Richard M. Baughn

 

Preferred Name: Dick

Nickname/Call Sign:

Date of Birth: 1923

Highest Military Grade Held: Brigadier General

Hometown: Council Bluffs, IO

Biography

Brigadier General Richard M. Baughn entered the Army Air Force aviation cadet training program in January 1943 and received his pilot wings and commission as second lieutenant in April 1944 and retired from the US Air Force in July 1975.  Baughn was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1923, graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and received a BS from theUniversity of Maryland. His military schools include the USAF Air Tactical School, the ArmedForces Staff College and Great Britain’s senior military school, The Imperial Defence College. 

He is a command pilot with more than 7,600 flying hours, including more than 5,000 in jet fighter aircraft. General Baughn has flown the P-40; P-51; P-47; F-80; RF-80; T-33;  F-84B, F, and G; F-86E,F and H; F-100C,D and F; F-104A, C and D; F-105D and F; F-4C,D and E; A-6;  F-111A and E; FB-111; KC-135; Meteor; Hawker Hunter, Lightning and 14 other types of military aircraft.  

He flew combat in P-51’s with the 8th AF during WWII and in 1965-66 he flew three temporary F-105 combat tours, one at Tahkli and two at Korat, Thailand, before completing a full F-105 combat tour in 1966, as the commander of the 13th TFS.  In addition to a full complement of F-105 fighters, the 13th TFS was also assigned all of Korat’s F-100 and F-105 Wild Weasels and about half of Baughn’s missions were flown with them. 

In June 1974 General Baughn was appointed deputy defense attaché, Defense Attaché Office, Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, his last assignment prior to his retirement.  His decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Star Medal, 15 Air Medals and two Air Force Commendation Medals. 

His book “The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner,” a carefully researched historical novel about a WWII P-51 pilot in the 8th AF, won a 2008 Eric Hoffer Notable Award for fiction and a 2008 honorable mention award for fiction from The Writer’s Digest.  The Hellish Vortex is available at Amazon.com in both paperback and electronically in Kindle.

Units Assigned

1944-1946  VIII Fighter Command at Honington Royal Air Force Station, England,  F-51
1946-8/1951 174th Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard, Sioux City, IO
8/1951-12/1951 Dow AFB, ME, F-84
12/1951- 5/1952 277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing, Langley AFB, VA
5/1952-2/1954  277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing Royal Air Force Station Wethersfield, England
2/1954-11/1955 Headquarters USAF, Wiesbaden, Germany
11/1955-8/1956 USAF Academy, squadron operations officer, Lowry AFB, CO
8/1956-1958 479 Fighter Day Wing/436Fighter Day Squadron, Edwards AFB, F-104 A/B
1958-1960 479th Wing, George AFB, F-100, F-104 C
1/1960-7/1960 Armed Force Staff College, Norfork, VA
7/1960-1/1961 Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA, F-105
1/1961-1/1962  Project Officer F-104, Nellis AFB, NV
1/1962-1963 Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, HI
1963-6/1966 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
6/1966-11/1966 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
11/1966-1/1969 Deputy Chief of Staff, Requirements and Concepts, Tactical  Fighter Weapons Center, Nellis AFB, NV
1/1969-1971 United Kingdom Imperial Defence College, London, England
1970-1971 20th Fighter Bomber Wing/77th Fighter Bomber Squadron, Nellis, AFB
1971-2/1973 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Station, Upper Heyford, England
2/1973-6/1974 45th Air Division Strategic Command, Pease AFB, NH

Flight Info

F-51
F-47
F-80
F-84B, F, and G
F-86E and F
F-100
F-104
F-105
F-4
A-6
F-111
FB-111
KC-135
Meteor; Hawker Hunter and Lightning

Command pilot with 7,000+ hours, 5,000 in jet aircraft

Awards

 Silver Star
 Legion of Merit
 Distinguished Flying Cross (3) with 2 oak leaf clusters
 Bronze Star Medal
 Air Medal (15) with 13 oak leaf clusters (2 silver, 3 bronze)
 Air Force Commendation Medal (2)
 Army of Occupation Medal
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
 Korean Service Medal
 National Defense Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
 World War II Victory Medal
Order of the Sword Recipient

Military Education

USAF Air Tactical School
1960 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA
1969-1971 The Imperial Defence College, Great Britain

Civilian Education

Abraham Lincoln HS
1970 BS, University of Maryland

The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner

BGen Richard M. Baughn USAF (ret), who flew P-51’s with the 8th AF during WWII, has written a carefully researched historical novel that provides the reader with a graphic view of how the young USAAF airmen lived, fought and died. He also weaves relevant Anglo/American politics and American prewar interservice turf battles into the story and includes testimony by the German military and high ranking civilians to counter the detractors of the USAAF’s contribution to the war against Germany. Although the D-Day invasion of France is the centerpiece of the battle to end the Nazi occupation of Europe, the author reminds the reader that 60,000 British/American airmen were shot down or killed before D-Day. His research also reveals that 41,802 of the approximate 100,000 US Army Air Force pilots, navigators, bombardiers and aerial gunners assigned in Europe were killed in the fiercest aerial combat the world has seen. Available on Amazon, read for free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Biography

Biography

Brigadier General Richard M. Baughn entered the Army Air Force aviation cadet training program in January 1943 and received his pilot wings and commission as second lieutenant in April 1944 and retired from the US Air Force in July 1975.  Baughn was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1923, graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and received a BS from theUniversity of Maryland. His military schools include the USAF Air Tactical School, the ArmedForces Staff College and Great Britain’s senior military school, The Imperial Defence College. 

