ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 254215
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| Date: | Tuesday 28 December 1965 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II |
| Owner/operator: | VF-92, US Navy |
| Registration: | 151412 |
| MSN: | 380 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Ban Pondong, 5 Miles West of Mụ Giạ Pass, Annamite Range -
 Laos
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Enterprise (CVA(N)-59) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Little or no information is available |
McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II Bu No 151412/'NG-203', VF‑92, US Navy as part of CVW‑9 on the USS Enterprise (CVA(N)-65). Written off (destroyed) December 28, 1965: hit by ground fire, near Ban Pondong, 5 Miles West of Mu Gia pass, West of Ban Na Phao, Laos during Operation "Barrel Roll"
Both crew killed, and bodies not recovered: Commander Edgar Arthur Rawsthorne (pilot) and Lt Arthur Sinclair Hill, Jr (RIO). Commander Rawsthorne was, at the time the Commanding Officer of US Navy Squadron VF-92. According to official US Navy records on the fate of the pilot (see link #5):
"On December 29, 1965, an F-4B Phantom II (bureau number 151412, call sign "Silver Kite 203") launched from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-65) as the lead aircraft in a flight of two on a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over Khammouan Province, Laos. The trailing aircraft observed the lead aircraft, the F-4B Phantom, crash into the side of a ridge while pulling out of a rocket pass on two trucks. The crew of the trail aircraft saw no parachutes and received no radio calls or emergency beeper signals. They felt that there was very little chance that the crew of the crashed aircraft had survived, and no search and rescue effort was conducted.
Commander Edward Arthur Rawsthorne, who joined the U.S. Navy from California, served with Fighter Squadron 92 aboard the USS Enterprise. He was the pilot of the Phantom when it crashed on December 29, 1965, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Commander Rawsthorne is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific".
The pilot was awarded (posthumously) the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross), for his actions four days earlier. He awarded the D.F.C posthumously, as he been KIA between the incident which merited the D.F.C., and its award. His citation reads as follows:
"Distinguished Flying Cross
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING Vietnam War
Service: Navy
Battalion: Fighter Squadron 92 (VF-92)
Division: U.S.S. Enterprise (CVA(N)-65)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Commander Edgar Arthur Rawsthorne (NSN: 0-521789), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 22 December 1965 while serving as Commanding Officer, Fighter Squadron NINETY-TWO (VF-92), aboard U.S.S. ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)-65). As flight leader of the lead division, Commander Rawsthorne led the strike group consisting of thirty-two jet aircraft to the Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant at Haiphong, North Vietnam. At the target area he positioned his wingmen in a most advantageous position and then delivered a low-level bombing attack in the face of intense enemy ground fire. The flight carried thirty-six 500-lb bombs and all were delivered on target. By his outstanding leadership, skilled airmanship, and courageous devotion to duty, Commander Rawsthorne contributed materially to the success of this mission and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".
Note the discrepancy in the reported dates of the incident in the reference below: As the incident took place at night, the most likely date is the night of December 28-29, 1965
The Mụ Giạ Pass (Đèo Mụ Giạ, Quảng Bình) is a mountain pass in the Annamite Range between northern Vietnam and Laos, located 90 km northwest of Đồng Hới, Vietnam. The pass is 418 metres above sea level and connects National Road 15 from Tân Ấp in Vietnam to Route 12 in Khammouane Province in Laos.
Sources:
1. http://thephantomshrine.co.uk/Databases/f4-serials.txt
2. http://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F-4.html
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20171115212455/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/F-4_PHANTOM_USA/f4_phantom_US_1959-1965.htm
5. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTehEAG
6. https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/r/r352.htm#:~:text=Commander%20Edward%20Arthur%20Rawsthorne%2C%20who,his%20remains%20were%20not%20recovered.
7. https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/401100
8. https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=414996
9. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/42517/EDGAR-A-RAWSTHORNE/
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60324677/edgar-arthur-rawsthorne
11. https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=294046
12. https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/EDGAR_A._RAWSTHORNE,_CDR,_USN
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VF-92_(1952%E2%80%931975)#Vietnam
14. https://www.virtualwall.org/dh/HillAS01a.htm
15. https://web.archive.org/web/20120927050934/http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/vietnam/reports/documents/pmsea_info_r352.htm
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E1%BB%A5_Gi%E1%BA%A1_Pass
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Apr-2021 11:15 | ASN archive | Added |
| 18-Jun-2022 00:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 18-Jun-2022 00:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location] |
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