While Five O'Clock Charlie is famous for his brave missions over Korea
far less well remembered is his successor to greatness in yet another cold war conflict...
that courageous commie North Vietnamese aviator almost known as Eight O'Clock Charlie.
Flying an indigenously built craft history has forgotten as the Po-2.5 bis monoplane
which was a development of the legendary Polikarpov Po-2 biplane.
The overlooked Po-2.5 bis monoplane was never fielded in great numbers even though The International Commie Comintern Concerning Aircraft Construction Concerns promoted it as a simple aircraft to build and a way of jump-starting the aviation industry in less-developed Soviet satellite states. Sadly, only one of these nations was ever granted a manufacturing license.
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was keen to modernize and was soon producing the bare-bones monoplane at the incredibly rapid clip of three every two years. By 1968 no less than four and a half Po-2.5 bis monoplanes had entered service.
While three and a half of these were relegated to training duties, one would see combat in grueling guerilla air actions against the imperialist Americans.
It all began as a bit of a lark when an unknown NVAF pilot got lost one evening. At the stroke of 8 he accidentally over-flew U.S. fire base Echo-Echo-Echo...etc.
While turning to get his bearings, his rice ball ration fell out and landed on an auxiliary ammo dump. As the fireworks started, the pilot floored it and headed back home at the red-line speed of 93 m.p.h.
Thus a legend was not born.
This brave aviator was inspired and would return again and again every night at the same time.
Called "Eight O'Clock Charlie" by his enemies for his incredible punctuality, his true name has been lost to history even if it was never recorded in the first place. He would continue to attack the Americans although he'd never equal the success of his first "raid". His heroic and timely feats have never been officially acknowledged by either side in the conflict.
The few Po-2.5 bis monoplanes built were all written off by 1975 although the fuselage of one derelict was found re-purposed as a chicken coop in a remote province during the filming of Francis Fraud Cupola's
Acropolis Pow. None survive intact today and the so-called "experts" when presented with what little evidence of the type remains, dismiss it by saying even a busted clock is right twice a day.
Brian da Basher