Strange Incident of a Missing B-52 Bomber in Laos

Okay… Yesterday I talked about an incident where it was alleged that a “missing” Soviet Air Force An-2 was discovered deep within the Siberian landscape and thousands of miles from where it had been last seen. The aircraft itself was intact, but its crew and passengers were never found and to this day, it’s a popular story within the Soviet/Russian military. But I also mentioned that another such incident supposedly happened less than 10 years later, this time in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

The Mission of the Green Berets

In June of 1970, a detachment of 12 Green Berets was deployed from Saigon to locate a B-52 bomber that had reportedly gone down in Laos. This particular team of Berets was one of many designated as an “Alpha Team,” and their main task was to carry out covert operations against high-value Viet Cong targets. But on this mission, they were to locate the missing B-52, recover whatever sensitive documents or equipment that might have survived the crash, and if possible, locate any survivors.

Prior to losing contact, the pilot reported that his plane was being followed by an unknown aircraft, but it was not being detected by the onboard radar. The pilot said it was “odd looking” and “covered in lights,” before all contact was lost. But what it may have been wasn’t their concern. The Berets were given a recovery mission and were deployed to do just that.

Discovery of the Intact B-52

It did not take long for the Berets to locate the downed aircraft just one mile across the border with Laos. Due to the thick forest, the men had to be dropped off a few miles away and would have to hike to their objective. Just like the Soviet paratroopers almost a decade earlier, the Special Forces team was quite unnerved by what they found. What they originally thought was just a section of the bomber resting within the forest was soon discovered to be the entire aircraft. Resting upright and completely intact with no signs of damage, save for some denting on the underside of the B-52 as if it had just been dropped there, completely surrounded by unbroken trees and foliage.

Despite the unsettling sight before them, the team was quick to secure the aircraft and was soon able to gain access to the interior, though they had to do so using explosives. But what they found inside would be much more disturbing.

Unsettling Findings Inside the Bomber

The bomber’s crew were still strapped into their seats and were all dead. All six bodies were said to have been horribly disfigured and showed signs of extreme violence. It was clear to see that they did not die in the “crash”; the wounds just did not match up with the scene. Stranger still, despite the injuries, the scene was not as bloody as one would expect it to be.

The payload of bombs was still secured and just like the Antonov, the instruments were aligned as if the bomber was still in flight. But despite all this, the men were able to complete their mission, and after all was said and done, they placed charges and destroyed the B-52 so as not to let the enemy gain access to it. But this is not the end of the story.

After returning to Saigon, the team leader submitted the full report detailing everything he and his men had seen. But not too long after this, the team was disbanded, and the leader was given a new assignment in the UK.

The Mystery of the B-52 in Laos

Now, like I said yesterday, there is no way to tell just how true this story is, as the source of the story comes from the alleged leader of the Beret team, one “CPT. William English.” I am not going to say if this story is true or not; I will leave that up to you guys. But I will say this…

A lot of strange things were said to have happened during the Vietnam War and were witnessed by both sides of the conflict. So, who really knows? Just maybe, somewhere in Laos, there are the remains of a B-52 whose crew met a rather mysterious end.

~NC