Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Encyclopedia
Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1955–1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force
(VNAF) facility. It is located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam
. The United States
used it as a major base during the Vietnam War
(1959–1975), stationing Army
, Air Force
, Navy
, and Marine units there. Following the Fall of Saigon
it was taken over as a Vietnam People's Air Force
(VPAF) facility and remains in active use today.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport
, (IATA: SGN, ICAO: VVTS) has been a major Vietnamese civil airport since the 1920s.
in the 1920s when the French Colonial government of Indochina
constructed a small unpaved airport, known as Tan Son Nhat Airfield in the village of Tan Son Nhat to serve as Saigon's commercial airport. Flights to and from France
, as well as within Southeast Asia
were available prior to World War II
. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army
used Tan Son Nhat as a transport base. When Japan surrendered in August 1945 the French Air Force flew a contingent of 150 troops into Tan Son Nhut.
After World War II, Ton Son Nhut served domestic as well as international flights from Saigon. In 1952, the French Air Force moved the 312th Special Mission Squadron to TSN from Nha Trang Air Base
, consisting of French Douglas C-47 Skytrains
and Beechcraft Model 18
s for carrying cargo and military passengers to support French forces.
In 1953, Tan Son Nhat started being used as a military air base for the fledgling Vietnamese Armée de l'Air (VALA) (Air Department). However was not until 1956 that the headquarters for the VALA was moved from the center of Saigon to Tan Son Nhat Air Base. But even before that time French and Vietnamese military aircraft were always in evidence at Tan Son Nhat.
On 1 July 1955 the Vietnamese Air Force
(VNAF) was officially established as a separate and distinct military unit. The VNAF consisted of 58 aircraft and about 1,300 personnel. The French had made no effort to expand the SVNAF to a force able to defend South Vietnam
. Aircraft consisted primarily of C-47 Skytrain
s, and Grumman F8F Bearcats
. In May 1956, by agreement with the South Vietnamese government, the United States Air Force
assumed some training and administrative roles of the VNAF. Teams from Clark Air Force Base began in 1957 to organize the VNAF into a model of the USAF when the French training contracts expired.
By 1960 Tan Son Nhat Air Base was growing with more and more VNAF aircraft arriving from the United States such as North American T-6 Texans
, Douglas A-1 Skyraiders
, Cessna L-19 (O-1) Bird Dogs
, and Sikorsky H-19
Helicopters.
Starting in the early 1960s, the build-up of the VNAF caused air units to became very visible on the base. On 4 January 1964 the VNAF 3311th Wing was organized at Tan Son Nhut, and the number of air units grew rapidly. By the mid-1960s Tan Son Nhat Airport was reported as the busiest airport in the world, with a mix of air traffic that approached chaotic proportions.
.
At Tan Son Nhat, the VNAF's system of command and control was developed over the years with assistance from the USAF. The system handled the flow of aircraft from take-off to target area, and return to the base it was launched from. This was known as the Tactical Air Control System (TACS), and it assured positive control of all areas where significant combat operations were performed. Without this system, it would not have been possible for the VNAF to deploy its forces effectively where needed.
The TACS was in close proximity to the headquarters of the VNAF and USAF forces in South Vietnam, and commanders of both Air Forces utilized its facilities. Subordinate to TACS was the Direct Air Support Center
s (DASC) assigned to each of corps areas (I DASC - Da Nang Air Base
, DASC Alpha - Nha Trang Air Base
, II DASC - Pleiku Air Base
, III DASC - Bien Hoa Air Base
, and IV DASC - Can Tho Air Base). DASCs were responsible for the deployment of aircraft located within their sector in support of ground operations.
Operating under each DASC were numerous Tactical Air Control Party
(TACPs), manned by one or more VNAF/USAF personnel posted with the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)
ground forces. A communications network inked these three levels of command and control, giving the TACS overall control of the South Vietnamese air situation at all times.
Additional information was provided by a radar network that covered all of South Vietnam and beyond, monitoring all strike aircraft.
The base was the headquarters of the Joint General Staff of South Vietnam, and was a key venue in various military coups, particularly the 1963 coup that deposed the nation's first President Ngo Dinh Diem
. The plotters invited loyalist officers to a routine lunch meeting at JGS and captured them in the afternoon of November 1, 1963. The most notable was Colonel Le Quang Tung
, loyalist commnander of the ARVN Special Forces, which was effectively a private Ngo family army, and his brother and deputy, Le Quang Trieu. Later, Captain Nguyen Van Nhung
, bodyguard of coup leader General Duong Van Minh
, shot the brothers into their graves on the edge of the base.
Another function of Tan Son Nhat Air Base was a South Vietnamese Air Force recruiting center. Unlike the ARVN, the VNAF was an all-volunteer service, remaining so until its demise in 1975. Recruits were given a screening test, followed by a physical examination.
Basic requirements for service in the VNAF was to be a Vietnamese citizen; at least age 17; minimum age 25 for flight training; no criminal record; the equivalent of a US 9th grade education for airmen; 11th grade for those entering pilot training or a 12th grade for non-rated officer.
If a volunteer met all the qualifications, the recruit was then sent to basic training at the ARVN training base at Lam Song. Non-commissioned officer
(NCO) training was held at Bien Hoa Air Base
. After two months of training, or four months for aviation cadets, the recruit was given an aptitude test and progressed to specialized technical training. From there, he was sent to one of the ARVN wings for journeymen training. Aviation cadets pursued three additional months of specialized training after completing their initial four-month training course. Some were sent to the United States
for advanced pilot training while non-rated officers pursued training in South Vietnam for their non-flying assignments. This training lasted about nine months, whereupon a cadet served in an operational unit for about a year before receiving a commission as a second lieutenant
.
Women also served in the VNAF. The Women's Armed Forces Corps (WAFC) was formed to fill non-combat duties beginning in December 1965. Women were assigned to VNAF wings, Headquarters, the Air Logistics Wing, performing duties as personnel specialists, secretaries and other administrative roles.
Tan Son Nhat Air Base was the target of major communist attacks during the 1968 Tet Offensive. The attack began early on 30 January with greater severity than anyone had expected. When the communists attacked much of the VNAF was on leave to be with their families during the lunar new year
. An immediate recall was issued, and within 72 hours, 90 percent of the VNAF was on duty.
The first enemy rounds that hit Tan Son Nhat Air Base struck at approximately 2 a.m. on 30 January. The chapel on the base was one of the early direct hits. The base was under the command of Air Force Colonel Farley Peebles.
If not for the work of the United States Air Force
377th Security Police Squadron in the early hours of the attack the entire base may have been in danger. Four USAF Security Policemen lost their lives at Bunker 051; those four and two other Combat Security Police members received the Silver Star
for their valor. The Security Police, despite being outnumbered, with help from the United States Army
Helicopter and ground units, killed nearly 1,000 enemy combatants. The base was secured by American and ARVN/VNAF forces by 12 noon on 31 January 1968.
Over the next three weeks, the VNAF flew over 1,300 strike sorties, bombing and strafing communist positions throughout South Vietnam
. Transport aircraft from Tan Son Nhat's 33d Wing dropped almost 15,000 flares
in 12 nights, compared with a normal monthly average of 10,000. Observation aircraft also from Tan Son Nhat completed almost 700 reconnaissance sorties, with VNAF pilots flying O-1 Bird Dogs and U-17 Skywagons
.
In 1970, with American units leaving the country, the VNAF transport fleet was greatly increased at Tan Son Nhat. The VNAF 33d and 53d Tactical Wings were established flying Fairchild C-123 Providers
, C-47s and De Havilland C-7A Caribous
.
By November 1970, the South Vietnamese Air Force took total control of the Direct Air Support Center
(DASCS) at Bien Hoa Air Base
, Da Nang Air Base
and Pleiku Air Base
.
At the end of 1971, the VNAF were totally in control of command and control units at eight major air bases, supporting ARVN units for the expanded air-ground operations system. In September 1971, the USAF transferred two Fairchild C-119
squadrons to the VNAF at Tan Son Nhut.
In 1972, the buildup of the VNAF at Tan Son Nhat was expanded when two Lockheed C-130 Hercules
squadrons were formed there. In December, the first VNAF C-130 training facility was established at Tan Son Nhat, enabling the South Vietnamese to train its own Hercules pilots. As more C-130s were transferred to the VNAF, older C-123s were returned to the USAF for disposal.
As the buildup of the VNAF continued, the success of the Vietnamization program was evident during the 1972 Spring Offensive. Responding to the communist attack, the VNAF flew more than 20,000 strike sorties which helped to stem the communist advance. In the first month of the offensive, transports from Tan Son Nhut ferried thousands of troops and delivered nearly 4,000 tons of supplies throughout the country.
The spring offensive also resulted in additional deliveries of aircraft to the VNAF under Project Enhance. New VNAF units came about with the introduction of Fairchild C-119K gunships at Tan Son Nhut, along with Boeing CH-47
helicopters, along with additional C-130 transports and numerous O-1 and O-2 observation aircraft.
