Last Known Activity:
On the afternoon of April 2,1972, two Thailand Based EB-66 Destroyers departed Korat AB on a pathfinder escort mission for a cell of 3 B-52's bombing near the DMZ. The two EB-66 aircraft, callsigns BAT-21 and Bat-22 were attached to the 42nd TEWS or Tactical Electronic Weapon Squadron, 388TFS, 30th Air Division, 7th Air Force. The Douglas EB-66C was an unarmed, single piloted, twin engine jet aircraft with a crew of six: Pilot, Navigator, and four Electroinic Warfare Officers (EWOs). The aircraft was an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) platform and the crews mission was to locate North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile (SAM) and antiaircraft artillery (AAA) sites by monitoring the electronic emissions of the "Fan Song" and "Fire Can" Radars. The EB -66E (BAT-22) was an electronic countermeasure (ECM) platform with a crew of three (Pilot, Navigator and Electronic Warfare Officer) whose mission was to jam radar emissions to degrade the enemy anti-aircraft capabilities. BAT-21, a EB-66C, 54-0466 with a crew of six was struck by a SAM and crashed south of the DMZ. On board were the pilot, Maj. Wayne L. Bolte, Navigator Col. Iceal Hambleton and four Electronic Warfare Officers; 1st. Lt. Robin F. Gatwood, LtCol. Anthony R. Giannangeli, LtCol. Charles A. Levis and Maj. Henry M. Serex. The men aboard BAT-21 comprised of no ordinary crew. Five were field grade officers, who had access to sensitive information in previous assignments, and four were highly trained electronic warfare specialists.
Over the next 12 days a total of five aircraft and 15 men would lose their lives in attempts to rescue Col. Hambleton. 2 OV10, an H53, UH1 and an AH1 all would be shot down, three men would be release during Operation Homecomming. The day after the EB-66 was shot down ,one of the aircraft attempting a rescue was an OV-10 callsign Nail 38, it too was shot down. One crew member Capt. William J. Henderson was captured, 1st. Lt. Mark Clark was rescued 12 days later along with Col. Hambleton. Hambleton continually changed positions and reported on enemy activity as he went, even to the extent of calling in close air strikes near his position. He was tracked by a code he devised relating to the length and lie direction of various golf holes he knew. The story was made into a movie, BAT-21 with Gene Hackman as Col. Hambelton and Danny Glover as Lt. Mark Clark.
Comments/Citation
Personnel in Incident: Apr. 2: 1LT. Robin F. Gatwood, EWO KIA/BNR
Maj. Wayne L. Bolte, PILOT KIA/BNR
Lt.Col. Anthony Giannangeli, EWO KIA/BNR
LtCol. Charles A Levis, EWO KIA/BNR
Maj. Henery M. Serex, EWO KIA/BNR
( all missing from the EB-66 )
Apr. 3: SFC Allen D. Christensen, USA KIA/BNR
WO Douglas L. O'Neil, USA KIA/BNR
SP4 Edward W. Williams, USA KIA/BNR
CW2 Larry A Zich, USA KIA/BNR
( all from the UH1H shot down
close to Bat-21).
SP5 Ronald. P. Paschall, USA
1stLT Bryon K. Kulland,USA
W01 John W. Frink,USA
(all missing from UH1H rescue Helicopter)
Apr. 6: Sgt. James H. Alley, USAF
Tsgt. Allen J. Avery, USAF
Capt. Peter H. Chapman, USAF
Capt. John H. Call III, USAF
Sgt. William R. Pearson, USAF
Tsgt. Roy D. Prater, USAF
(all KIA from HH53C Jolly 52 rescue chopper)
Apr. 7: Capt. Bruce Charles Walker, USAF
( evaded 11 days before contact lost)
OV-10, KIA/BNR
Capt. Larry F. Potts, USMC
(Captured and died in POW Camp) OV-10
Jose M. Astorga, William J. Henderson -Captured and released in 1973
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