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Narrative: Damaged by AAA over South Vietnam but was able to fly out to South China Sea (Bien Dong, Vietnamese) where crew ejected and were rescued by helicopter. However, the pilotless aircraft was able to turn back toward land despite the wingman expending all his 20mm at it.
A total of 58 B-57 Canberras were recorded as having been lost during the Vietnam War; of these, 26 were lost to ground fire, five were lost to mortar fire and ground attack, four were lost to mid-air collision, ten were lost to airfield accidental bomb explosion, seven were lost to operational causes, and six were lost due to unknown causes.
Debris of the explosion struck other aircraft on the flight line, leading to a chain reaction of fire and bomb explosions. Ten Martin B-57B Canberra planes were destroyed along with a Navy F-8E, a USAF A-1E, 14 more A-1Es and two VNAF A-1H's.
One (52-1496) on 17 September 1962 performed a slow roll on take-off, crashed and was totally destroyed by fire. A second crashed on 16 October 1962 about 3.2 km (2 miles) off-shore near Lorne, VIC and was also totally destroyed.
The first millisecond: a glass-dome a hundred yards at its base and filled with white-fire engulfed the bomber. The next instant: a massive concussion wave (literally visible like a fog) slapped sentry dogs and handlers to the ground.
We heard sporadic, single-shot fire at distances of several hundred meters and out. It was not effective fire on us, probably aimed at our aircraft, but it kept us crouched and low to the ground. At the bottom was a mass of glowing lava, and facedown on top of it a crewman’s body.
28 kwi 2022 · On Nov. 1, 1964, a Viet Cong mortar attack on Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon destroyed five B-57B Canberra bombers and two helicopters, while damaging 13 additional B-57B aircraft. That attack largely reflected Canberra losses during the war—most occurred on or close to the ground.