Also, fighter aircraft arrived at Tan Son Nhat for the first time in the Northrup F-5A/B Freedom Fighter
and the F-5E Tiger II. The F-5s were subsequently transferred to Bien Hoa
and Da Nang Air Base
s.
of 1973 brought an end to the United States
advisory capacity in South Vietnam. In its place, as part of the agreement, the Americans retained a Defense Attache Office (DAO) at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, with small field offices at other facilities around the country. The technical assistance provided by the personnel of the DAOs and by civilian contractors was essential to the VNAF, however, because of the cease-fire agreement, the South Vietnamese could not be advised in any way on military operations, tactics or techniques of employment.
It was through the DAO that the American/South Vietnamese relationship was maintained, and it was primarily from this source that information from within South Vietnam was obtained. The VNAF provided statistics with regards to the military capability of their units to the DAO, however the accuracy of this information was not always reliable.
From the Spring Offensive of 1972, it was clear that without United States aid, especially air support, the ARVN would not be able to defend itself against continuing communist attacks. This was demonstrated at the fighting around Pleiku
, An Loc
and Quang Tri
where the ARVN would have been defeated without continuous air support, mainly supplied by the USAF.
The ARVN relied heavily on air support, and with the absence of the USAF, the full responsibility fell on the VNAF. Although equipped with large numbers of A-37
and F-5 attack aircraft, to conduct effective close air support operations, during the 1972 offensive the USAF relied on the heavier McDonnell Douglas
F-4 Phantom II
supporting ARVN forces dealing with those targets.
Numerous violations of the Paris Peace Accords were committed by communists beginning almost as soon as the United States withdrew its last personnel from South Vietnam by the end of March 1973.
The North Vietnamese and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam continued their attempt to overthrow President Thieu and remove the U.S. supported government. North Vietnamese military forces broke the treaty, conquered and subjugated the people of South Vietnam to the communist yolk in their Ho Chi Minh Campaign
.
The U.S. had promised Thieu that it would use airpower to support his government. On January 14, 1975 Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger stated that the U.S. was not living up to its promise that it would retaliate in the event North Vietnam tried to overwhelm South Vietnam.
When North Vietnam invaded in March 1975, the promised American intervention never materialized. Richard Nixon
was no longer President. Watergate proved to be but one in a succession of scandals that undermined support for further involvement in Southeast Asia
. Revelation of the My Lai massacre
, in which American soldiers had murdered unarmed civilians suspected of aiding the Communists, raised questions about the morality of the war. Publication of The Pentagon Papers
, essentially a documentary history of the American decision-making while Robert McNamara
was Secretary of Defense, revealed imprecise thinking and a succession of flawed judgments. The secret bombing of Cambodia
came to light, as did a series of unauthorized aerial attacks on North Vietnam
prior to the 1972 invasion. Reports of drug use by service personnel in Southeast Asia‹and rumors that South Vietnamese officials profited from dealing in drugs‹also helped turn the American public against the Saigon leadership.
Congress reflected the popular mood, halting the bombing in Cambodia effective July 15, 1973, and reducing aid to South Vietnam. Since Thieu intended to fight the same kind of war he always had, with lavish use of firepower, the cuts in aid proved especially damaging.
realized the time was right to achieve its goal of re-uniting Vietnam under communist rule, launched a series of small ground attacks to test U.S. reaction.
On 8 January the North Vietnamese Politburo ordered a major People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) offensive to "liberate" South Vietnam by NVA cross-border invasion. The NVA general staff plan for the invasion of South Vietnam called for 20 divisions, because, by 1975, the Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese Army was the fifth largest in the world. It anticipated a two year struggle for victory.
By 14 March, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu
decided to abandon the Central Highlands region and two northern provinces of South Vietnam and ordered a general withdrawal of ARVN forces from those areas. Instead of an orderly withdrawal, it turned into a general retreat, with masses of military and civilians fleeing, clogging roads and creating chaos.
On 30 March 100,000 South Vietnamese soldiers surrendered after being abandoned by their commanding officers. The large coastal cities of Da Nang
, Qui Nhon
, Tuy Hoa
and Nha Trang
were abandoned by the South Vietnamese, yielding the entire northern half of South Vietnam to the North Vietnamese.
As the war in South Vietnam entered its conclusion, the pilots of the VNAF flew sortie after sortie, supporting the retreating South Vietnamese Army after it abandoned Cam Ranh Bay
on 14 April. For two days after the ARVN left the area, the Wing Commander at Phan Rang Air Base
fought on with the forces under his command. Airborne troops were sent in for one last attempt to hold the airfield, but the defenders were finally overrun on 16 April and Phan Rang Air Base was lost.
The last of the 2d Air Division abandoned the airfield with the remaining flyable airplanes, leaving four A C-119s
which had flown in from Da Nang and two A-37s
to the North Vietnamese.
On 22 April Xuan Loc fell to the communists after a two week battle with South Vietnam's 18th Army Division which inflicted over 5000 NVA casualties and delayed the Ho Chi Minh Campaign for two weeks. With the fall of Xuan Loc and the capture of Bien Hoa Air Base
in late April 1975 it was clear that South Vietnam
was about to fall to the North Vietnamese Army.
At dusk on 28 April, three captured A-37s, flown from the former VNAF Phan Rang Air Base
bombed Tan Son Nhat destroying a number of aircraft on the flight line. There are conflicting stories about who was actually flying these aircraft. One source insists they were VNAF pilots who were communists, another says they were VNAF pilots who were forced to fly the mission in return for the safety of their families, and NVA General Van Tien Dung claimed the A-37s were flown by North Vietnamese Air Force pilots.
Whatever the case, the A-37s escaped. despite being pursued by several VNAF F-5s. Although the physical damage to Ton Son Nhut was not extensive, the threat of further air strikes eliminated Ton Son Nhut AB for fixed-wing evacuation flights, further lowering what little morale remained in the capital.
Saigon was now surrounded by thirteen NVA divisions and most Vietnamese realized it was only a matter of time until the entire country was in communist hands. On 29 April President
Gerald Ford
ordered Operation Frequent Wind
, the helicopter evacuation of Saigon.
Vietnamese pilots now began flying themselves and their families out of the country in anything that could get off the ground. Some headed for the American rescue fleet just off the coast, while others flew to Thailand
.
On 30 April the last desperate combat sorties flown by the VNAF were carried out in defense of Tan Son Nhut. An AC-119
Shadow gunship, which had spent the night defending the base perimeter, landed for fuel and ammunition. After refueling and rearming, the Shadow took off again. The gunship orbited the air base firing on advancing NVA troops and was soon joined by a pair of A-1s. The Skyraiders made repeated runs over NVA positions until NVA gunners downed one with a SA-7
. The second A-1 pilot continued his attacks until his fuel and ordnance were used up. All the while, the AC-119 kept its fire directed on advancing enemy forces.
About 7 a.m. the Shadow's luck ran out. Another SA-7 scored a direct hit and the AC-119 fell in flames. Three crewmen managed to bail out, but one chute became entangled in the flaming debris and carried its wearer to a flaming death.
In the final evacuation, over a hundred VNAF aircraft arrived in Thailand, including twenty-six F-5s, eight A-37s
. eleven A-1s
, six C-130s
. thirteen C-47s
, five C-7s
, and three AC-119s
. Additionally close to 100 VNAF helicopters landed on U.S. ships off the coast, although at least half were jettisoned. One O-1
managed to land on the USS Midway (CV-41)
, carrying a South Vietnamese major, his wife, and five children. On 30 April 1975, Saigon fell and all remaining South Vietnamese forces were ordered to surrender.
For the VNAF thirty-five long years of war had come to an end. Following the war, Tan Son Nhut Air Base was taken over as a base for the Vietnam People's Air Force
.
During the Vietnam War
(or Second Indochina War), Tan Son Nhut Air Base (then using the alternative spelling Tân Sơn Nhứt) was an important facility for both the US Air Force and the (VNAF). Tan Son Nhut Air Base served as the focal point for the initial United States Air Force deployment and buildup in South Vietnam in the early 1960s. After 1966, with the establishment of the 7th Air Force as the main USAF Command and Control Headquarters in South Vietnam, Tan Son Nhut functioned as a Headquarters base, a Tactical Reconnaissance base, and as a Special Operations base, focusing on areal defoliation (Operation Ranch Hand
). With the drawdown of US forces in South Vietnam after 1971, the base took on a myriad of organizations transferred from deactivated bases in the country.
Between 1968 and 1974, Tan Son Nhut Airport was one of the busiest military airbases in the world. During the last days of South Vietnam, Pan Am schedules from 1973 showed Boeing 747
service was being operated four times a week to San Francisco via Guam and Manila. Continental Airlines
operated up to 30 Boeing 707
military charters per week to and from Tan Son Nhut Airport during the 1968-74 period.
It was from Tan Son Nhut Air Base that the last U.S. Airman left South Vietnam in March, 1973. The Air Force Post Office (APO) for Tan Son Nhut Air Base was APO San Francisco, 96307.
In September 1961, the first permanent United States Air Force
(USAF) unit, the 507th Tactical Control Group from Shaw Air Force Base
South Carolina
deployed sixty-seven officers and airmen to Tan Son Nhat to install radars and began monitoring air traffic and training of South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) personnel to operate and service the equipment. This organization formed the nucleus of what became a tactical air control system for a vast fleet of South Vietnamese and American aircraft.
