Day 21: 6 Feb 1991

06 February 1991 (Wednesday): DAY 21

GENERAL:

v Missouri 18" guns destroy a Radar Site & Command Bunker

- fired 112 sixteen inch shells fired in 6 fire support missions

v Wisconsin relieves Missouri on station with 11 round fire mission

v King Hussein abandons his "neutrality" and openly supports Iraq

AIR WAR:

v bad weather closes over the theater, sorties go over 49,000, 2500 today

v Navy & USMC flew over 11,000 missions

v British Buccaneer and Tornado LGB Teams destroy four bridges including the

newly built Bailey Bridge

v Telecommunications Center in Bagdad is destroyed

v Nasiriyah heavily bombed and three bridges destroyed, bridge total at 42

v 70% of all Iraqi supply lines cut to the KTO

v General McPeak's Briefing references (4) kills this date

v 7 x Iraqi aircraft attempt to escape to Iran, 2 x F-15's intercept them and

down 2 x Su-25 Frogfoot and 2 x MiG-21 Fishbed

v 1 x F-14A kills an Iraqi Helicopter near the coast along Northern Saudi

Arabian Border

v Iraq's Air Force only flew 22 x sorties, 115 x aircraft are reported in Iran

- 33 civil aircraft

- 24 x Su-24's, 44 x Su-20/22, 4 x MiG-29's, 12 x MiG-23,

24 x Mirage F-1, 7 x Su-25, 3 x Kuwaiti aircraft, and 1 x ADNAN AWACS

(Note: 2 x of the other AWACS platforms were destroyed on the ground)

v (41) Iraqi ships including (23) combatants destroyed and (42) damaged

with (32) of them combatants

v bombing focus on Republican Guards

F-117 HIGHLIGHTS (06Feb/Day 21):

v Day 21/Wave Three: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

6 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- takeoff during the p.m. of Day 21/6th to hit targets on Day 21/6th

- Scored 16 hits with 21 PGM attempts (76%)

- concentrated attack against chemical and biological warfare research

laboratories at Salmon Pak and Samarra

- Ammunition Storage Bunkers at Tikrit & Kirkuk

v Day 22/Wave One: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

4 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- takeoff before sunset on Day 21/6th to hit targets on Day 22/7th

- bad weather caused 3 no-drops over the target area

- Scored 15 direct hits with 18 PGM attempts (83%) 3 no-drops

- Hardened Aircraft Shelters, ammunition bunkers, fuel storage tanks, and the main runway at Rasheed Airfield

v Day 22/Wave Two: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

8 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- takeoff before sunset on Day 20/5th to hit targets on Day 21/6th

- Scored 26 hits with 27 PGM attempts (96%)

- Chemical Warfare Production facility at Habbaniyah

- Sadam Hussein International Airport

- Telecommunications Center and Presidential Compound in Bagdad

- Newly built airfield at Wadi Al Khirr

KILLS:

v 4 x Kills recorded in one long engagement with Bitburg F-15C's

- 53rd TFS/36rd TFW

- CAP along the Iranian border looking for "bingo" traffic into Iran

- CAP's were set-up to parallel excape routes Iran. Picked up and EID'e

2 x Su-25's but it was not known that they were being escorted by

2 x MiG-21's. It was around 08:45 local. The F-15's closed on a parallel

course to the border after getting 60NM contacts. One previous contact

seemed to be taking them into a SAM area.

- 60+ NM radar contact on fleeing formation to Iran

- They were patrolling for hours, but at 08:45 am on Wednesday

- closed in on a parallel course, then turned to get in trail

- one pilot got three of the kills

- 60NM contacts, sample/sort, Fox 1 at 8-9NM

- took their shots and bugged out

- both had been in a previous engagement that "trapped" them

- The pilots call signs were Capt "Vegas" (30 from King of Prussia, Pa.)

and 1/Lt "Gigs" (26, from Cincinnati). First Radar contact was at 60

NM with the targets very low the deck.

- The F-15's maneuvered to a position seven miles in trail. The pilots

saw four impacts with no chutes, but the two MiG-21's had to be intell

confirmations.

- LtCol Randy Bigum, 53rd TFS Commander greated them at "Texas

Stadium", the shelter where they park their jets (Al Kharg)

- 1 x Su-25 Frogfoot by an F-15C, 36th TFW/53rd TFS

... F-15C 84-0019

... Lt Robert W. (Bill) "Gigs" Hehemann

... 1/Lt "Gigs" (26) from Cincinnati

... (1) AIM-7 guided and hit at 8-9 NM

... (1) AIM-9 HIT and KILL

- 1 x Su-25 Frogfoot by an F-15C, 36th TFW/53rd TFS, same pilot

... Lt Robert W. (Bill) "Gigs" Hehemann

... 1/Lt "Gigs" (26) from Cincinnati

... (1) AIM-9 HIT and KILL

... Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

- 1 x MiG-21 Fishbed by an F-15C, 36th TFW/53rd TFS

... Based at Al Kharj, originally from Bitburg

... Capt Thomas N. "Vegas" Dietz

... Capt "Vegas" (30) from King of Prussia, Pa.

... (1) AIM-9 HIT and KILL

... Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

- 1 x MiG-21 Fishbed by an F-15C, 36th TFW/53rd TFS, same pilot

... Based at Al Kharj, originally from Bitburg

... Capt Thomas N. "Vegas" Dietz

... Capt "Vegas" (30) from King of Prussia, Pa.

... (1) AIM-9 HIT and KILL

... Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

- 1 x Iraqi Helicopter, by an F-14A from USS Ranger

... CVW-17, VF-1 "Wolfpack", 162603 "NE" (side no 103)

... Lt Donald S. "Meat" Broce & Cmdr Ronald D. "Bongo" McElraft (CO VF-1)

... Boce had 300 F-14 hrs, 130 combat hrs and 42 missions

... HVUCAP to escort an EA-6B on a Strike

... generally worked feet-wet, AWACS vectors them to Basra for contacts

... (1) AIM-9M HIT and KILL on an Mi-8 Helicopter

... section vectored on low/slow target near Iran/Iraq border by

AWACS, which was picked up by the Lead RIO who maneuvered

the section behind the target

- 1 x Observation Helo (BO-105) by an A-10

... 706th TFS, 77-0205, "NO" (wrong a/c painted with kill 77-0225)

... based at NAS New Orleans with the 23rd TFW

... aircraft was christened "Chopper Popper" and had crawfish on nose

... Capt Robert R. (Bob) "Bobo" Swain

... 30mm GUN KILL, first ever A-10 air-to-air Kill

... just came off target after dropping (6) Mk-82's and fired (2)

Maverick Missiles at tanks, he spotted "two black dots" running across

the desert floor, but not putting up dust

... reported them to the OA-10 FAC, and the helo's split north & south

... the OA-10 pilot flew in close to the southbound helo and fired smoke rockets in front of it, then "cleared Swain in-hot"

... tought to be SA 316B Alouette Helo, but was considered a BO-105

(Air Force Magazine Jun92, pg 59) but to date the pilots still don't

believe the "type" could be identified

... on his first pass he tried to shoot an AIM-9L but could not get

the seeker head to lock up

... on his second pass he fired a long 30mm pass, helo blew up

... Captain Bob Swain, an A-10 pilot achieves the first air-to-air

kill for the Warthog against an Iraqi helicopter (Aloutte)

... Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

LOSSES:

v no allied losses

v Iraq claims six aircraft and missiles

SCUDS:

v Iraq claims firings, but none seen

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Day 21: 6 Feb 1991