The landing at NKP was as routine as any emergency landing could be. The crash trucks were ready giving chase to the EC-97 down the runway after it had passed where they were parked waiting for its arrival. A quick check of the number three engine by three aluminum suited firemen, one holding a large CO2 fire extinguisher who found it necessary to use it to fog the engine to prevent any possible outbursts of flame did so. They retreated back to their trucks removing their heavy helmeted hoods which were like ovens in the tropical heat.
The aircraft was part as it were any other transit aircraft visiting the field. There were no hangers available to hide it in. It was noted as strange to see a camouflaged KC/C-97, but every other aircraft on the base wore similar colored schemes. Some thought it was a test bed for a larger and more capable gunship to take the place of the bases AC-47s “Puff The Magic Dragon” which were raining destruction nightly on enemy troops concentrations along the Ho Chi Minh Trail which was just a short hop away from NKP. In fact, on many nights the personnel assigned to NKP would watch the light show in the eastern sky as the red tracers streaked downward as Puff unleashed onto its prey.
The Night Larks crew were met by several men asking as too who they were and where were they based. All of course wasn’t discussed by the Night Lark’s crew members. That was left to the aircraft commander who simply answered. “Its on a need to know basis, and you definitely don’t need to know anything.”
The body of the dead crewman was slipped into a body bag and it was placed inside an awaiting ambulance for the ride to the base hospital. The crewman, who was in fact a Navy E-5, who was on temporary loan to the agency would be listed as killed during a training accident at Subic Bay, Philippines. His body would receive prompt processing through the mortuary affairs section and flown to Subic on the next available flight. From there it would be shipped home to his family along with his personal effects. His beneficiary would receive an insurance check for ten thousand dollars. Then a few weeks later a visitor would call on the family to deliver a check from a private insurance policy the Seaman had taken out. That additional thirty thousand dollars would provide for his mother and sister. The visitor, who worked for the agency would deliver the check and offer to provide any assistance the next of kin might need.
It didn’t take long for the Vietnamese and Chinese intelligence network to realize that the aircraft that was spotted over Hanoi and was shot at just before it crossed the border into Laos was now at NKP. The local spy network was a buzz trying to get more information about this aircraft with its camouflaged paint job. Many were listening to the GI’s as they drank in the local bars, who speculated that it was a new gunship which was here to be secretly tested.
Of course the agency’s counter intelligence personnel too were working those bars, feeding misinformation to the communist spies. The gunship story seemed to be working well, so they embellished the story, saying it had a radar controlled firing system as well as radio homing detection capabilities that could zero in on a hand held field radio from ten miles and kill everything within an area 100 feet around that radio.
The spies were sucking it all up and the information being passed was intercepted from another area of NKP where a large antenna farm was setup, to listen to enemy signal intelligence SIGLINT as well as radio transmitters dropped along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by special ops troops and aircraft. The one element missing however was what kind of weapons did this mysterious gunship carry.
A maintenance crew with a replacement engine and parts arrived to repair the aircraft. To convince the enemy as well as the local personnel it was indeed a gunship, dozens of 7.62mm, .50 cal and 20mm ammo cans filled with water were delivered to the aircraft. The cans were loaded into the aircraft, the water helped convince the observers that the cans were indeed full. That night as the repairs were being finished up, the cans were being emptied. Pouring the contents of the cans into a large funnel which connected via a black rubber hose to a storm drain near the left main wheel. The hose was snaked up through the aircraft to conceal its presence.
“Once we get airborne, we’ll dump the cans out the door aft of the observers position. In the mean time they can stay stacked in the galley.” Said the pilot as he briefed his crew. “The Air Force is loaning us some spent gun barrels to stick out the windows. We’ll put on a show for those who have been watching us. When we get airborne and out of sight we’ll toss everything out and button back up.”
It worked, the communist spy network through the aide of some talkative GI’s confirmed that the aircraft had received a fresh load of ammunition. The protrusion of gun barrels sticking out open windows and access hatches added the needed touch of assurance that the gunship theory was true.