, arrived at Tan Son Nhut and joined the combat reporting post, with the reconnaissance craft flying photographic missions over South Vietnam
and Laos
within a few days of their arrival.
The RF-101C was the only Voodoo version to serve in Vietnam. The 67th TRW was soon followed by detachments of the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa, which also flew RF-101 reconnaissance missions over Laos and South Vietnam, first from bases in Thailand
and then from South Vietnam. These reconnaissance missions lasted from November 1961 through the spring of 1964.
RF-101Cs flew pathfinder missions for F-100s in the first USAF strike against North Vietnam
on February 8, 1965. They initially operated out of South Vietnam
, but later flew most of their missions over North Vietnam out of Takhli RTAFB, Thailand. Bombing missions against the North required a large amount of photographic reconnaissance support, and by the end of 1967, all but one of the Tactical Air Command
RF-101C squadrons were deployed to Southeast Asia.
The reconnaissance Voodoos at Ton Son Nuht were incorporated into the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in February 1966. 33 RF-101Cs were lost in combat in Southeast Asia--24 to Anti-aircraft artillery and small arms fire, 5 to Surface-to-air missile
s, one to a MiG-21, one in a sapper attack on its base at Tan Son Nhut AB, and two to unknown causes. Six were lost in operational (non-combat related) accidents while serving in Southeast Asia. More than 30 RF-101Cs were lost in accidents during their early years of service, mainly due to pilot inexperience.
The last 45th TRS RF-101C left Tan Son Nhut on November 16, 1970, bringing the era of Voodoo participation in the Southeast Asia War to an end.
to to provide tactical airlift support for South Vietnam's hard-pressed ground troops. Called "Mule Train", its primary purpose was to give the ground forces an assault capability via airdrop or insertion. Yet the unit also saw a great need for logistic support entailing daily delivery of supplies to remote sites in Vietnam.
On 13 November 1961, President Kennedy approved a recommendation to increase the mobility of South Vietnam's hard-pressed military. The White House authorized the Air Force to deploy a squadron of Air Force C-123 Providers and 40 Army H-21 Shawnee helicopters to assist South Vietnam's forces. On Dec. 6, the Defense Department ordered the 346th Troop Carrier Squadron (Assault) to the Far East for 120 days TDY "to participate in a classified training mission" in the official jargon of the day. A second Mule Train squadron, the 777th Troop Carrier Squadron
(Assault), arrived in South Vietnam on June 15, 1962. Eventually, both squadrons were placed under the 315th Air Commando Wing.
Most sources fix Jan. 2, 1962, as the date that the initial group of aircraft arrived at Tan Son Nhut AB in South Vietnam. All of the initial Mule Train missions were dedicated to carrying cargo. One-hundred-kilo sacks of rice were a major item, and at least one pilot over-grossed his aircraft by figuring them in at 100 pounds. The most typical commodities were live ducks, chickens, pigs, and cows, packed in locally made pens of wood and, when necessary, parachuted into the outlying camps. Mule Train aircraft also transported many Vietnamese natives. On more than one occasion, a Mule Train crew would smell smoke in the aircraft and find a traveler cooking food in the aircraft's cargo compartment.
There was no pretense that this was a South Vietnamese cargo operation, nor was there any training of Vietnamese for the task. Vietnamese were employed as "kickers" to move the cargo out the rear on re-supply drop. Fortunately, the C-123 was a relatively simple and rugged aircraft. Its systems could take the heat and humidity of Vietnam better than more sophisticated aircraft. Tough landing gear and glider-strong fuselage could take the rough landings on short airfields, where stopping depended upon a slow approach, touching down on the edge of the airstrip, then full reverse and a steady, heavy foot on the anti-skid brakes.
Soon, the Mule Train route structure became linked to the hard-surface runways at Da Nang, Tan Son Nhut, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa, Pleiku, Ban Me Thuot, Hue, Da Lat, Soc Trang, Qui Nhon, and Vung Tau. Virtually every Mule Train sortie began or ended at one of these airfields, but intermediate stops could be anywhere.
Two C-123 aircraft were maintained at Da Nang to support northern outposts. The Mule Train crews were experienced in assault work, but they had to improvise for conditions in Vietnam. It was difficult to decide exactly where to drop paratroops over the rough terrain, and much depended upon the map-reading ability of the crew.
The die was cast on June 28, 1962, when 16 C-123s and 12 South Vietnamese C-47s dropped paratroops under adverse weather conditions about 35 miles north of Saigon. The operation went off well despite a 500-foot ceiling.
On other occasions, the C-123s would load up troops from the South Vietnamese airborne brigade in Saigon to fly to the relief of a village that had come under attack. Over the village, the C-123 pilot would reduce power, drop flaps, and spiral down to the drop altitude and give the paratroopers a green light to jump.
At times, C-123 crews were uncomfortable with the assault role. South Vietnamese Special Forces were sometimes capricious about when and where they would fight. Straight cargo operations were hazardous enough, especially during the monsoon season when South Vietnamese troops were socked in in the mountainous valleys. To execute the mission, the C-123s would line up in a proper direction, let down in the undercast, and if they did not break out by a given altitude, would climb back up. There were usually 800-foot ceilings in the valleys, and most of the time they broke out.
Mule Train missions during 1962 became extremely diverse, with the C-123s serving in roles ranging from duck delivery to napalm bombing. In the latter role, the Provider carried nine wooden pallets, each holding three 55-gallon drums of napalm mixed with gasoline. With a good kicker, the load could go out the back ramp in less than five seconds and leave a pattern of flame 1,200 feet long.
In October 1962, there began what became known as the Southeast Asia Airlift System. Requirements were forecast out to 25 days, and these requirements were matched against available resources. The 315th Troop Carrier Group and 8th Aerial Port Squadron came into being and set the stage for tighter control of airlift operations. The era of the Mule Train operation was over. It left behind a record of success and a collection of procedures and techniques for cargo work in Southeast Asia.
Additional USAF personnel arrived at Tan Son Nhat in early 1962 after the VNAF transferred two dozen seasoned pilots from the 1st Transportation Group at Tan Son Nhat to provide aircrews for the newly activated 2nd Fighter Squadron then undergoing training at Bien Hoa Air Base
. This sudden loss of qualified C-47 pilots brought the 1st Transportation Group's airlift capability dangerously low.
In order to alleviate the problem, United States Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara
, on the recommendation of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
(MAAG) Vietnam, ordered thirty USAF pilots temporarily assigned to the VNAF to serve as C-47 co-pilots. This influx of U.S. personnel quickly returned the 1st TG to full strength.
The Americans arrived at Tan Son Nhat during March and April 1962 and immediately began flying with Vietnamese crews. Unfortunately, problems arose between the Americans and Vietnamese and by August the situation had so deteriorated that the 1st Transportation Group commander. Nguyen Cao Ky
urgently appealed for closer cooperation and understanding between the two groups. The situation seemed to gradually improve and although there were still problems, the two groups developed a closer working relationship.
Unlike the USAF Farm Gate personnel at Bien Hoa Air Base
, the C-47 co-pilots actually became part of the VNAF operational structure - though still under U.S. control. Because of their rather unusual situation, these pilots soon adopted the very unofficial nickname, The Dirty Thirty.
In a sense they were the first U.S. airmen actually committed to combat in Vietnam, rather than being assigned as advisors or support personnel.
The original Dirty Thirty pilots eventually rotated home during early 1963 and were replaced by a second contingent of American pilots. This detachment remained with the VNAF until December 1963 when they were withdrawn from Vietnam.
s, U-3Bs
, VC-47
, and VC-123z
.
Its mission was to maintain and operate base support facilities at Tan Son Nhat, supporting the 2d Air Division and subordinate units by performing reconnaissance of Vietnam from various detachments flying RB-26 Invaders
, RB-57 Canberras
, and RF-101 Voodoo aircraft.
The early months of 1964 were a time of expansion, training, and comparative quiet. By midyear, the South Vietnamese Air Force had grown to thirteen squadrons; four fighter, four observation, three helicopter, and two C-47 transport. The South Vietnamese followed the practice of the U.S. Air Force, organizing the squadrons into wings, with one wing located in each of the four corps tactical zones at Can Tho Air Base, Tan Son Nhat Air Base, Pleiku Air Base
, and Da Nang Air Base
After the Tonkin Gulf incident, the USAF response was to deploy twelve F-102 Delta Dagger
air defense interceptor aircraft, their number divided between Tan Son Nhat and at Da Nang Air Base
. In addition, eight F-100 Super Sabre
s joined the F-102s at Da Nang, and two squadrons of B-57 Canberra
light bombers landed at Bien Hoa Air Base.
General Dynamics was chosen to make modifications to the B-57E as it had extensive experience in modifying Canberras with the RB-57D and RB-57F projects and turning the B-57 into a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft equipped with various electronic and imagery equipment. The forward nose section of the B-57Es were modified to house a KA-1 36-inch forward oblique camera and a low panoramic KA-56 camera used on the Lockheed U-2. Mounted inside the specially-configured bomb bay door was a KA-1 vertical camera, a K-477 split vertical day-night camera, an infrared scanner, and a KA-1 left oblique camera. The modified aircraft were redesignated RB-57E.
