Đặng Ngọc Ngự, (1 November 1939 – 8 July or 15 August 1972) †, was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 pilot of the Vietnamese People's Air Force who flew with the 921st fighter regiment and tied for third place amongst Vietnam War fighter aces with seven kills. [1]
He was in the air fighting U.S. fighter jets in a MiG-21MF (No. 5136) on the day of 10 May 1972, claiming victory over an F-4 Phantom II; the same day USN F-4 Phantom II pilot Duke Cunningham and his RIO Bill Driscoll were shot down after they had allegedly shot-down the legendary, or mythical, Colonel Toon, of which it's said that Đặng and other pilots, including sub-ace MiG-21 pilot Dinh Ton, had all played-part in the legendary (or mythical) role of Colonel Toon. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The following victories include the kills known to be acknowledged and credited to him by the VPAF: [7] [8]
Đặng Ngọc Ngự was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces on 11 January 1973. [14]
Another theory is that Tomb was actually two pilots — Din Tonh (hence "Toon"), and Dang Ngoc Ngu. The latter scored more aerial victories, while the former had a reputation as a maverick prone to lone wolf attacks. Supposedly, Din Tonh would sneak into formation alongside American fighters, waiting to see how long they took to notice his presence.
Many pilots, and some historians and observers since, including Cunningham and Driscoll, found it easier to invent an enemy rather than must deal with those painful feelings head-on. This is not an isolated phenomenon. Nearly every war sees these types of inventions as a coping mechanism. Toon may not exist, but what he represents as a way of dealing with the psychological trauma of warfare, is all too real.
Capt. Elton L. Perrine, Rank/Branch: O3/USAF; Status: Remains Identified 01/2010 - 1Lt. Kenneth F. Backus, Rank/Branch: O2/USAF; Status: Missing - Who was piloting and who was co-pilot remained a mystery until 2005. Defense Department records indicate that both Backus and Perrine were pilots... During a conversation in Washington DC in May 2005, former POW Dave Gray stated Ken Backus was the backseater on this flight. 591 American Prisoners of War were released in Operation Homecoming in the spring of 1973, but Backus and Perrine were not.
After the attack on a major vehicle repair facility in Hanoi, the Phantoms headed back to Thailand, but about 45 miles southwest of Hanoi the MiGs made a concerted attack. Lt Col Ross's aircraft was damaged by an air-to-air missile that put the left engine out of action but he managed to make it back into Thailand where he and WSO Imaye ejected to safety, just north of Udorn.
Đặng Ngọc Ngự, (1 November 1939 – 8 July or 15 August 1972) †, was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 pilot of the Vietnamese People's Air Force who flew with the 921st fighter regiment and tied for third place amongst Vietnam War fighter aces with seven kills. [1]
He was in the air fighting U.S. fighter jets in a MiG-21MF (No. 5136) on the day of 10 May 1972, claiming victory over an F-4 Phantom II; the same day USN F-4 Phantom II pilot Duke Cunningham and his RIO Bill Driscoll were shot down after they had allegedly shot-down the legendary, or mythical, Colonel Toon, of which it's said that Đặng and other pilots, including sub-ace MiG-21 pilot Dinh Ton, had all played-part in the legendary (or mythical) role of Colonel Toon. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The following victories include the kills known to be acknowledged and credited to him by the VPAF: [7] [8]
Đặng Ngọc Ngự was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces on 11 January 1973. [14]
Another theory is that Tomb was actually two pilots — Din Tonh (hence "Toon"), and Dang Ngoc Ngu. The latter scored more aerial victories, while the former had a reputation as a maverick prone to lone wolf attacks. Supposedly, Din Tonh would sneak into formation alongside American fighters, waiting to see how long they took to notice his presence.
Many pilots, and some historians and observers since, including Cunningham and Driscoll, found it easier to invent an enemy rather than must deal with those painful feelings head-on. This is not an isolated phenomenon. Nearly every war sees these types of inventions as a coping mechanism. Toon may not exist, but what he represents as a way of dealing with the psychological trauma of warfare, is all too real.
Capt. Elton L. Perrine, Rank/Branch: O3/USAF; Status: Remains Identified 01/2010 - 1Lt. Kenneth F. Backus, Rank/Branch: O2/USAF; Status: Missing - Who was piloting and who was co-pilot remained a mystery until 2005. Defense Department records indicate that both Backus and Perrine were pilots... During a conversation in Washington DC in May 2005, former POW Dave Gray stated Ken Backus was the backseater on this flight. 591 American Prisoners of War were released in Operation Homecoming in the spring of 1973, but Backus and Perrine were not.
After the attack on a major vehicle repair facility in Hanoi, the Phantoms headed back to Thailand, but about 45 miles southwest of Hanoi the MiGs made a concerted attack. Lt Col Ross's aircraft was damaged by an air-to-air missile that put the left engine out of action but he managed to make it back into Thailand where he and WSO Imaye ejected to safety, just north of Udorn.