{"id":13269849,"date":"2026-08-17T16:45:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T16:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:46:23","slug":"colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonel Toon: The Ace Who Never Was"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<p>He had thirteen American kills, a colonel&rsquo;s rank, and a name that made young U.S. pilots go quiet: Colonel Toon. He was North Vietnam&rsquo;s deadliest ace, the ghost every Navy flier feared meeting over Haiphong. There was only one problem with the legend of Colonel Toon. He may never have existed at all.<\/p>\r\n<p>The story starts with a real dogfight &mdash; one of the most famous in the history of naval aviation &mdash; and ends with a mystery that historians are still arguing about.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">10 May 1972<\/h2>\r\n<p>Lieutenant Randy &ldquo;Duke&rdquo; Cunningham was heading home. Flying an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/flugzeug\/f-4-phantom-ii\/\">F-4J Phantom II<\/a> from the carrier USS Constellation, callsign &ldquo;Showtime 100,&rdquo; with Willie Driscoll in the back seat running the radar, he had just come off a strike near Haiphong. That day he had already downed two <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/flugzeug\/mig-17-fresco\/\">MiG-17s<\/a>. Then a third Fresco came at him nose-on, cannons winking, and refused to die.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=370644883  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/cunningham-driscoll-aces-cockpit.jpg\" alt=\"Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll in the cockpit of their F-4J Phantom, May 1972\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Lt. Randy &ldquo;Duke&rdquo; Cunningham (front) and Lt(jg) Willie Driscoll, the US Navy&rsquo;s only aces of the Vietnam War. US Navy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>What followed was not a modern missile duel but an old-fashioned knife fight. The two aircraft went vertical, then into a rolling scissors, each pilot trying to force the other out in front. The MiG matched Cunningham climb for climb, canopy to canopy, at one point just a hundred yards away. It was everything American aircrews had been told the MiG-17 could not do against a Phantom.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dqY0vrXccPs\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The shot<\/h2>\r\n<p>The fight bled speed until both jets were wallowing near 150 knots &mdash; the MiG&rsquo;s home turf, not the Phantom&rsquo;s. Cunningham chopped his throttle, popped his speed brakes, and let the MiG overshoot. When it pitched up to run, he fired his third Sidewinder.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;This is no place to be with a MiG-17&hellip; at 150 knots&hellip; that slow, he can take it right away from you. But he had stayed too long.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Randy &ldquo;Duke&rdquo; Cunningham<\/strong> &mdash; US Navy F-4 pilot, VF-96<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>For a heartbeat the missile seemed to miss. Then a flash, black smoke, and the MiG-17 fell away and hit the ground at a shallow angle. It was Cunningham and Driscoll&rsquo;s fifth kill &mdash; making them the only U.S. Navy aces of the entire war. Minutes later a surface-to-air missile caught their Phantom near the coast; the two men ejected into the South China Sea and were rescued.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:18px\">Kurzinfo<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>The legend:<\/strong> Colonel Toon (or &ldquo;Tomb&rdquo;), a North Vietnamese ace credited with 13 US kills<\/li><li><strong>The reality:<\/strong> no pilot of that name appears in North Vietnamese records<\/li><li><strong>The dogfight:<\/strong> 10 May 1972, Cunningham &amp; Driscoll (F-4J &ldquo;Showtime 100&rdquo;) vs a MiG-17<\/li><li><strong>The result:<\/strong> the MiG-17 downed; the crew became the Navy&rsquo;s only Vietnam aces<\/li><li><strong>Likely origin:<\/strong> a propaganda composite, sometimes linked to real ace Nguyen Van Coc<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Chasing a ghost<\/h2>\r\n<p>After the war, when researchers went looking for Colonel Toon in North Vietnamese archives, they found nothing. No service record, no photograph, no biography &mdash; a strange absence for a national hero with thirteen victories. Most historians now believe Toon was a myth: a name that drifted through American ready rooms and hardened into a legend, perhaps loosely inspired by genuine aces like Nguyen Van Coc.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zh2vYYh03Mk\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>That does not make the pilot Cunningham fought any less real, or any less good. Whoever sat in MiG-17 number 3020 that day flew one of the finest defensive fights of the war.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;Even if today it seems that Toon was a propaganda amalgam of several fine North Vietnamese pilots, there is no doubt that the pilot faced by Showtime 100 crew that day was a great dogfighter.