Nimrod Armed and Ready

After the summer monsoon of 1966, the Nimrods took the role of nighttime truck killers and terrorized the enemy troops and truck drivers in Steel Tiger and Barrel Roll (the northern part of Laos including the Plain de Jars.) In my estimation, the Nimrods were the best truck killers of the war until the arrival of the AC-130s. The normal complement was 12 A-26s at NKP. 

After I arrived at NKP on 7 February 1967, the Nimrods lost five more aircraft and four crews during the rest of 1967.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Just before the second dry season (Nov 66-Apr 67), Seventh Air Force personnel completed an evaluation of the Nimrods in the night interdiction role.  The analysts reached conclusions that the fliers at NKP would have found incredible.

     Test results show the aircraft can be maintained and operated in SEA and is effective when operated in the permissive atmosphere that presently exists in Laos.            Its inability to survive in high threat areas limits its employment and does not provide the necessary flexibility required for efficient force utilization.  The present mission in Laos could be more effectively accomplished by F-4 aircraft.  Realizing the present shortage of F-4 aircraft and the need for continued night interdiction effort in Laos, recommend retention of A-26As in SEA only until F-4s can be made available to replace this unit in the force structure. ^[i]

     Fortunately for Operation Cricket, the shortage of F-4s was not solved immediately.  The A-26s proved to be a deadly truck-killing aircraft.  During this season, C-123s and T-28s joined the O-1Fs and the A-26s over the Trail as new tactics were tested.  These 40 or so propeller-driven aircraft had a destructive effect far out of proportion to their numbers.