I received this great addition to the USAF and F-105 and F-4 collection from Wild Weasel Col. Joseph Burchfield. This set of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron is not an ordinary fighter squadron patch. Col. Burchfield flew on the F-105F Wild Weasel in combat over North-Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. These guys flew the most hazardous missions mainly in route pack. Their mission was to protect the strike force, they were the first in and the last to leave the combat area.
Col. Joseph Burchfield flew a rich career in the USAF. Starting out on the EB-47 and the B-58 Hustler and later on transitioned to F-105 Wild Weasel 3. Conversion was done at McConnell AFB with the 561st TFS, after completion of training Col. Burchfield was sent to the 357th TFS stationed at Takhli RTAFB we he flew over 100 combat missions and was awarded 13 Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
This patch set complete with the original Wild Weasel 3 and 357th TFS F-105 arrowhead is an absolute treasure and crown jewel to the collection which such a rich history, and will be treasured and displayed with full honors. After the F-105 Wild Weasel program Col. Joseph Burchfield flew in the Wild Weasel IV program.
For those who are interested a little more background on the F-105 Wild Weasel missions.
‘First in last out’
The two-seat Wild Weasel III F-105F Thunderchief or “Thud” formed the backbone of USAF SAM suppression during Operation Rolling Thunder. The F-105 Wild Weasels continued to develop tactics, flying two types of missions — strike support, by far the more common of the two, and “hunter-killer” search and destroy attacks. As North Vietnamese defenses strengthened, the “Thud” Wild Weasels became essential for high-threat strikes “up North.”
In May and June 1966, 11 F-105F Wild Weasel aircraft arrived in Thailand. More arrived, flying with the 335th TFW at Takhli and the 388th TFW at Korat, Thailand. Even so, the number of Wild Weasel aircraft and aircrews remained small — and in high demand — throughout the Southeast Asia War.
The first Wild Weasel F-105Fs carried the same basic electronic equipment as F-100Fs, but additional sensors were added over time. The F-105F Wild Weasel typically carried two Shrike anti-radar missiles, along with a heavy load of bombs or rockets. Although the Shrike missile was not ideal (the range of the Shrike was well within the lethal range of the SA-2), it finally gave the Wild Weasels the capacity to mark and damage a site from afar. Like their predecessors, the F-105F Wild Weasels often led conventional F-105s that helped finish off SAM sites.
Despite the periodic bombing halts, the Rolling Thunder campaign intensified through 1966 and 1967. Meanwhile, enemy SAM and AAA defenses strengthened, making the Wild Weasels crucial to the success of strikes deep into North Vietnam. In October 1965, U.S. intelligence estimated North Vietnam had about six SA-2 batteries. By the end of Rolling Thunder in November 1968, there were about 30 SA-2 batteries.
Though they remained a threat, North Vietnamese SA-2s became less effective due to the Wild Weasels and other anti-SAM measures. In 1965 the North Vietnamese fired about 15 SA-2s for every aircraft shot down. By the end of Rolling Thunder, they had to fire an average of 48 missiles to down one aircraft.
Success, however, came at a high price for the Wild Weasels. Of the eight crews (16 airmen) who initially flew out of Takhli, four had been killed, two were POWs and two had been wounded in action. Only four of these airmen finished their 100 mission tours.