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>George Hall<\/strong> &mdash; author, &ldquo;Top Gun&rdquo;<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1834836790  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-17-fresco.jpg\" alt=\"A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Fresco\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The MiG-17 Fresco &mdash; slower than the Phantom, but lethal in a slow, turning fight. This example is preserved today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the myth endured<\/h2>\r\n<p>Legends need a villain, and Colonel Toon was a perfect one &mdash; faceless, deadly, and finally beaten by American skill and training. His defeat became the story the U.S. Navy wanted to tell about its new Top Gun school: that preparation, not luck, won dogfights. Whether or not Toon was ever a man, he became something more useful &mdash; a symbol. And the aircrew who &ldquo;killed&rdquo; him flew home into history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Lgpju-PsGGQ\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-style:italic;color:#777;font-size:14px;margin-top:24px\">Sources: The Aviation Geek Club; MilitaryHistoryNow; SOFREP; George Hall, &ldquo;Top Gun&rdquo;; Wikipedia (&ldquo;Colonel Tomb&rdquo;). Cunningham quote via his own account of the engagement.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">\u00c4hnliche Beitr\u00e4ge<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/topgun-nine-men-a-trailer-and-a-revolution-in-air-combat\/\">Top Gun: Nine Men, a Trailer, and a Revolution in Air Combat<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/constant-peg-red-eagles-secret-migs\/\">Constant Peg: America&rsquo;s Secret Squadron of Soviet MiGs<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He had thirteen American kills, a colonel&rsquo;s rank, and a name that made young U.S. pilots go quiet: Colonel Toon. He was North Vietnam&rsquo;s deadliest ace, the ghost every Navy flier feared meeting over Haiphong. There was only one problem with the legend of Colonel Toon. He may never have existed at all. The story [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13269377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13269849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Colonel Toon was North Vietnamu2019s most feared MiG ace u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Colonel Toon was North Vietnamu2019s most feared MiG ace u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"962\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\"},\"headline\":\"Colonel Toon: The Ace Who Never Was\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":784,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Colonel Toon was North Vietnam\\\\u2019s most feared MiG ace \\\\u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":962},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Colonel Toon: The Ace Who Never Was\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\",\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tamika Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Tamika Johnson tells the human stories of aviation \u2014 the pilots, pioneers and characters behind the machines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de\\\/author\\\/tamikajohnson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was","description":"Colonel Toon was North Vietnamu2019s most feared MiG ace u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was","og_description":"Colonel Toon was North Vietnamu2019s most feared MiG ace u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":962,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tamika Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tamika Johnson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/"},"author":{"name":"Tamika Johnson","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d"},"headline":"Colonel Toon: The Ace Who Never Was","datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/"},"wordCount":784,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/","name":"Colonel Toon: The Vietnam Ace Who Never Was","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:45:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T14:46:23+00:00","description":"Colonel Toon was North Vietnam\\u2019s most feared MiG ace \\u2014 downed by Navy aces Cunningham and Driscoll in 1972. Historians say he may never have existed.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:A-Sz.cd2d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-4j-showtime-100-phantom.jpg","width":1280,"height":962},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/colonel-toon-vietnam-mig-17-ace-myth-cunningham-1972\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Colonel Toon: The Ace Who Never Was"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner \u2013 MiGFlugs Magazin","description":"F\u00fcr alle, die sich f\u00fcr das Fliegen von Milit\u00e4rjets und verwandte Luftfahrtthemen interessieren.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d","name":"Tamika Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tamika Johnson"},"description":"Tamika Johnson erz\u00e4hlt die menschlichen Geschichten der Luftfahrt \u2013 die Piloten, Pioniere und Pers\u00f6nlichkeiten hinter den Maschinen.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/author\/tamikajohnson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13269849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13269849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13269849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13270008,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13269849\/revisions\/13270008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13269377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13269849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13269849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13269849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}