333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Redleg Lancers"
Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 8 December 1965 - 10 December 1970
In December of 1965, the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron,
known as the "Lancers" launched out of Seymour Johnson AFB,
North Carolina, arriving at Takhli with their 25 pilots on the
8th. Sufficient time remained after area checkouts for the
squadron to complete more than 300 combat sorties that month.
The 333rd supported the 355th TFW's "Rolling Thunder" strikes
into North Vietnam losing several aircraft and pilots to the
increasing defenses around Hanoi in early 1966.
Late in April, when the Wing was permitted to hit the Thai
Nguyen rail yards, the Lancers commander (Lt.Col. Jim Young)
led the strike force which destroyed most of that vital facility.
Throughout the rest of 1966 and on through the end of the
bombing of the North in 1968 the men of the 333rd contributed
significantly to making the 355th TFW "PACAF's Pride".
Although they destroyed numerous missile sites, the 333rd Iron
Hands were victims to heavy losses from the defenses of their
incredibly hostile environment and by mid-August 1966 the original
F-105F's had all been destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
The resulting increase in losses to strike aircraft was halted
later in the year when a new batch of Wild Weasel F-105F's
arrived and when the strike birds began carrying the Electronic
Countermeasures (ECM) pod with them on their missions.
In 1967, the bomb sights of the Lancers continued to fall
heavily on railyards and rolling stock with thermal power
plants and steel mills taking a good share of the beating. The
sprawling yards and industrial center of Thai Nguyen was one
of the more memorable areas devastated.
As MiG-17s and the modern MiG-21s, given to the North Vietnamese
by the Russians, began to take a heavier toll, strikes
were authorized on their airstrips in October. The 333rd was
along to get its share of enemy planes destroyed in the air
and on the ground at Phuc Yen and Hoa Lac.
In addition to joining wing missions the Lancers had some that
were peculiarly their own. Members of the 333rd were trained
in the firing of the AGM-12C and launched against targets
requiring exact hits. With the 3,000 pound Bullpup, they
destroyed an impressive number of bridges, tunnels and cave
entrances.
When not flying, the Lancers frequented the game tables in
their verandaed ops shack north of Wing. They were also often
found at the club in red party suits answering to the nicknames
like Fire Plug or Cardinal....
Today, the 333rd FS is an F-15E Strike Eagle RTU at
Seymour Johnson AFB in North
Carolina.
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