The 2d Air Division was desperate for tactical intelligence and on arrival the pilots that ferried in the RB-57Es were immediately assigned to the Division as combat crews and briefed on missions by Divisional intelligence officers on the reconnaissance flights they would make.
BThe first mission was flown on 7 May 1963 by the highly-classified Patricia Lynn squadron (Detachment 1, 33rd Tactical Group, later 6250th Combat Support Group, later 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing) operating from Tan Son Nhut AB. The Detachment flew nighttime reconnaissance missions to identify VC base camps, small arms factories, and storage and training areas. The sorties yielded results that heretofore only had been wished for.
The nighttime imagery showed Communist training and base camps; small, hidden factories and storage dumps that RF-101 crews had flown over during the day and had been unable to locate from the air. The existing RF-101s in 1963 could only photograph a few kilometers (they had to fly very low) per flight with their cameras. The RB-57Es could image the whole border with Cambodia in 2 1/2 flights at 16,000 to 17,000 feet with superior results.
From then on, the Patricia Lynn crews both night and day missions over South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and areas of North Vietnam until 1971, being some of the last USAF tactical aircraft to be withdrawn from the country. The RB-57Es carried the call-sign "Moonglow". Some missions were flown at low-level over single targets, others consisted of 4-6 specific targets. At night RB-57Es flew the canals and rivers in the Mekong Delta and southern part of South Vietnam. The sampans were easy to spot with the “real time” IR if the crew could keep over the canal which was difficult in the darkness.
The United States began Operation Steel Tiger over the Laos
Panhandle and the DMZ on April 3, 1965, to locate and destroy enemy forces and materiel being moved southward at night into South Vietnam, and to fly bomb damage assessment reconnaissance runs over targets attacked in the secret war in which the United States was engaged there. These flights teamed with B-57B bombers operating out of Bien Hoa AB and a C-130 flare ship. Three more aircraft were subsequently modified in 1964/65 bringing the number of aircraft to five.
Two RB-57Es were lost in combat operations. The first (S/N 55-4243) was lost as a result of a fuselage fire caused by small arms while on a low level reconnaissance mission in August 1965. The crew ejected safely when near Tan Son Nhut Air Base. The second aircraft (S/N 55-4264) was lost on Oct. 15, 1968, after an engine fire started by ground fire forced the crew to eject.
A sixth Patricia Lynn aircraft (55-4257) joined the team in 1968, as a replacement for the combat losses. This aircraft had a Terrain Following Radar designed to allow the aircraft to fly at a constant altitude, which would, in theory, produce better reconnaissance photos. Unfortunately, the aircraft flew so low (500-1000 feet) that the infrared film was used up before the entire assessment area could be photographed.
A 1968 update, under the COMPASS EAGLE program, gave the back-seater a video display to monitor the IR scanner system. This allowed the crew to call in strikes on targets in real time, instead of having to return to base to get imagery developed, by which time the enemy would have likely moved on
There were frequent changes and updating of the equipment, including the installation of 12-inch focal length KA-82 and 24-inch focal length KA-83 cameras. The infrared equipment was useful in spotting Viet Cong river traffic at night along the Mekong delta southeast of Saigon.
In 1969/70, Patricia Lynn missions were flown into Laos and into Cambodia
including Barrel Roll strikes in 1969. The Patricia Lynn operation was terminated in mid-1971 with the inactivation of the 460th TRW and the four surviving aircraft returned to the United States.
Known RB-57E Patricia Lynn aircraft were:
The 505th Tactical Air Control Group was assigned to Tan Son Nhat on 8 April 1964. The Unit was primarily responsible for controlling the tactical air resources of the US and its allies in South Vietnam
, Thailand
, and to some extent Cambodia
and Laos
. Carrying out the mission of providing tactical air support required two major components, radar installations and forward air controllers (FAC's).
The radar sites provided flight separation for attack and transport aircraft which took the form of flight following and, in some cases control by USAF Weapons Directors. Forward Air Controllers had the critical job of telling tactical fighters where to drop their ordinance. FAC's were generally attached to either US Army or ARVN (Army of Vietnam) units and served both on the ground and in the air.
Squadrons of the 505th were located as follows:
The TASS units flew either the O-1G Birddog, O-2 Skymaster, or OV-10 Bronco.
Maintenance support was provided by the 505th Tactical Control Maintenance Squadron first based at Tan Son Nhut and later at Bien Hoa Air Base
The 619th Tactical Control Squadron was responsible from the Mekong Delta
to Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands from 8 Apr 1964-15 Mar 1973. During this period its primary mission was to operate and maintain air control management center capable of operating 24 hours a day in order to control air traffic and operate direction finding equipment. Detachments of the 619th TASS were located as follows:
to the brink of bombing North Vietnam
. The Johnson administration's
reluctance to directly engage North Vietnam ended on 7 February 1965, when the Viet Cong attacked an American detachment near Pleiku
, killing eight and wounding 104 American soldiers.
President Johnson approved Operation Rolling Thunder
, a limited and carefully paced program of air strikes that more closely resembled the graduated response to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
than the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
for a vigorous and extensive bombardment. Despite the reliance on gradual escalation, the Johnson administration struck directly at North Vietnam in an attempt to save South Vietnam unilaterally, regardless of the weakness or incompetence of the military government in Saigon, abandoning a policy of partnership with the South Vietnamese that worked toward political stability and economic progress as conditions leading to a military victory in the South.
The United States Air Force
now had four distinct air wars on the mainland of Southeast Asia
, as the offensive against North Vietnam took its place alongside the attacks in South Vietnam and in northern and southern Laos
. In 1965, United States Air Force was not fully equipped, suitably trained, nor doctrinally prepared for the situation in Southeast Asia. The transition from massive retaliation to flexible response and the shift from nuclear to conventional weapons remained incomplete.
As part of the Operation Rolling Thunder buildup, several Tactical Air Command
F-100 Super Sabre
squadrons wee deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base:
The 481st was deployed on temporary duty from the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, Cannon AFB, New Mexico. The 416th was a PACAF 31st Air Division squadron that was moved to TSN from Bien Hoa AB. The 418at returned to the United States; the 416th returned to Bien Hoa.
Starting with the buildup in 1965, the Air Force, while continuing to conduct the four air wars, adjusted its structure in Southeast Asia to absorb incoming units. Temporarily deployed squadrons became permanent in November. A wing structure replaced the groups. On 8 July 1965, the 33d Tactical Group was redesignated the 6250th Combat Support Group.
Headquarters and the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV).
When it stood up, the 460th TRW, alone, was responsible for the entire reconnaissance mission, both visual and electronic reconnaissance, throughout the Southeast Asia (SEA) area of responsibility. On 18 February 1966 the 460th TRW began with 74 aircraft of various types. By the end of June 1966, that number climbed to over 200 aircraft. When the 460th TRW stood up, the Wing gained several flying units
On 15 October 1966, the 460th TRW assumed host wing responsibilities for Tan Son Nhut Air Base, to include being responsible for all depot-level aircraft maintenance responsibility for all USAF organizations in South Vietnam. In addition to the reconnaissance operations, the 460th TFW's base flight operated in-theater transport service for Seventh Air Force and other senior commanders throughout South Vietnam. The base flight operated T-39A Saberliners, VC-123B Providers (also known as the "White Whale"), and Cessna U-3Bs between 1967-1971.
RF-4C Phantom II
RB-66C Destroyer
During the end of 1966, the 460th TRW and its responsibilities changed. First, on 18 September 1966, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was activated at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
, Thailand. After the 432d TRW activated it
took control of the reconnaissance squadrons in Thailand. With the activation of the 432d TRW, the 460th TRW was no longer responsible for all air reconnaissance missions throughout the SEA area of responsibility. However, the 460th TRW provided the new 432d TRW with continued support in recovering RF-101 and RF-4C aircraft returning from high priority, high interest target missions.
In addition to all of its main missions, the 460 TRW took part in several additional operations, either directly or through supporting it. During their time in SEA both the 12th and 16th TRSs supported Operation “Arc Light” by flying bomb damage assessment missions. Additionally, these two squadron flew "Operation Search" missions that found some of the targets for “Arc Light”.
To help military leaders at all levels better understand the topography of sections of the DMZ and Laos
, on 20 October
1967, the RF-101Cs of the 45 TRS began flying aerial mapping missions as part of Project “Muscle Shoals” This program morphed into Project “Igloo White” which also included ground sensors and B-66 electronic warfare aircraft as well as the RF-101Cs. Ignoo White continued until the United States withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1972.
Project Niagara: On the morning of 21 January 1968 regular forces of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces attacked the US Marine strategic bases at and around Khe Sanh
. Immediately, the 460th TRW began Project “Niagara” to locate enemy troops and equipment surrounding Khe Sanh. The efforts of the 460th TRW directly contributed to the effectiveness of the most intensive bombing campaign of the conflict, to include the first use of B-52s as tactical bombers sometimes dropping their bombs with 100 yards of the base. Khe Sanh held out because of this intensive bombing and aerial resupply. Relief forces reached the besieged base during the first week of April. At that time “Niagara” changed to “Pegasus” and continued for three more weeks as US forces regained control of the area around Khe Sanh.
