Republic F-105F Thunderchief #4
by Arthur Eggers
Title
Republic F-105F Thunderchief #4
Artist
Arthur Eggers
Medium
Digital Art - Color Print
Description
The Republic F-105F, Thunderchief, AF Serial No. 63-8301 of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand was flown by Major Leo Thorsness (Pilot) and Captain Harold Johnson [Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO)]. On April 19, 1967, Thorsness directed Kingfish 03 and 04, the second element of F-105s, to troll north while he and his wingman maneuvered south, forcing defending gunners to divide their attention. Thorsness located two SAM sites and fired a Shrike missile to attack one, whose radar went off the air. He destroyed the second with cluster bombs, scoring a direct hit. Unknown to Thorsness, Kingfish 03 and 04 had been attacked by MiG-17s flying a low-altitude wagon wheel defensive formation. Johnson spotted a MiG-17 off their right wing. Although not designed for air-to-air combat, the Thud responded well as Thorsness attacked the MiG and destroyed it with 20-mm cannon fire. Low on fuel, Thorsness outran a second MiG-17 and left the battle area to rendezvous with a KC-135 tanker over Laos. Although all of his ammunition had been depleted, Thorsness reversed and flew back to the scene, hoping in some way to draw the MiGs away from a surviving A-1. Again low on fuel and facing nightfall, Thorsness quickly calculated that he had sufficient fuel to fly to Udorn RTAFB. When within 60 miles of Udorn, he throttled back to idle and "glided" toward the base, touching down "long" (mid-runway) as his fuel totalizer indicated empty tanks. Signed and Numbered prints are available directly from the Artist.
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April 25th, 2013
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