Đặng Ngọc Ngự

Đặng Ngọc Ngự, (1 November 1939 – 8 July or 15 August 1972) †, was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 pilot of the Vietnamese People's Air Force who flew with the 921st fighter regiment and tied for third place amongst Vietnam War fighter aces with seven kills.[1]

He was in the air fighting U.S. fighter jets in a MiG-21MF (No. 5136) on the day of 10 May 1972, claiming victory over an F-4 Phantom II; the same day USN F-4 Phantom II pilot Duke Cunningham and his RIO Bill Driscoll were shot down after they had allegedly shot-down the legendary, or mythical, Colonel Toon, of which it's said that Đặng and other pilots, including sub-ace MiG-21 pilot Dinh Ton, had all played-part in the legendary (or mythical) role of Colonel Toon.[2][3][4][5][6]

The following victories include the kills known to be acknowledged and credited to him by the VPAF:[7][8]

  • 13 August 1966, Firebee/Lightning Bug drone;
  • 14 December 1966, a USAF F-105D (US-side does not confirm);
  • 22 May 1967, a USAF F-4C (pilot Perrine, WSO Backus, KIA, US claims loss to AAA);[9]
  • 8 November 1967, a USAF F-4D (pilot Gordon, WSO Brenneman, POWs, 555th TFS);[10]
  • 24 April 1968, Firebee/Lightning Bug drone;
  • 4 March 1969, Firebee/Lightning Bug drone;
  • 10 May 1972, an F-4 (US-side does not confirm);
  • 8 July 1972, a USAF F-4E (pilot Ross, WSO Imaye, rescued). † According to one source, Dang Ngoc Ngu was shot down and killed on 15 August 1972 by an F-4E after a brief engagement NW of Hanoi, and credited to Captains Fred Sheffler and Mark Massen (336th TFS, 4th TFW, TDY to Ubon AB, Thailand) whom "thwarted his attack with a launch of an AIM-7 that ended his career".[11] Another source points to his demise earlier on 8 July 1972, when an F-4E No. 67-0270 of Hardy/Lewinsky shot down Dang following the attack on, and ultimately the downing of the F-4E No. 69-7563 of Ross/Imaye (also with the 336th TFS, 4thTFW) whom were able to fly their stricken Phantom back across friendly lines in Thailand on one engine before safely ejecting close to their base just north of Udorn.[12][13]

Đặng Ngọc Ngự was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces on 11 January 1973.[14]

See also

References
  1. Gordon, Yefim MiG-21, Midland Publishing 2008. ISBN 978-1-85780-257-3
  2. "Name That Toon - Was North Vietnam's Most Feared Flying Ace A Myth?". MilitaryHistoryNow.com. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. Roblin, Sebastien (2016-07-03). "The Legend of the Vietnam War's Mystery Fighter Ace". War Is Boring. Retrieved 2022-04-26. Another theory is that Tomb was actually two pilots — Din Tonh (hence "Toon"), and Dang Ngoc Ngu. The latter scored more aerial victories, while the former had a reputation as a maverick prone to lone wolf attacks. Supposedly, Din Tonh would sneak into formation alongside American fighters, waiting to see how long they took to notice his presence.
  4. Toperczer, 2015, pp. 143.
  5. Haskins, Michael (2018-05-29). "Inventing the Enemy: Colonel Toon and the Memory of Fighter Combat in Vietnam". From Balloons to Drones. Retrieved 2022-05-31. Many pilots, and some historians and observers since, including Cunningham and Driscoll, found it easier to invent an enemy rather than must deal with those painful feelings head-on. This is not an isolated phenomenon. Nearly every war sees these types of inventions as a coping mechanism. Toon may not exist, but what he represents as a way of dealing with the psychological trauma of warfare, is all too real.
  6. "Name That Toon — Was North Vietnam's Most Feared Flying Ace A Myth? – MilitaryHistoryNow.com". 2020-12-02. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  7. "Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group". 1map.com (in German). Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  8. Toperczer, 2015, pp. 173. The pilots of the 921st Fighter Regiment credited 5 air victories to MiG-21MF No. 5136; ace pilot Đặng Ngọc Ngự added his kill marking to No. 5136 during aerial combat on 10 May 1972.
  9. "Bio, Perrine, Elton L." www.pownetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-04-29. Capt. Elton L. Perrine, Rank/Branch: O3/USAF; Status: Remains Identified 01/2010 - 1Lt. Kenneth F. Backus, Rank/Branch: O2/USAF; Status: Missing - Who was piloting and who was co-pilot remained a mystery until 2005. Defense Department records indicate that both Backus and Perrine were pilots... During a conversation in Washington DC in May 2005, former POW Dave Gray stated Ken Backus was the backseater on this flight. 591 American Prisoners of War were released in Operation Homecoming in the spring of 1973, but Backus and Perrine were not.
  10. "Veteran Tributes". veterantributes.org. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  11. Davies, Peter F-4 Phantom II vs MiG-21, Osprey Publishing 2008, p67, ISBN 978-1-84603-316-2"
  12. Toperczer, 2015, pp. 173, 229.
  13. "Vietnam Air Losses Search Results". www.vietnamairlosses.com. Retrieved 2022-04-15. After the attack on a major vehicle repair facility in Hanoi, the Phantoms headed back to Thailand, but about 45 miles southwest of Hanoi the MiGs made a concerted attack. Lt Col Ross's aircraft was damaged by an air-to-air missile that put the left engine out of action but he managed to make it back into Thailand where he and WSO Imaye ejected to safety, just north of Udorn.
  14. Toperczer, 2015, pp. 173, 196.

Bibliography
  • Davies, Peter (2008). F-4Phantom II vs Mig-21 - USAF & VPAF in the Vietnam War. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. pp. 80 pages. ISBN 978-1-84603-316-2.
  • Michel, Marshal L. (2007). Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam, 1965–1972. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-519-6.
  • Toperczer, Istvan (2001). MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-263-6.
  • Toperczer, Istvan (2015). MiG Aces of the Vietnam War. USA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-4895-2.
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