What You Need to Know: Airman 1st Class Albert Moore, the last U.S. airman to down an enemy fighter as a B-52 tail gunner, was honored this month at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.

-Moore, just 18 during the 1972 Christmas Eve mission, shot down a MiG-21 while manning the tail gun of "Diamond Lil" during Operation Linebacker II.

-This historic achievement marked one of only two confirmed MiG kills by a B-52 gunner. The Air Force Gunners Association dedicated a plaque in his honor, celebrating the bravery and legacy of Moore and his fellow B-52 tail gunners.

Vietnam Hero Honored: Last B-52 Gunner to Shoot Down MiG Remembered

Earlier this month, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, honored Airman 1st Class Albert Moore, who was credited with shooting down an enemy MiG fighter during the Vietnam War. Moore wasn't a pilot, and instead, he has the distinction of being the last airman to down an enemy fighter as a tail gunner on a Boeing B-52D Stratofortress.

The Air Force Gunners Association (AFGA) dedicated a plaque to Moore, who was just 18 years old when he took part in the Christmas Eve sortie in 1972 as part of the U.S. Air Force's Operation Linebacker II.

"Moore was manning the tail gun of Diamond Lil" the very Stratofortress bomber (#55-083) that is located at the U.S. Air Force Academy's North Gate, the service academy announced following the dedication ceremony for the plaque that honored the tail gunner's noteworthy accomplishment.

A Famed Operation Linebacker II Flight for B-52 Bomber

While that particular B-52 flew more than 15,000 hours and took part in over 200 combat missions between 1957 and 1983, it was the Christmas Eve flight when Moore successfully downed a Mikoyan MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) supersonic interceptor.

During the sortie, Diamond Lil was part of a bomber strike force of thirty B-52s, and Moore's aircraft was charged with bombing the rail yards outside Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam.

"When a MiG-21 enemy aircraft began maneuvering into attack position, Moore successfully defended his aircraft by shooting down the MiG-21. This was one of two confirmed MiG kills by a B-52D Stratofortress in the Vietnam War and the last confirmed kill by a tail gunner in wartime using machine guns," the Air Force Academy explained.

"In his combat report, Moore described the moment, 'I observed a target on my radar scope at 8 o'clock low. It stabilized at 4,000 yards. I called for evasive action and when the target reached 2,000 yards, I opened fire," the service added. The "kill" was "confirmed by another tail gunner who visually observed the MiG on fire and failing from the sky."

It marked the final time a U.S. bomber was credited with shooting down an enemy fighter with its machine guns.

B-52 Tail Gunners 2 – MiGs 0

Just a week earlier, on another Linebacker II mission on December 18, Staff Sgt. Samuel Turner shot down another MiG-21 – becoming the first B-52 Stratofortress tail gunner to be "credited with shooting down an enemy aircraft."

For their actions, both Staff Sgt. Turner and Airman 1st Class Moore were each awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. military's third-highest award for heroism. In 2021, the Airman Leadership School at Ellsworth Air Force Base was re-dedicated to Turner, while this month Moore was honored at the service academy.

"The dedication of this plaque is a profound moment for the Air Force Gunners Association. It symbolizes their enduring legacy and commemorates the bravery and skill of their members, particularly Airman 1st Class Albert Moore," said John Stallings, AFGA President and former B-52 tail gunner. "Honoring [Moore] in this way acknowledges the significant contributions of B-52 gunners and their pivotal role in the history of aerial combat. This plaque is not just a marker of history but a beacon of valor and dedication."

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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