Viet Cong Called It 'Sky Monster' — One AC-130 Destroyed 107 Trucks In One Night

December 18, 1970, Ho Chi Minh Trail. Major John Gould flew an AC-130A Spectre gunship—a C-130 cargo plane converted into a flying weapons platform with side-firing cannons and howitzer. Viet Cong called it "the sky monster"—they heard the 105mm howitzer boom echoing through jungle, saw trucks explode without warning, knew something circled overhead watching in darkness. At 2147 hours, infrared sensors detected 23 North Vietnamese trucks in a jungle clearing. Gould established orbit at 12,000 feet. The AC-130's weapons fired continuously—two 20mm Vulcans, two 40mm Bofors, one 105mm howitzer. Twenty-three trucks destroyed in seven minutes. Sensors detected more trucks 12 miles south. Forty-seven trucks at staging area. All destroyed. Then 15-truck convoy. Then 12 trucks. Then 10 trucks. Over 85 minutes, Gould hunted six separate groups across 40 miles of trail. One hundred seven trucks destroyed—highest single-mission truck kill in Vietnam War. Cargo plane became predator. AC-130 Spectre gunship | Ho Chi Minh Trail interdiction | Vietnam War 1970

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⚠️ DISCLAIMER: Dramatized narrative based on documented AC-130 operations December 18, 1970. Combat sequences dramatized while maintaining accuracy of sensor capabilities and confirmed truck destruction counts.
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