on a combination of poor staff planning, extremely unusual and unique weather conditions, forbidden radio communications and an untested air refueling operation. The next day, the press back in the United States generally derided the raid as being an expensive and costly failure, and it was claimed that only one water buffalo was killed and only 100 pounds of rice were destroyed. However, it seems that the results of the raid were a lot more effective than the press had led people to believe. All of the bombs were dropped into the correct target box, except for one string of bombs which had missed the area completely because of a radar failure. After about a week, US Army teams began to enter the area and reported almost total destruction of all life in the area. Additional missions were cancelled and did not resume until July. There was initially some skepticism about the usefulness of a high-altitude radar bomb drop against guerrilla forces. Nevertheless, within a few months there was universal acceptance of the power of the B-52 raids as a new type of artillery. By November 1965, the B-52s were able to support the 1st Air Cavalry Division in mopping up operations near Pleiku. The unit returned to Carswell in December 1965 to joyful families in time for the holidays. In a reduction of B-52 units for budgetary reasons, the 9th was inactivated on 25 June 1968. Several of the B-52s were retired, others were sent to the 93d Bombardment Wing at Castle Air Force Base. FB-111 era On 2 July 1968, the 340th Bombardment Group was activated at Carswell. Although it was given the designation of a bomb group, the 340th was organized and functioned as a SAC Wing. Its operational squadron was the 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron. The 340th was given the primary mission of conducting initial qualification training for General Dynamics FB-111A aircrew members. The FB-111A was the all-weather strategic bombing version of the F-111 strike aircraft, intended as an interim successor to SAC's B-52 Stratofortress and Convair B-58 Hustler. Due to the delayed delivery of FB-111A from General Dynamics, the group's training mission suffered. Delivery of the first aircraft, took place in late September 1969, followed by the second FB-111A on 25 October. These two planes were powered by TF30-P-12A engines. Problems with the Mark IIB avionics slowed further deliveries, with the Air Force not