He is a command pilot with more than 7,600 flying hours, including more than 5,000 in jet fighter aircraft. General Baughn has flown the P-40; P-51; P-47; F-80; RF-80; T-33;  F-84B, F, and G; F-86E,F and H; F-100C,D and F; F-104A, C and D; F-105D and F; F-4C,D and E; A-6;  F-111A and E; FB-111; KC-135; Meteor; Hawker Hunter, Lightning and 14 other types of military aircraft.  

He flew combat in P-51’s with the 8th AF during WWII and in 1965-66 he flew three temporary F-105 combat tours, one at Tahkli and two at Korat, Thailand, before completing a full F-105 combat tour in 1966, as the commander of the 13th TFS.  In addition to a full complement of F-105 fighters, the 13th TFS was also assigned all of Korat’s F-100 and F-105 Wild Weasels and about half of Baughn’s missions were flown with them. 

In June 1974 General Baughn was appointed deputy defense attaché, Defense Attaché Office, Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, his last assignment prior to his retirement.  His decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Star Medal, 15 Air Medals and two Air Force Commendation Medals. 

His book “The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner,” a carefully researched historical novel about a WWII P-51 pilot in the 8th AF, won a 2008 Eric Hoffer Notable Award for fiction and a 2008 honorable mention award for fiction from The Writer’s Digest.  The Hellish Vortex is available at Amazon.com in both paperback and electronically in Kindle.

Units - Education - Awards - Flight Info

Units Assigned

1944-1946  VIII Fighter Command at Honington Royal Air Force Station, England,  F-51
1946-8/1951 174th Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard, Sioux City, IO
8/1951-12/1951 Dow AFB, ME, F-84
12/1951- 5/1952 277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing, Langley AFB, VA
5/1952-2/1954  277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing Royal Air Force Station Wethersfield, England
2/1954-11/1955 Headquarters USAF, Wiesbaden, Germany
11/1955-8/1956 USAF Academy, squadron operations officer, Lowry AFB, CO
8/1956-1958 479 Fighter Day Wing/436Fighter Day Squadron, Edwards AFB, F-104 A/B
1958-1960 479th Wing, George AFB, F-100, F-104 C
1/1960-7/1960 Armed Force Staff College, Norfork, VA
7/1960-1/1961 Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA, F-105
1/1961-1/1962  Project Officer F-104, Nellis AFB, NV
1/1962-1963 Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, HI
1963-6/1966 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
6/1966-11/1966 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
11/1966-1/1969 Deputy Chief of Staff, Requirements and Concepts, Tactical  Fighter Weapons Center, Nellis AFB, NV
1/1969-1971 United Kingdom Imperial Defence College, London, England
1970-1971 20th Fighter Bomber Wing/77th Fighter Bomber Squadron, Nellis, AFB
1971-2/1973 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Station, Upper Heyford, England
2/1973-6/1974 45th Air Division Strategic Command, Pease AFB, NH

Flight Info

F-51
F-47
F-80
F-84B, F, and G
F-86E and F
F-100
F-104
F-105
F-4
A-6
F-111
FB-111
KC-135
Meteor; Hawker Hunter and Lightning

Command pilot with 7,000+ hours, 5,000 in jet aircraft

Awards

 Silver Star
 Legion of Merit
 Distinguished Flying Cross (3) with 2 oak leaf clusters
 Bronze Star Medal
 Air Medal (15) with 13 oak leaf clusters (2 silver, 3 bronze)
 Air Force Commendation Medal (2)
 Army of Occupation Medal
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
 Korean Service Medal
 National Defense Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
 World War II Victory Medal
Order of the Sword Recipient

Military Education

USAF Air Tactical School
1960 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA
1969-1971 The Imperial Defence College, Great Britain

Civilian Education

Abraham Lincoln HS
1970 BS, University of Maryland

Books by Richard M. Baughn

The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner

BGen Richard M. Baughn USAF (ret), who flew P-51’s with the 8th AF during WWII, has written a carefully researched historical novel that provides the reader with a graphic view of how the young USAAF airmen lived, fought and died. He also weaves relevant Anglo/American politics and American prewar interservice turf battles into the story and includes testimony by the German military and high ranking civilians to counter the detractors of the USAAF’s contribution to the war against Germany. Although the D-Day invasion of France is the centerpiece of the battle to end the Nazi occupation of Europe, the author reminds the reader that 60,000 British/American airmen were shot down or killed before D-Day. His research also reveals that 41,802 of the approximate 100,000 US Army Air Force pilots, navigators, bombardiers and aerial gunners assigned in Europe were killed in the fiercest aerial combat the world has seen. Available on Amazon, read for free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.