Robin Olds

Operation Bolo

Operation Bolo, considered to be one of the most successful combat ruses of all time, was flown on January 2, 1967. Operation Bolo was the most famous air battle fought in the skies of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It was flown during the Vietnam War as part of the United States Air Force's Operation Rolling Thunder aerial bombardment campaign. Operation Bolo was a classic match-up of the American F-4 Phantom II multirole fighter against the rival Soviet MiG-21 Fishbed. Of the 16 MiG-21s known to be in the VPAF inventory, 7 Fishbeds were destroyed, with an additional 2 Fishbeds probably shot down also.

MiG-21 Fishbed at US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio


AA-2 Atoll Air-to-Air missile on a MiG-21 Fishbed


MiG-21 Fishbed number 5063 painted in North Vietnamese colors