Dambusters revisit Dam

On 1 May 1951 during the Korean War, VA-195 pilots flying AD-4 Skyraiders delivered aerial torpedoes on the heavily defended and strategically positioned Hwachon Dam, right. Their mission was simple: destroy the flood gates and raise the level of the river to form a natural barrier against the enemy's advance. By employing low-level tactics designed to sink ships, the Dambusters earned their name that day.

Fifty-three years later and flying F/A-18 Hornets, below, the VFA-195 Dambusters returned to the Hwachon Dam. This time the weapons were simulated and the runs on the target were unopposed as Cdr. Michael Wettlaufer and LCdr. Brian Bronk trained with Republic of Korea forward air controllers. "Only after we simulated the release of our weapons and we were breaking away to the south did I look back and imagine what it must have been like for those aviators maneuvering their Skyraiders into position to release torpedoes," said LCdr. Bronk. "Without a doubt, the combination of the torpedoes and the skill of the Naval Aviators delivering their weapons with precision flying made that mission in 1951 a total success."

COPYRIGHT 2004 Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group