Project Grand Canyon: The A Shau Valley
, is a 22-mile long valley located 6 miles from the Laos
border close to the former De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) which separated North and South Vietnam between 1954 and 1976. The valley became a North Vietnamese Army staging area and was one of the main routes for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
to funnel troops and supplies towards Hue
and Da Nang
. Also there were three abandoned airfields and a deserted South Vietnamese Special Forces camp in the valley. On 10 April 1968 the United States Army
1st Air Cavalry Division began Operation “Delaware.” To support this the 460th TRW began Program “Grand Canyon” to locate enemy positions, particularly the
anti-aircraft batteries making up one of the most complex interlocking defensives in South Vietnam. The 29 day
operation was successful in clearing out the 5,000 to 6,000 enemy forces, at least for a time.
EC-47 Skyktrain
Project “Hawkeye”: This mission came about as a better and safer way to conduct radio direction finding (RDF), whose main target during the Vietnam conflict were Viet Cong radio transmitters. Before this program RDF involved tracking the signals on the ground. Because this exposed the RDF team to ambushes, both the US Army and USAF began to look at airborne RDF. After some initial problems, “Hawkeye” was born. While the US Army used U-6 Beaver and U-8 Seminole aircraft for its own version of the “Hawkeye” platform, the USAF modified several C-47 Skytrains/Dakota. These were one of the main workhorse during World War II and the USAF had a great many of them in its inventory
Project “Phyllis Ann”: Also used modified C-47s. However, the C-47s for this program were highly modified with a great deal of advanced, for its time, navigational and reconnaissance equipment. In essence the “Hawkeye” and “Phyllis Ann” missions were the same. The real difference was that the “Phyllis Ann” aircraft were more sophisticated. On 4 April 1967, project “Phyllis Ann” changed to become “Compass Dart”. A year later, on 1 April 1968, “Compass Dart” became “Combat Cougar”. Because of security concerns the operation’s name changed two more times first to “Combat Cross”, and then to “Commando Forge”.
"Project “Drillpress”: Used modified C-47s, their mission was a little different. Whereas, “Hawkeye” and “Phyllis Ann” tracked Viet Cong radio traffic to find the enemy and track their movements, “Drillpress” listened into that traffic and collected intelligence from it. This data gave insights into the plans and strategy of both the Viet Cong and the North Vietnam military. Information from all three projects contributed in a major way to the intelligence picture of the battlefield in Vietnam. In fact about 95 percent of the B-52 Stratofortress
Arc Light
strikes conducted in South Vietnam were based, at least partially, on the data from these three programs. On 6 October 1967, “Drillpress” changed to “Sentinel Sara”.
Lam Son 719: On 8 February 1971 units from the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) launched Operation “Lam Son 719” into the southeastern panhandle of Laos
. This operation called for ARVN troops to drive west from Khe Sanh
, cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail
, seize Tchepone in Laos and, after destroying North Vietnamese Army forces and supplies, then return to South Vietnam. While ARVN provided and commanded the ground forces entering Laos, US Army and Air Force units furnished aviation airlift and supporting firepower. Part of that support came from 460th TRW units like
the 362th TEWS and its EC-47s, and the 460th TRW Det 1’s "Patricia Lynn" RB-57Es. The ability to track enemy units electronically and through reconnaissance photos was a major factor in the operations military success. After heavy losses, the ARVN returned to South Vietnam on 9 April 1971.
Because these three squadrons flew the modified C-47 Skytrains, and many of the squadron personnel were World War II
veterans, squadron personnel affably dubbed their squadrons “Antique Airlines.” Even though these aircraft were considered vintage, the equipment inside was not and the US would go to great lengths to prevent this equipment from falling into enemy hands, As an example, when one EC-47 from the 362d TEWS crashed on 22 April 1970, members of an explosive ordnance unit policed the area destroying anything they found and six F-100 tactical air sorties hit the area to be sure. Detachments of these squadrons operated from different locations, including bases in Thailand. Each of the main squadrons and their detachments moved at least once due to operational and/or security reasons. Personnel operating the RDF and signal intelligence equipment in the back of the modified EC-47s were part of the 6994th Security Squadron (SS).
n military against the North Vietnam and Viet Cong forces, as well as support to US units operating inside Cambodia.
As the Vietnamization Improvement and Moderization Program began, Vietnamese crews began flying with EC-47 crews from the 360th TEWS and 6994th SS, on 8 May 1971, to get training on operating the aircraft and its systems. The wing was inactivated in-place on 31 August 1971. Decorations awarded to the wing for its Vietnam War
service include:
Until the last half of 1966 the tactical airlift organization in Vietnam remained a temporary structure. The PACAF 315th Air Division
, based at Tachikawa AB, Japan, exercised command of airlift resources in South Vietnam through the 315th Air Corrrnando Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. However, the Army Military Assistance Conmand (MACV) controlled airlift through the Air Force component of the MACV joint staff, the 2d Air Division. This dual structure of command and control was complex and cumbersome.
The 315th Air Commando Group, (Troop Carrier) was activated at Tan Son Nhut AB on 8 December 1962 and became responsible for all in-country airlift in the Republic of Vietnam, including control over all USAF airlift assets, aerial port squadrons, an aeromedical evacuation squadron, and a special air transport flight of the Royal Australian Air Force. It was re-designated the 315th Air Commando Wing on 8 March 1966.
Squadrons of the 315th ACW/TC were:
The unit also performed C-123 airlift operations in Vietnam. Operations included aerial movement of troops and cargo, flare drops, aeromedical evacuation, and air-drops of critical supplies and paratroops.
Defoliant operations missions. South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem requested USAF help to remove enemy cover. The USAF's Special Aerial Spray Flight was already using C-123s in the U.S. to control mosquitoes. After some modifications to the aircraft (which included adding armor for the crew), C-123B Provider aircraft arrived in Southeast Asia in January 1962 under the code name "Ranch Hand".
Flying specially-equipped C-123 Providers, members of the squadron flew low and slow to reduce the risks to our soldiers on the ground and to expose the enemy. Ranch Hand never had more than five C-123Bs. Sometimes these aircraft had their spray equipment removed to conduct regular airlift flights, and it appeared that the defoliation mission might be eliminated altogether. With the increased U.S. commitment in South Vietnam in 1964 and 1965, however, requests for defoliation soared.
Ranch Hand grew into an essential part of the war effort, with over six million acres sprayed in South Vietnam between 1965 and 1969. Beginning in 1965 with only four aircraft, by the middle of 1969 Ranch Hand had about 25 UC-123 aircraft available for missions. On 15 October 1966, Ranch Hand became the mission of the 12th Air Commando Squadron.
In 1965 Ranch Hand began using a very effective defoliant called Agent Orange
, and the range of targets grew considerably. The Agent Orange controversy later became both a political and veterans' issue. Operation Sherwood Forest sprayed the key Viet Cong-controlled Boi Loi Woods northwest of Saigon, and Operation Swamp Fox targeted the mangrove forests used by the communist for shelter in the Mekong Delta. Late in the year, operations extended into the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. A flood of defoliation requests came in, and the small number of crews flew constantly.
The defoliation of vital enemy strongholds, transportation routes, and crops forced the communists to vigorously defend against the spraying. Ranch Hand aircraft regularly received damage on missions -- considering their low altitude, low speed and large size, they were easy to hit. Ranch Hand maintainers worked constantly to repair the damage and get their UC-123s ready for the next mission. In addition to engines and flight controls shot out, and several crewmen wounded and killed, Ranch Hand lost five UC-123s in combat between 1966 and 1968.
In February 1967, Ranch Hand was ordered for the first time to fly missions over the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Vietnam. These missions helped uncover infiltration routes from the north and expose stockpiles of supplies hidden in the DMZ. By June, 1967, the number of UC-123s had increased to 20.
During the Tet Offensive in early 1968, spraying operations were temporarily halted in favor of airlift missions. Between Feb. 5 and March 20, Ranch Hand UC-123s flew 2,866 airlift sorties.
The 315th ACW was transferred to Phan Rang Air Base
on 14 June 1967. With the Vietnamization drawdown in 1969, Ranch Hand was reduced from 25 to 13 aircraft. In 1970 Agent Orange was discontinued, and the existing stocks of Agent White ran out in May 1970. After the last anti-crop mission in January 1971, anti-mosquito spraying continued for a short time after, and then Ranch Hand ended.
Late in 1966 the division was reassigned without personnel or equipment, to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, to join Pacific Air Forces Seventh Air Force
, providing an intermediate command and control organization and also act as host unit for the USAF forces at Tan Son Nhut Air Base..
The 834th AD was formed from the 315th Troop Carrier Group (Combat Cargo) and 8th Aerial Port Squadron of the former C-123 Provider "Mule Train" units, and the "Dirty Thirty" provisional transport units. Initially the 834th AD had a strength of twenty-seven officers and twenty-one airmen, all of whom were on permanent assignment to Tan Son Nhat.
