" spoon, highlighting how seemingly trivial items can hold deep significance.
Colonel Robin Olds, commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, devised a bold plan rooted in deception. The operation involved using F-4 Phantom fighters to mimic the flight profiles and radio communications of F-105 bombers.
By June, Vietnamese forces had destroyed multiple bridges along Route 19, isolating Pleiku, Kontum, and Ban Me Thuot from ground access and forcing reliance on air transport.
To enhance their conventional bomb capacity, Project Big Belly retrofitted B-52Ds to carry up to 30 tons of conventional bombs.
The operation officially began on March 11, 1965, with the goal of preventing communist forces from resupplying via the South Vietnamese coast.
