Episode 5, “Escape To U-Tapao,” shares pilot Roger Youngblood’s incredible firsthand account of the chaotic final days of April 1975 as South Vietnam and Cambodia fell. Amidst the “wild west show” of the “Escape to U-Tapao,” where numerous aircraft and people flooded into Thailand, Youngblood and Jack Drummond were tasked by General Aderholt with a seemingly impossible mission: recover 11 dilapidated A-1 Skyraiders found abandoned and damaged, sitting in water. This episode details the extreme risks they faced flying these unpredictable aircraft with no records or functional ejection seats, ultimately saving four A-1s and navigating a complex international effort involving Thai bureaucracy, makeshift transport, and a Russian trawler to bring these historic planes back to the United States.
The latest episode of the “Military Tales” YouTube channel, “Episode 5 – Escape To U-Tapao,” delivers a captivating firsthand account of the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War and the audacious mission to rescue stranded A-1 Skyraider aircraft. Through the compelling narrative of Roger Youngblood, a former A-1 pilot, viewers are transported back to April 1975, witnessing the desperate exodus from Cambodia and Vietnam and the incredible initiative of individuals like Brigadier General Aderholt.
The episode opens with an introduction to Roger Youngblood, lauded as the “man who was there at that time who can tell it from the horse’s mouth”. Youngblood, with evident emotion, shares his journey to becoming an A-1 pilot, his deep affection for the aircraft, and the circumstances that led him to be in a unique position as Saigon fell. He recounts his initial determination to fly the A-1, even volunteering for another year in Vietnam to make it happen. This passion for the “bird” sets the stage for the extraordinary events that unfold.
As the situation in Cambodia and then South Vietnam deteriorated rapidly, a massive outflow of people and aircraft towards Thailand began. Youngblood vividly describes April 29th as the day “the sierra hit the fan,” with approximately 90 aircraft coming out of Cambodia. He recounts stories of incredible desperation, including a Vietnamese A-37 that landed on a highway, its occupants being a man, his wife, and three children. Another instance involved an O-1 carrying a man, his wife, and two children, highlighting the life-or-death decisions people were forced to make.
A central figure in this dramatic period was Brigadier General Aderholt. Recognizing the impending collapse, Aderholt proactively developed an operations plan to extract as many aircraft as possible. He even approached the ambassador in Cambodia, who wisely agreed to release all available T-28 aircraft. However, the ambassador in Vietnam refused Aderholt’s plan, tragically deeming it a “signal of defeat”. This bureaucratic resistance starkly contrasts with the urgency of the situation on the ground.
Amidst this chaos, Aderholt tasked Youngblood and Jack Drummond with an almost unbelievable mission: to retrieve eleven A-1 Skyraiders that had landed at U-Tapao, many of which were partially submerged in water due to the monsoon rains. Youngblood paints a vivid picture of the scene: the A-1s sitting in water above their tires, with no maintenance records or checklists, and even waterlogged ejection seats. Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges and the fact that it had been three years since Youngblood had flown an A-1 and even longer for Drummond, they were instructed by Aderholt to “do it”.
What followed was a testament to their skill and audacity. Youngblood describes the sheer “wild west show” atmosphere, where they had to make their own rules. They started the engines, relying on basic knowledge (“after 16 blades just go to both and pray”) and the fact that the aircraft had recently flown in. With pins left in the ejection seats as a precaution and fingers hovering off the trigger due to unknown gun status, they taxied past Jolly Green helicopters that were still rescuing stragglers.
Youngblood recounts the tense take-off, with Drummond ahead. Hilariously, Drummond inadvertently sucked up the gear early, leading Youngblood to quip, “all right one for the team”. Youngblood’s own take-off was equally precarious, unsure if the waterlogged brakes would even function. They successfully flew four A-1s back to Takhli (Talk Lee).
A humorous anecdote highlights the unconventional nature of their mission. The crew of a C-12 sent to follow them to Takhli were astonished to hear the two pilots discussing how to fly the A-1 while in flight, remarking they had “never heard two pilots talk about how to fly the airplane as they were flying the airplane”.
The episode also sheds light on the fate of an eleventh A-1, which had landed at Ben Tui. A Vietnamese pilot managed to cram sixteen people into the back of this E model and fly it to a small island POW camp before eventually reaching Thailand.
Youngblood recounts a particularly memorable encounter at U-Tapao when a lieutenant colonel from SAC (Strategic Air Command) questioned their authority to fly the A-1s. Their simple reply, “yesterday,” left the officer speechless.
Ultimately, the intervention of the State Department and concerns from the Thai government brought a halt to Aderholt’s further “repositioning” of the A-1s. However, Aderholt’s efforts didn’t end there. He later made a deal to acquire four of the A-1s at Takhli. Despite facing bureaucratic hurdles, he even devised a plan to transport them to the port of Bangkok via truck and barges down the Chao Phraya River, eventually hiring a Russian trawler to ship them back to the United States.
Youngblood proudly notes the current locations of some of these rescued A-1s: 332 is at the Smithsonian, 606 is at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Texas, and 665 is now at this very airfield. He credits Brigadier General Aderholt’s extraordinary efforts and a “Russian trawler” for the preservation of these iconic aircraft.
“Episode 5 – Escape To U-Tapao” is a thrilling and deeply personal account of a pivotal moment in history. Roger Youngblood’s vivid storytelling, coupled with the overarching narrative of General Aderholt’s remarkable initiative, paints a compelling picture of courage, resourcefulness, and the extraordinary lengths to which individuals went during the chaotic end of the Vietnam War. It’s a must-watch for anyone interested in military history and tales of human resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.