The Air Division served as a single manager for all tactical airlift operations in South Vietnam, using air transport to haul cargo and troops, which were air-landed or air-dropped, as combat needs dictated through December 1971. The 834th Air Division became the largest tactical airlift force in the world. It was capable of performing a variety of missions. In addition to
airlift of cargo and personnel and VNAF training. its missions and activities included "Ranch Hand" defoliation and insecticide spraying, psychological leaflet distribution, helicopter landing zone preparation, airfield survey and the operation of aerial ports.
Units it directly controlled were:
The 834th AD also directed its crews to fly aeromedical evacuations missions within South Vietnam in support of the 903d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Phu Cat AB, using C-7 Caribus and C-118 Liftmasters operating from mobile casualty staging facilities at medical field stations having operating airfields.
In addition, the 834th supervised transport operations (primarily C-47's) of the South Vietnamese Air Force and six A-4 Wallaby transports operated by the Royal Australian Air Force
35 Squadron at Vung Tau Army Airfield
. The 834th's flying components also performed defoliation missions, propaganda leaflet drops, and other special missions.
C-123s from the Divisions's 311th Special Operations Squadron, (315th TAW) flew supplies into the surrounded Khe Sanh Combat Base
, Vietnam in 1968 in relief of Marines and Army units there. C-130s and C-7s also flew highly hazardous missions, dropping cargo on the dirt airstrip at the outpost. The 834th received the Presidential Unit Citation
recognizing their effort.
The Cambodian campaign was an incursion into Cambodia by United States and South Vietnamese armed forces in May and June 1970. The objective was to destroy fac11ities and supplies stored by the North Vietnamese within Cambodia. which the US had previously regarded as a sanctuary. The operation was supported heavily by tactical air strike and airlift forces. All three types of airlift aircraft (C-123, C-130, C-7) were employed by the 834th AD operating into 24 jungle airfields along the South Vietnam-Cambodian border, and airlifting more than 52.000 tons of supplies and equipment and 98,000 troops and passengers.
C-l30s airdropped ammunition and supplies to fire base personnel and Cambodian troops, and during the last week of June, C-7s and C-123s evacuated more than 3,000 Cambodian refugees from the
Cambodian airstrips of Bung Lung and Ba Kev
During its last few months, the 834th worked toward passing combat airlift control to Seventh Air Force. On 1 December 1971 the 834th AD inactivated as part of the USAF withdrawal of forces from Vietnam,
The 377th Air Base Wing
was responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the USAF portion of the facility from April 1966 until the last USAF personnel withdrew from South Vietnam
in March 1973.
In addition, the 377th ABW was responsible for housing numerous tenant organizations including Seventh Air Force, base defense, and liaison with South Vietnamese Air Force.
The 377th was also responsible for Binh Thuy Air Base
12 May-1 July 1970. In addition, the Wing operated a Combat Crew Training School at Phu Cat Air Base
, with C-7
aircraft, 15 March - October 1972.
Units assigned to the 377 ABW were:
From Phan Rang Air Base
:
From Cam Ranh Air Base
:
From Phan Rang Air Base
All of these units were administratively inactivated in place at Tan Son Nhut.
An operating location of the wing headquarters was established at Bien Hoa Air Base
on 14 April 1972 to provide turnaround service for F-4s
of other organizations, mostly based in Thailand
. It was replaced on 20 June 1972 by Detachment l of the 377th Wing headquarters, which continued the F-4 turnaround service and added A-7
for the deployed 354th Tactical Fighter Wing aircraft based at Korat RTAFB, Thailand on 30 October 1972. The detachment continued operations through 11 February 1973.
The 377th ABW phased down for inactivation during February and March 1973, transferring many assets to the South Vietnamese Air Force. Decorations awarded to the wing for its Vietnam service were:
When deactivated on 28 March 1973, the 377th Air Base Wing was the last USAF unit in South Vietnam.
Vietnam Air Force
The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
(VNAF) facility. It is located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
used it as a major base during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(1959–1975), stationing Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and Marine units there. Following the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
it was taken over as a Vietnam People's Air Force
Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force is the air force of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese Air Force and the absorbed Republic of Vietnam Air Force following the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975.-Beginning-1964 :The first Vietnamese aircraft were two trainers, a de Havilland...
(VPAF) facility and remains in active use today.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Tan Son Nhat International Airport is Vietnam's largest international airport in terms of area . It has a handling capacity of 15-17 million passengers per year, compared with the capacity of Hanoi - Noi Bai airport of 8 million passengers and Da Nang's 2 million passengers...
, (IATA: SGN, ICAO: VVTS) has been a major Vietnamese civil airport since the 1920s.
Early history
Tan Son Nhat Airport was built by the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the 1920s when the French Colonial government of Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
constructed a small unpaved airport, known as Tan Son Nhat Airfield in the village of Tan Son Nhat to serve as Saigon's commercial airport. Flights to and from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as within Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
were available prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
used Tan Son Nhat as a transport base. When Japan surrendered in August 1945 the French Air Force flew a contingent of 150 troops into Tan Son Nhut.
After World War II, Ton Son Nhut served domestic as well as international flights from Saigon. In 1952, the French Air Force moved the 312th Special Mission Squadron to TSN from Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, consisting of French Douglas C-47 Skytrains
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
and Beechcraft Model 18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
s for carrying cargo and military passengers to support French forces.
VNAF Use of Tan Son Nhut Air Base
On 1 July 1955 the Vietnamese Air Force
Vietnam Air Force
The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
(VNAF) was officially established as a separate and distinct military unit. The VNAF consisted of 58 aircraft and about 1,300 personnel. The French had made no effort to expand the SVNAF to a force able to defend South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. Aircraft consisted primarily of C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s, and Grumman F8F Bearcats
F8F Bearcat
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
. In May 1956, by agreement with the South Vietnamese government, the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
assumed some training and administrative roles of the VNAF. Teams from Clark Air Force Base began in 1957 to organize the VNAF into a model of the USAF when the French training contracts expired.
By 1960 Tan Son Nhat Air Base was growing with more and more VNAF aircraft arriving from the United States such as North American T-6 Texans
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
, Douglas A-1 Skyraiders
A-1 Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...
, Cessna L-19 (O-1) Bird Dogs
Cessna L-19 Bird Dog
The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog was a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army since the U.S. Army Air Forces separated from the Army in 1947, becoming its own branch of service, the U.S. Air Force. The Bird Dog had a...
, and Sikorsky H-19
H-19 Chickasaw
For other uses of "H19" see H19 .The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom...
Helicopters.
Starting in the early 1960s, the build-up of the VNAF caused air units to became very visible on the base. On 4 January 1964 the VNAF 3311th Wing was organized at Tan Son Nhut, and the number of air units grew rapidly. By the mid-1960s Tan Son Nhat Airport was reported as the busiest airport in the world, with a mix of air traffic that approached chaotic proportions.
Command and Control Center, use in coups
As the headquarters for the South Vietnamese Air Force, Tan Son Nhat was primarily a command base, with most operational units using nearby Bien Hoa Air BaseBien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
.
At Tan Son Nhat, the VNAF's system of command and control was developed over the years with assistance from the USAF. The system handled the flow of aircraft from take-off to target area, and return to the base it was launched from. This was known as the Tactical Air Control System (TACS), and it assured positive control of all areas where significant combat operations were performed. Without this system, it would not have been possible for the VNAF to deploy its forces effectively where needed.
The TACS was in close proximity to the headquarters of the VNAF and USAF forces in South Vietnam, and commanders of both Air Forces utilized its facilities. Subordinate to TACS was the Direct Air Support Center
Direct Air Support Center
The Direct Air Support Center is the principal United States Marine Corps aviation command and control system and the air control agency responsible for the direction of air operations directly supporting ground forces...
s (DASC) assigned to each of corps areas (I DASC - Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
, DASC Alpha - Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province....
, II DASC - Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
, III DASC - Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
, and IV DASC - Can Tho Air Base). DASCs were responsible for the deployment of aircraft located within their sector in support of ground operations.
Operating under each DASC were numerous Tactical Air Control Party
Tactical Air Control Party
The Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is a small team of Army, Marine or Air Force personnel who provide airspace deconfliction and terminal control of Close Air Support at battle group level or below...
(TACPs), manned by one or more VNAF/USAF personnel posted with the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
ground forces. A communications network inked these three levels of command and control, giving the TACS overall control of the South Vietnamese air situation at all times.
Additional information was provided by a radar network that covered all of South Vietnam and beyond, monitoring all strike aircraft.
The base was the headquarters of the Joint General Staff of South Vietnam, and was a key venue in various military coups, particularly the 1963 coup that deposed the nation's first President Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...
. The plotters invited loyalist officers to a routine lunch meeting at JGS and captured them in the afternoon of November 1, 1963. The most notable was Colonel Le Quang Tung
Le Quang Tung
Colonel Lê Quang Tung was the commander of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces under the command of Ngo Dinh Nhu, the brother of South Vietnam's president, Ngo Dinh Diem. A former servant of the Ngô family, Tung's military background was in security and counterespionage...
, loyalist commnander of the ARVN Special Forces, which was effectively a private Ngo family army, and his brother and deputy, Le Quang Trieu. Later, Captain Nguyen Van Nhung
Nguyen Van Nhung
Major Nguyễn Văn Nhung was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . After joining the French Army in 1944 during the colonial era of Vietnam, he soon met and became the aide-de-camp and bodyguard of Dương Văn Minh, and spent the rest of his career in this role as Minh rose up the ranks...
