Knapp, Herman Ludwig, Col

On April 24, 1967, Charles Austin was serving as bombardeir / navigator on board Major Herman L. Knapp's F-4C phantom fighter bomber. The aircraft was lead in a flight of four dispatched from Udorn Airfield, Thailand on a strike mission over North Vietnam. The strike was on a five span bridge four miles north of the center of Hanoi. The raids purpose was to sever North Vietnam rail links with communist China. An electrical transformer station was seven miles north of Hanoi and was also attacked.

During the strike, Knapp and Austins aircraft was struck by a flak burst, disintergrated, and two large pieces of flaming wreakage were seen to strike the ground in a fireball. No parachutes were seen and no beepers were heard. Nevertheless, it was apparently believed that Knapp and Austin may have exited the aircraft, as both men were classified Missing In Action rather than Killed In Action, Body Not Recovered. Eleven years later, based on no information to indicate the two men were alive, they were administratively declared dead.

Herman Ludwig Knapp
Colonel

PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Roselle, NJ
Date of birth: 04/11/1929

MILITARY DATA
Service: United States Air Force
Grade at loss: O4
Rank: Colonel
Note: Promoted while in MIA status
ID No: 150204721
MOS: 1115F: Pilot
Length Service: 26
Unit: 433RD TAC FTR SQDN, 8TH TAC FTR WING, 7TH AF

CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/23/1966
Incident Date: 04/24/1967
Casualty Date: 06/07/1978
Age at Loss: 49
Location: Province not reported, North Vietnam
Remains: Body not recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died while missing
Casualty Reason: Fixed Wing - Pilot
Casualty Detail: Air loss or crash over land