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WILD WEASELS in VIETNAM - PATCHES & UNIFORMS


firefighter
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By coincidence, I just happened to acquire some patches that appear to fall into this category. Didn't know exactly what I was buying, but they looked "cool."

 

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Kurt-

 

Any chance to see the back or you Raiders patch? Never saw one done like that before. BTW, Ryan's Raiders were not Weasels, they flew modified F-105F (sometimes referred to as EF-105Fs) into NVN as all-weather/night bombers. Some of these crews went to Weasels after the RR program disbanded, and that's why some sport both patches. Here's a rarer one, since the Weasels had such a high loss rate. Thai made.

 

Randy

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Kurt-

 

Any chance to see the back or you Raiders patch? Never saw one done like that before. BTW, Ryan's Raiders were not Weasels, they flew modified F-105F (sometimes referred to as EF-105Fs) into NVN as all-weather/night bombers. Some of these crews went to Weasels after the RR program disbanded, and that's why some sport both patches. Here's a rarer one, since the Weasels had such a high loss rate. Thai made.

 

Randy

 

Randy-

Here's the reverse. What's the verdict?

 

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Thanks Kurt. My gut tells me it's not period, but I would have to hold it to confirm. The stitching on the aircraft looks like the newer stuff coming out of SEA. I have 2, both made in Japan. One fully embroidered and one on twill. The unit was fairly short lived, like around 3 months.

 

Randy

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Kurt-

 

Any chance to see the back or you Raiders patch? Never saw one done like that before. BTW, Ryan's Raiders were not Weasels, they flew modified F-105F (sometimes referred to as EF-105Fs) into NVN as all-weather/night bombers. Some of these crews went to Weasels after the RR program disbanded, and that's why some sport both patches. Here's a rarer one, since the Weasels had such a high loss rate. Thai made.

 

Randy

 

Not sure what to tell you about the RYANS RAIDERS not being Wild Weasel related.It's on their party suit at the AF museum.

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Not sure what to tell you about the RYANS RAIDERS not being Wild Weasel related.It's on their party suit at the AF museum.

Wild Weasels flew missions against surface to air missile sites in F-105Fs. The Raiders were all weather/night bombing with EF-105Fs equipped with special air to ground radar capabilities. Two completely different missions was my point so people didn't get the wrong impression. Some crews were dual qualified and could fly either mission, but not simultaneously. Also, many Raider crews finished their tours in Weasels after the Raiders were disbanded. The Raiders were the USAF's answer to the Navy's A-6. Couldn't let the Navy do something the AF couldn't do, as the A-6 excelled in the bad weather/night arena. The actual project name was Commando Nail. The mission sharing would also answer the party suit arrangement. You don't have to believe me, I'm sure the info is out there on the net, check it out.

 

Randy

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The Ryans Raiders crews trained at Nellis as a 2 man crew just as the Weasels did however the Raiders were not Weasel trained but were instead qualified on the F105f with the special radar for night bombing missions. When the Raiders mission was terminated many of the Raider backs WSO's seem to have moved on to F4's.

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Wild Weasels flew missions against surface to air missile sites in F-105Fs. The Raiders were all weather/night bombing with EF-105Fs equipped with special air to ground radar capabilities. Two completely different missions was my point so people didn't get the wrong impression. Some crews were dual qualified and could fly either mission, but not simultaneously. Also, many Raider crews finished their tours in Weasels after the Raiders were disbanded. The Raiders were the USAF's answer to the Navy's A-6. Couldn't let the Navy do something the AF couldn't do, as the A-6 excelled in the bad weather/night arena. The actual project name was Commando Nail. The mission sharing would also answer the party suit arrangement. You don't have to believe me, I'm sure the info is out there on the net, check it out.

 

Randy

 

Randy, First of all I NEVER said I didn't believe you.I was just saying it was on a couple of different WW suits and a single patch was displayed with the other WW patches. Second thank you for the information.

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No problem, that wasn't meant to be taken that way! Party suits themselves can be crazy, as the wearers put all kinds on odd/unrelated stuff on them. At least these have a reasonable explanation. I need to get back up to the museum, looks like they have put a lot more things out.

 

Randy

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No problem, that wasn't meant to be taken that way! Party suits themselves can be crazy, as the wearers put all kinds on odd/unrelated stuff on them. At least these have a reasonable explanation. I need to get back up to the museum, looks like they have put a lot more things out.

 

Randy

 

They have a new section, hanger, with Air Force One's on display and you can walk through them. There was FdR's, Truman/Eisenhower, & JFK-Clinton's. They had a U-2, smaller than I thought it would be.

 

Wow... wonderful to see all those in one place!

 

"Wild Weasel" - always loved that pairing of words :)

 

It was cool. It was also cool to find out that the WW IV was used in Vietnam.

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