The enemy had been cleaver getting the aircraft into North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese concluded that it had flown in low encircled with their radar jamming planes to conceal its presence. The believed too that the intended target was the diplomat on the flight arriving from Tokyo. Only there were no large strike packages operating over the North that night, in fact it was strangely quiet, but no one said a word, it was better not to.
All the necessary repairs were done, the new engine was test ran and readied. The question was what route were they planning on taking back to Suwon or were they going to now operate from somewhere else. The powers to be had made a decision though it was passed to the crew as a recommendation. Reading the tasking order the Navigator said abruptly. “You got to be kidding me!” Then he handed the piece of paper he was reading from to the Copilot.
“Are they out of their ever lov’in mind!” He added after reading the piece of paper.
“They must be but it does make sense, they’d never expect it.” The Pilot answered, adding “I hope!”
The tasking message gave clear directions that the Night Lark was to reverse the course back through China. This time they would forgo Hanoi itself, instead stay well west of the city. They were to fly low, using the terrain for cover to get inside China’s airspace and make their way back north flying in close proximity of three important sites they were to gather information from. One was a missile assembly and test complex, the second a base used to test new aircraft and the third a site that contained a rather large antenna farm, much like that at NKP. All three sites would be carefully surveyed and mapped for electronic signal radiation. The sensors on the Night Lark would paint an electronic picture of what the facilities were doing at the time the Night Lark passed nearby. This information would be used for mission planning purposes should an armed conflict erupt between China and the US. The information would also support or deny other ground intelligence resource findings
The rest of the crew groaned loudly when they heard what the mission plan was. “Couldn’t we just fly out and get into the commercial corridors and pose as a Pan Am flight or something like that to get back to Korea. I met a nice young lady who works in the ROK Army kitchen and I wouldn’t mine getting back in one piece to ask her out on a date.” One of the crew commented.
Another retorted. “You been eating some bad kimche buddy, there are no women working in that kitchen, I know I’ve been looking myself.”
For the next several hours the crew worked on planning the mission. Those not directly involved with the planning prepared the aircraft. Security was tight around the Night Lark, only those on the crew were allowed to enter the aircraft. They took care of the house keeping on board, filling the galley with supplies, which meant first they had to unstack and temporarily relocate the empty ammo cans. This took some time as the cans were stacked floor to ceiling the whole width of the compartment front to back. Once done, the galley was readied and the task of restacking most of the cans had to be done. Some were located elsewhere to facilitate their rapid dispatching through the open hatch where they wouldn’t damage anything on the outside the aircraft once they were caught in the Night Lark’s slipstream.
Care was taken not to be seen from the outside of the aircraft as the crew tossed the now empty cans inside the aircraft in a bucket brigade type line. They had just finished reorganizing when the rest of the crew arrived at the aircraft. The six passenger pickup truck that the pulled up to the nose of the aircraft had the remaining crew as well as a bed full of small wooden crates. Each crate held a large metal canister. A few instructions were issued and a line was formed to pass the little crates up and into the aircraft.
The crates were set in any open spot on the floor the crew could find. They knew better than asking the why’s and what’s on this until later. The flight crew set about doing their preflight checks while the lone observer/crew chief supervised the refueling. A full load which meant they’d be using every foot of the eight thousand foot runway he thought. He also thought about his assistant who died. He had to put such thoughts out of his head until he was once again standing on the ground after the completion of the mission not cloud his mind with it before or during.
Having finished their preflight checks and readied the Night Lark for her flight, the crew took some time to relax in the shade under the wing of the big Boeing. Some sipped on a cold Coca-Cola, others just sat quietly gathering their thoughts about the recent past and what was about to happen. All were trained and well paid professional, the pay being a benefit of working for the agency, not the branch of service they were on loan from. The pilot looked at his wristwatch and quietly commented. “Engine start in twenty minutes.”
Continued in Chapter 10.