, bodyguard of coup leader General Duong Van Minh
Duong Van Minh
Minh was born on 16 February 1916 in Mỹ Tho Province in the Mekong Delta, the son of a wealthy landowner who served in a prominent position in the Finance Ministry of the French colonial administration...
, shot the brothers into their graves on the edge of the base.
Recruiting Center
Basic requirements for service in the VNAF was to be a Vietnamese citizen; at least age 17; minimum age 25 for flight training; no criminal record; the equivalent of a US 9th grade education for airmen; 11th grade for those entering pilot training or a 12th grade for non-rated officer.
If a volunteer met all the qualifications, the recruit was then sent to basic training at the ARVN training base at Lam Song. Non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
(NCO) training was held at Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
. After two months of training, or four months for aviation cadets, the recruit was given an aptitude test and progressed to specialized technical training. From there, he was sent to one of the ARVN wings for journeymen training. Aviation cadets pursued three additional months of specialized training after completing their initial four-month training course. Some were sent to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for advanced pilot training while non-rated officers pursued training in South Vietnam for their non-flying assignments. This training lasted about nine months, whereupon a cadet served in an operational unit for about a year before receiving a commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
.
Women also served in the VNAF. The Women's Armed Forces Corps (WAFC) was formed to fill non-combat duties beginning in December 1965. Women were assigned to VNAF wings, Headquarters, the Air Logistics Wing, performing duties as personnel specialists, secretaries and other administrative roles.
1968 Tet Offensive
Tet
Tet can mean:*Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese new year**Tet Offensive, a military campaign that began in 1968*Têt in Roussillon, France*Equal temperament, abbreviated as 12-TET, 19-TET and so on...
. An immediate recall was issued, and within 72 hours, 90 percent of the VNAF was on duty.
The first enemy rounds that hit Tan Son Nhat Air Base struck at approximately 2 a.m. on 30 January. The chapel on the base was one of the early direct hits. The base was under the command of Air Force Colonel Farley Peebles.
If not for the work of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
377th Security Police Squadron in the early hours of the attack the entire base may have been in danger. Four USAF Security Policemen lost their lives at Bunker 051; those four and two other Combat Security Police members received the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for their valor. The Security Police, despite being outnumbered, with help from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Helicopter and ground units, killed nearly 1,000 enemy combatants. The base was secured by American and ARVN/VNAF forces by 12 noon on 31 January 1968.
Over the next three weeks, the VNAF flew over 1,300 strike sorties, bombing and strafing communist positions throughout South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. Transport aircraft from Tan Son Nhat's 33d Wing dropped almost 15,000 flares
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
in 12 nights, compared with a normal monthly average of 10,000. Observation aircraft also from Tan Son Nhat completed almost 700 reconnaissance sorties, with VNAF pilots flying O-1 Bird Dogs and U-17 Skywagons
Cessna 180
The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as bush...
.
Vietnamization and the 1972 Spring Offensive
C-123 Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
, C-47s and De Havilland C-7A Caribous
De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
.
By November 1970, the South Vietnamese Air Force took total control of the Direct Air Support Center
Direct Air Support Center
The Direct Air Support Center is the principal United States Marine Corps aviation command and control system and the air control agency responsible for the direction of air operations directly supporting ground forces...
(DASCS) at Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
, Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
and Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
.
At the end of 1971, the VNAF were totally in control of command and control units at eight major air bases, supporting ARVN units for the expanded air-ground operations system. In September 1971, the USAF transferred two Fairchild C-119
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
squadrons to the VNAF at Tan Son Nhut.
In 1972, the buildup of the VNAF at Tan Son Nhat was expanded when two Lockheed C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
squadrons were formed there. In December, the first VNAF C-130 training facility was established at Tan Son Nhat, enabling the South Vietnamese to train its own Hercules pilots. As more C-130s were transferred to the VNAF, older C-123s were returned to the USAF for disposal.
As the buildup of the VNAF continued, the success of the Vietnamization program was evident during the 1972 Spring Offensive. Responding to the communist attack, the VNAF flew more than 20,000 strike sorties which helped to stem the communist advance. In the first month of the offensive, transports from Tan Son Nhut ferried thousands of troops and delivered nearly 4,000 tons of supplies throughout the country.
The spring offensive also resulted in additional deliveries of aircraft to the VNAF under Project Enhance. New VNAF units came about with the introduction of Fairchild C-119K gunships at Tan Son Nhut, along with Boeing CH-47
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
helicopters, along with additional C-130 transports and numerous O-1 and O-2 observation aircraft.
Also, fighter aircraft arrived at Tan Son Nhat for the first time in the Northrup F-5A/B Freedom Fighter
F-5 Freedom Fighter
The Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and the F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely-used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop...
and the F-5E Tiger II. The F-5s were subsequently transferred to Bien Hoa
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
and Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
s.
1973 Cease Fire
The Paris Peace AccordsParis Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam War, ended direct U.S. military involvement, and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam...
of 1973 brought an end to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advisory capacity in South Vietnam. In its place, as part of the agreement, the Americans retained a Defense Attache Office (DAO) at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, with small field offices at other facilities around the country. The technical assistance provided by the personnel of the DAOs and by civilian contractors was essential to the VNAF, however, because of the cease-fire agreement, the South Vietnamese could not be advised in any way on military operations, tactics or techniques of employment.
It was through the DAO that the American/South Vietnamese relationship was maintained, and it was primarily from this source that information from within South Vietnam was obtained. The VNAF provided statistics with regards to the military capability of their units to the DAO, however the accuracy of this information was not always reliable.
From the Spring Offensive of 1972, it was clear that without United States aid, especially air support, the ARVN would not be able to defend itself against continuing communist attacks. This was demonstrated at the fighting around Pleiku
Pleiku
Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province; it is inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or Degar....
, An Loc
An Loc
An Loc is a small town in Bình Phước Province in southern Vietnam, located approximately 90 km north of Saigon with a population of 15,000...
and Quang Tri
Quang Tri
Quảng Trị is a town district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. Significantly, it was the only South Vietnamese provincial capital to be captured by the North Vietnamese forces for a limited period in the 1972 offensive....
where the ARVN would have been defeated without continuous air support, mainly supplied by the USAF.
The ARVN relied heavily on air support, and with the absence of the USAF, the full responsibility fell on the VNAF. Although equipped with large numbers of A-37
Cessna T-37
The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
and F-5 attack aircraft, to conduct effective close air support operations, during the 1972 offensive the USAF relied on the heavier McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
supporting ARVN forces dealing with those targets.
Numerous violations of the Paris Peace Accords were committed by communists beginning almost as soon as the United States withdrew its last personnel from South Vietnam by the end of March 1973.
The North Vietnamese and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam continued their attempt to overthrow President Thieu and remove the U.S. supported government. North Vietnamese military forces broke the treaty, conquered and subjugated the people of South Vietnam to the communist yolk in their Ho Chi Minh Campaign
Ho Chi Minh Campaign
The Hồ Chí Minh Campaign was the final title applied to a series of increasingly large-scale and ambitious offensive operations by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam which began on 13 December 1974...
.
The U.S. had promised Thieu that it would use airpower to support his government. On January 14, 1975 Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger stated that the U.S. was not living up to its promise that it would retaliate in the event North Vietnam tried to overwhelm South Vietnam.
When North Vietnam invaded in March 1975, the promised American intervention never materialized. Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
was no longer President. Watergate proved to be but one in a succession of scandals that undermined support for further involvement in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Revelation of the My Lai massacre
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...
, in which American soldiers had murdered unarmed civilians suspected of aiding the Communists, raised questions about the morality of the war. Publication of The Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967...
, essentially a documentary history of the American decision-making while Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
was Secretary of Defense, revealed imprecise thinking and a succession of flawed judgments. The secret bombing of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
came to light, as did a series of unauthorized aerial attacks on North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
prior to the 1972 invasion. Reports of drug use by service personnel in Southeast Asia‹and rumors that South Vietnamese officials profited from dealing in drugs‹also helped turn the American public against the Saigon leadership.
Congress reflected the popular mood, halting the bombing in Cambodia effective July 15, 1973, and reducing aid to South Vietnam. Since Thieu intended to fight the same kind of war he always had, with lavish use of firepower, the cuts in aid proved especially damaging.
Capture of Tan Son Nhut Air Base
In early 1975 North VietnamNorth Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
realized the time was right to achieve its goal of re-uniting Vietnam under communist rule, launched a series of small ground attacks to test U.S. reaction.
On 8 January the North Vietnamese Politburo ordered a major People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) offensive to "liberate" South Vietnam by NVA cross-border invasion. The NVA general staff plan for the invasion of South Vietnam called for 20 divisions, because, by 1975, the Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese Army was the fifth largest in the world. It anticipated a two year struggle for victory.
By 14 March, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was president of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1975. He was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a fraudulent election...
decided to abandon the Central Highlands region and two northern provinces of South Vietnam and ordered a general withdrawal of ARVN forces from those areas. Instead of an orderly withdrawal, it turned into a general retreat, with masses of military and civilians fleeing, clogging roads and creating chaos.
