F-4Us in Vietnam?

[BarrettRC8]

Excuse me for my ignorance, but I wasn't aware that the Marine Corps flew the F-4U Corsair during the Vietnam War.

A friend of my parents, a Marine Corps Major is setting me up for an interview with a retired Marine Corps pilot who flew in Vietnam for a research paper I have been assigned for a class of mine. When he said he flew an F-4 I automatically assumed the Phantom, but he replied that he meant the Corsair.

I've attempted to locate some information on the subject, but the closest I've come is the French operating the Corsair during the First Indochinese War, not the U.S.M.C. in the Vietnam War.

Can anyone confirm this or is there a possibility that the information got mixed up somewhere and the pilot possibly flew in Korea? Or actually flew the Phantom? Unfortunately I can't get into contact with the actual pilot for a few more weeks.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

 

[TheBubba]

Not Corsairs... Phantom II's. Same designation (F-4), very different airframes.

Phantom:

Corsair:

The Phantoms were flown in Vietnam by the Navy, USAF, and Marines. I'm not sure when we stopped using the Corsairs.

 

[NFOKP]

Mabye it was the A-7 Corsair II?

 

[mmx1]

Technically it's the F4U Corsair and the F-4 Phantom II.

 

[TheBubba]

Could be.

Corsair II:

Yet another sexy beast.

mmx... thanks for the correction. forgot about how the designation system for aircraft was different during WW2...

 

[HighDimension]

Man the F-4 is beautiful, I wish they'd bring'em back. I've heard some great stories from a retired Marine Capt. that flew them back in the day!

 

[SteveG75]

Marines never flew the A-7 Corsair II. A-4's and F-4's.

Now, the French did fly F4U-7 Corsairs and F8F Bearcats in Indochina but that might before the time period you are thinking of.

 

[TheBubba]

Steve, thank you for an excuse to post a pic of what I think is a very attractive aircraft...

The A-4...

:icon_smil

 

[Brett327]

Steve, thank you for an excuse to post a pic of what I think is a very attractive aircraft...

The A-4...

:icon_smil

Now that's just blatant pandering.

Brett

 

[squeeze]

Steve, thank you for an excuse to post a pic of what I think is a very attractive aircraft...

The A-4...

:icon_smil

You have no shame. Here, you might need these...

 

[Catmando]

Can anyone confirm this or is there a possibility that the information got mixed up somewhere and the pilot possibly flew in Korea? Or actually flew the Phantom?

The Marines never flew the F4U Corsair in Vietnam.
While the A-7, "Corsair II" did fly in Vietnam, with the Navy, the Marines never flew it.

For fighters, the Marines flew the F-8 Crusader, and later, the F-4B and F-4J Phantom.
For attack fixed-wing aircraft, the Marines flew a number of variants of the A-4 Skyhawk – including incredibly, the TA-4J, and I believe, the A-6 Intruder.

They flew from Da Nang and Chu Lai airbases, and I believe some from bases in Thailand. At least one Marine F-4 squadron flew off a carrier –VFMA 333 ("trip-trey") off the USS America.

So if he flew in Vietnam, it was likely in an F-4 Phantom.
If he in fact flew an F4U Corsair, it was likely in Korea.

Those Marines had it pretty tough. Chu Lai I understand was not a great place. It supposedly had aluminum, "mat" runways. The guys would get shot at during missions, then come back to base for the nightly VC rocket attacks. Those on a carrier came back to a hot meal and no attacks.



http://home.inreach.com/tc/page9.html
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc/hist17.html
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f4_39.html

 

[Lawman]

Steve, thank you for an excuse to post a pic of what I think is a very attractive aircraft...

The A-4...

:icon_smil

You need a tissue? Because you got a little something on your nose.

 

[metro]

I've heard some great stories from a retired Marine Capt. that flew them back in the day!

You too, huh? My girlfriend's uncle flew them and A4s for the Marines back in Nam, and always has great stories. The first time he ever flew an F4 was when its pilot was shot in the hand and couldn't fly it back himself...and other stories.

I love talking to old vets.

 

[A4sForever]

I have typed this God Damn thing twice ... and when I attempted to post it --- lost it twice with all graphics. This time, I'm doing it from memory, without graphics, and doing it in Wordpad. I've had it ..... I hate the AW server and I hate the AW software ... but I love all of you. Even Steve Wilkens. *edit* or Wilkins ... whatever he likes ....

The Frogs entered the carrier side of the Indochina War with the Dixmunde (ex- HMS Biter) with a deck load of USN cast-off SBD Dauntlesses @ 1947. She was joined by the Arromanches (former HMS Collosus) about a year later flying Supermarine SeaFire III's and more Dauntlesses. These two old girls pretty much held the line until the Dixmunde returned from a refit @ 1951 and brought the Grumman F6F's and some Curtiss SB2C Helldivers into combat. These two boats shuttled back and forth to France and the US bringing aircraft to the theater and flying combat sorties when in the S. China Sea.

They were joined by the LaFayette (former USS Langley-CVL-27 ... not CV-1, you fools) and the Bois Belleau (former USS Belleau Wood) which brought more F6F's, more SB2C's, and TBM Avengers into the fight. The French also flew B-26's, PB4Y's, and AU-1's (one of the final versions of the F4U CORSAIR), primarily from the airbases around Danang and Hanoi during the Dienbienphu debacle. The Frogs pleaded with Eisenhower for air support during Dienbienphu, but he (wisely) demurred. Maybe we should have stayed with that plan .... ???

When Laos got into trouble @ 1961, the USS Midway provided CAP in the guise of VMF-312 flying F8U Crusaders (sounds a little like Corsair) and you know the rest of the story. As in bang, bang, boom, boom, kill-Cong, etc.

Bottom line: The USMC did not fly the Corsair, prop (or jet -- a.k.a. A-7 Corsair II -- unless someone was on exchange duty) in Vietnam ---

My guess(es) are someone got your Marine Aviator and CORSAIR confused with CRUSADER --- if we're talkin' Vietnam ??? Or confused F4U with F4????

Yes ... ???

 

[Catmando]

The Frogs entered the carrier side of the Indochina War with the Dixmunde (ex- HMS Biter) with a deck load of USN cast-off SBD Dauntlesses @ 1947. . . . .

Long before my time. . . .