To Hell and Back

Under a secret effort designated Southern Star I, China Airlines began its clandestine airdrop operations over North Vietnam since 1965.  After CAL lost 49 crewmen and 10 airplanes, Southern Star III was taken over by the ex-34^th Squadron staff in 1968.  Known as the Black Bat 34^th Sqn, the 34^th was a corps of CIA recon crewmen flew night missions over Red China, to drop agents and gathered signal intelligence around Communist military bases.  During their 838 missions in 1953-67, in total 148 airmen were doomed, averagely only one men returned for every three.  The calamity that have usurped the 34^th, can best be described as sad paradigm bets due to shady mission planning from top brass and CIA.

Facing the P2V-7U deep-penetration unresisted , the Reds started deploying three flak groups in Liaodong Peninsula since September 1961, which was confirmed by the oblique shooting cameras of USAF U-2 from high seas.  Among the new trio, No.3 was the most ferocious threat, including six 85mm companies and six 37mm companies for high and low altitude, respectively.  Held up this scourge in briefing, CIA planners still issued the course of 11/06/1961 mission.  In the previous night a Neptune endured dense barrage over Liaodong until it reached high sea.  But the exhausted crewmen unconditionally obeyed their order to return to the death trap.  Not all the Black Bat's sorties could be covered by their flight skill and stealth tactics.  In just 30 seconds after being caught by search lights, multiple hits from the No.3 AA group blew up the P2V, it crashed at 300 meters east of Biliu River nearby Yunning Village.  Most of the airplane exploded to pieces, all 13 crewmates perished.  In average, each P2V sortie faced eight intercepts, and three or four passes per intercept, i.e. at least two dozens onslaughts commenced on every mission in the PLAAF records.  Until 1964, three more Neptunes crashed with all hands on board, as well Flying Fortress and Invader loses.

During the Cold War, the Black Bat Sqn started its initial operational phase as the Technical Development Unit with 2 RB-17Gs.  In mid-June, 1952, with its crewmen newly trained by the USAF in Japan, the Flying Fortress duo of the TDU which directly reported to the HQ of CAF, began stationed at the Xinzhu AFB.  Right after the termination of deep penetration missions of the 8^th BG’s PB4Ys, the intelligence electronics on the aging Privateers were retrofitted into the Fortress replacements, which continued the clandestine sorties.  The 34^th had endured blow after blow at the hands of flak and MiG, until its survivors continued to fight over North Vietnam in 1968.

Sounding the Alarm

Only five months after Taiwan (Republic of China) took delivery of its first six AH-64E Apache Block III helicopters in November, 2014, the first ill-fated Apache crashed due to human errors in a loiter and taxi practice.  This basic training was for developing pilot’s sense of feel, without any advanced combat maneuver.  The ROC Army is the first Apache user outside the US to receive the latest E model, the world’s most powerful attack chopper.  The order of 30 AH-64Es was part of a $6.5 billion arms deal unveiled in 2008 that irked PROC, at least subtly.  Somewhat ROC’s Apaches ain’t a real threat.

0958, 25 April, 2015, Apache s/n 808 flew by seed instructor Chen took off at the ROCA 601^st Brigade’s home base in northern Taiwan, his back-seater was the 601^st‘s deputy CO Liu.  Chen had 350 flt hr in Apache, and Liu had more than 1,000 flt hr in AH-1W SuperCobra.  This was Liu’s first Apache flight, he didn’t touch anything; the DFDR record revealed that it’s Chen did all the control.  Soon after T/O, Chen suddenly climbed from loiter altitude 120 ft to 350 ft under his spacial confusion.  Lost his ground reference, he even activated night vision device.  Before crash the control tower questioned his inadequate climbing, Chen used fogged up cockpit to conceal his mistake.

Surely crewman’s crapped-out airmanship for crashing an astronomical-priced chopper is inexcusable; Apache is not suitable for Taiwan’s requirements in the first place.  The lighter and cheaper Cobra can fully handle Taiwan’s high mountainous terrain and salty coastlines, neither are gracious to Apache.  But, Taiwanese top brass need the highest-tech equipment to justify their jobs, and the US needs to maximize its profit from Taiwan.  $70M is the Apache Longbow’s unit price for Taiwan, while $18M is for other Longbow operators.  With its aviator’s once-burnished reputation is being tarnished, ROC armed forces’ very survival is at stake.  It comes down to reality vs. wishful thinking, hopefully it’s not all doom and gloom.

Web of Power 以其可見而知其所隱

At the height of a fratricidal wrangling across the Taiwan straight, a Taipei-based C-46 passenger airliner (Civil Air Transport No. B-908) crashed as a result of a failed hijacking to Red China.  It was on June 20, 1964, all 57 onboard were killed, including the high profile founder of Cathy Organization (Singapore), Motion Picture and General Investments Ltd. (Hong Kong), Loke Wan Tho-the target of this attack.  Ignoring the death threat from the Red China, Loke’s Taiwan trip for the 11^th Asian Film Festival infuriated Beijing.  Before Loke’s VIP group went aboard in Taipei, two “Navy officers” had already boarded in Penghu, each men brought a thick USN Radar Operator Manual in his carry-on luggage, containing was a 9mm FN Browning hi-power pistol in a cut-out in each manual.  But when the aircraft overflew Taizhong, the hijacker’s plans went very wrong, so they shot both pilots in order to accomplished mission at any costs.

Among the debris on the scene, one of the hollow manual was found by an experienced CIA agent.  On the bombshell clue, he furtively traced back to the 2^nd Navy Shipyard in Penghu, then down to the saboteurs on the passenger list.  Surely such outcome was a relief for the powerless CAT employees, CAT’s name seemed to be cleared, and its insurance might cover all the losses.  But, they had no idea that the Chiang Kai-Shek’s image as a nation savior, this was required of the military not to reveal their absolute loyalty to Chiang’s authoritarian rule in order to support a fidelity outwardly.  Soon all the evidences were erased by the secret police, even CIA-boss of CAT-was closemouthed about the conspiracy.  Thus CAT was made the scapegoat for its “pilot’s error”, and it had backtracked since ever.

In retrospect, the democratic tide in Taiwan runs with unsuspected power and depth.  During Chiang’s reign, there were many ways one can land in state political prison, one of the victims under “shotgun blasting Commie hunt” was my neighbor Lee (李我炎)-future assistant of deputy secretary general of the UN.  However, as a lucky toddler, I was carefully protected by my parents.  In 1961 my mother took me in CAT’s new CV-880 jet to visit my grandma in Hong Kong, among my new toys I brought back home was a little drum made in Red China-with a Red Star on a drumhead.  When my dad spotted the “politically incorrect” logo, he cut off that drumhead.  Like far-reaching free expression, aircraft seems rare and jaw-dropping sights then.  Amid aircraft types used in Taiwan, I crossed through their service lives in different ways, where I had close encounters with Convair 880, Boeing 737, Beechcraft Super King Air 200, Republic F-84 Thunderjet and North American F-86 Sabre, etc. in my early days in Taiwan.