On 30 March 100,000 South Vietnamese soldiers surrendered after being abandoned by their commanding officers. The large coastal cities of Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, Qui Nhon
Qui Nhon
Qui Nhơn , also Quy Nhơn, is a coastal city in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of 286 km². Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2009 its population was 280,900. Historically, the commercial activities of the city...
, Tuy Hoa
Tuy Hoa
Tuy Hòa is the capital city of Phu Yen province in south-central Vietnam. The city has the total area of 107 km2 and the population of 262 000 ....
and Nha Trang
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
were abandoned by the South Vietnamese, yielding the entire northern half of South Vietnam to the North Vietnamese.
As the war in South Vietnam entered its conclusion, the pilots of the VNAF flew sortie after sortie, supporting the retreating South Vietnamese Army after it abandoned Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
on 14 April. For two days after the ARVN left the area, the Wing Commander at Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
fought on with the forces under his command. Airborne troops were sent in for one last attempt to hold the airfield, but the defenders were finally overrun on 16 April and Phan Rang Air Base was lost.
The last of the 2d Air Division abandoned the airfield with the remaining flyable airplanes, leaving four A C-119s
Fairchild AC-119
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Hobson, Chris. "Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973." North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-85780-1156....
which had flown in from Da Nang and two A-37s
Cessna T-37
The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
to the North Vietnamese.
On 22 April Xuan Loc fell to the communists after a two week battle with South Vietnam's 18th Army Division which inflicted over 5000 NVA casualties and delayed the Ho Chi Minh Campaign for two weeks. With the fall of Xuan Loc and the capture of Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
in late April 1975 it was clear that South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
was about to fall to the North Vietnamese Army.
At dusk on 28 April, three captured A-37s, flown from the former VNAF Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
bombed Tan Son Nhat destroying a number of aircraft on the flight line. There are conflicting stories about who was actually flying these aircraft. One source insists they were VNAF pilots who were communists, another says they were VNAF pilots who were forced to fly the mission in return for the safety of their families, and NVA General Van Tien Dung claimed the A-37s were flown by North Vietnamese Air Force pilots.
Whatever the case, the A-37s escaped. despite being pursued by several VNAF F-5s. Although the physical damage to Ton Son Nhut was not extensive, the threat of further air strikes eliminated Ton Son Nhut AB for fixed-wing evacuation flights, further lowering what little morale remained in the capital.
Saigon was now surrounded by thirteen NVA divisions and most Vietnamese realized it was only a matter of time until the entire country was in communist hands. On 29 April President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
ordered Operation Frequent Wind
Operation Frequent Wind
Operation Frequent Wind was the evacuation by helicopter of American civilians and 'at-risk' Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, on 29–30 April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War...
, the helicopter evacuation of Saigon.
Vietnamese pilots now began flying themselves and their families out of the country in anything that could get off the ground. Some headed for the American rescue fleet just off the coast, while others flew to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
On 30 April the last desperate combat sorties flown by the VNAF were carried out in defense of Tan Son Nhut. An AC-119
Fairchild AC-119
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Hobson, Chris. "Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973." North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-85780-1156....
Shadow gunship, which had spent the night defending the base perimeter, landed for fuel and ammunition. After refueling and rearming, the Shadow took off again. The gunship orbited the air base firing on advancing NVA troops and was soon joined by a pair of A-1s. The Skyraiders made repeated runs over NVA positions until NVA gunners downed one with a SA-7
Strela 2
The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
. The second A-1 pilot continued his attacks until his fuel and ordnance were used up. All the while, the AC-119 kept its fire directed on advancing enemy forces.
About 7 a.m. the Shadow's luck ran out. Another SA-7 scored a direct hit and the AC-119 fell in flames. Three crewmen managed to bail out, but one chute became entangled in the flaming debris and carried its wearer to a flaming death.
In the final evacuation, over a hundred VNAF aircraft arrived in Thailand, including twenty-six F-5s, eight A-37s
Cessna T-37
The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
. eleven A-1s
A-1 Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...
, six C-130s
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
. thirteen C-47s
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, five C-7s
De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
, and three AC-119s
Fairchild AC-119
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Hobson, Chris. "Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973." North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-85780-1156....
. Additionally close to 100 VNAF helicopters landed on U.S. ships off the coast, although at least half were jettisoned. One O-1
Cessna L-19 Bird Dog
The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog was a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army since the U.S. Army Air Forces separated from the Army in 1947, becoming its own branch of service, the U.S. Air Force. The Bird Dog had a...
managed to land on the USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II...
, carrying a South Vietnamese major, his wife, and five children. On 30 April 1975, Saigon fell and all remaining South Vietnamese forces were ordered to surrender.
For the VNAF thirty-five long years of war had come to an end. Following the war, Tan Son Nhut Air Base was taken over as a base for the Vietnam People's Air Force
Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force is the air force of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese Air Force and the absorbed Republic of Vietnam Air Force following the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975.-Beginning-1964 :The first Vietnamese aircraft were two trainers, a de Havilland...
.
Known SVNAF Units at Tan Son Nhat (June 1974)
Tan Son Nhut Air Base was the Headquarters of the South Vietnamese Air Force. It was also the Headquarters of the SVNAF 5th Air Division.- 33d Tactical Wing
- 314th Special Air Missions SquadronVC-47, U-17, UH-1, DC-6B
- 716th Reconnaissance Squadron R/EC-47, U-6A
- 718th Reconnaissance Squadron EC-47
- 429th Transport Squadron C-7B
- 431st Transport Squadron C-7B
- Det H 259th Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1H (Medivac)
- 53d Tactical Wing
- 819th Combat Squadron AC-119G
- 821st Combat Squadron AC-119G
- 435th Transport Squadron C-130A
- 437th Transport Squadron C-130A
Use of Tan Son Nhut Air Base by the United States
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(or Second Indochina War), Tan Son Nhut Air Base (then using the alternative spelling Tân Sơn Nhứt) was an important facility for both the US Air Force and the (VNAF). Tan Son Nhut Air Base served as the focal point for the initial United States Air Force deployment and buildup in South Vietnam in the early 1960s. After 1966, with the establishment of the 7th Air Force as the main USAF Command and Control Headquarters in South Vietnam, Tan Son Nhut functioned as a Headquarters base, a Tactical Reconnaissance base, and as a Special Operations base, focusing on areal defoliation (Operation Ranch Hand
Operation Ranch Hand
Operation Ranch Hand was a U.S. Military operation during the Vietnam War, lasting from 1962 until 1971. It was part of the overall herbicidal warfare program during the war called "Operation Trail Dust"...
). With the drawdown of US forces in South Vietnam after 1971, the base took on a myriad of organizations transferred from deactivated bases in the country.
Between 1968 and 1974, Tan Son Nhut Airport was one of the busiest military airbases in the world. During the last days of South Vietnam, Pan Am schedules from 1973 showed Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
service was being operated four times a week to San Francisco via Guam and Manila. Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
operated up to 30 Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
military charters per week to and from Tan Son Nhut Airport during the 1968-74 period.
It was from Tan Son Nhut Air Base that the last U.S. Airman left South Vietnam in March, 1973. The Air Force Post Office (APO) for Tan Son Nhut Air Base was APO San Francisco, 96307.
Military Assistance Advisory Group
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) unit, the 507th Tactical Control Group from Shaw Air Force Base
Shaw Air Force Base
Shaw Air Force Base is a United States Military facility located approximately west-northwest of Sumter, South Carolina. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
deployed sixty-seven officers and airmen to Tan Son Nhat to install radars and began monitoring air traffic and training of South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) personnel to operate and service the equipment. This organization formed the nucleus of what became a tactical air control system for a vast fleet of South Vietnamese and American aircraft.
Tactical Reconnaissance Mission
During October 1961, four RF-101Cs and a photo processing unit from the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, based at Yokota AB JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, arrived at Tan Son Nhut and joined the combat reporting post, with the reconnaissance craft flying photographic missions over South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
within a few days of their arrival.
The RF-101C was the only Voodoo version to serve in Vietnam. The 67th TRW was soon followed by detachments of the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa, which also flew RF-101 reconnaissance missions over Laos and South Vietnam, first from bases in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and then from South Vietnam. These reconnaissance missions lasted from November 1961 through the spring of 1964.
RF-101Cs flew pathfinder missions for F-100s in the first USAF strike against North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
on February 8, 1965. They initially operated out of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, but later flew most of their missions over North Vietnam out of Takhli RTAFB, Thailand. Bombing missions against the North required a large amount of photographic reconnaissance support, and by the end of 1967, all but one of the Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
RF-101C squadrons were deployed to Southeast Asia.
The reconnaissance Voodoos at Ton Son Nuht were incorporated into the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in February 1966. 33 RF-101Cs were lost in combat in Southeast Asia--24 to Anti-aircraft artillery and small arms fire, 5 to Surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s, one to a MiG-21, one in a sapper attack on its base at Tan Son Nhut AB, and two to unknown causes. Six were lost in operational (non-combat related) accidents while serving in Southeast Asia. More than 30 RF-101Cs were lost in accidents during their early years of service, mainly due to pilot inexperience.
The last 45th TRS RF-101C left Tan Son Nhut on November 16, 1970, bringing the era of Voodoo participation in the Southeast Asia War to an end.
Mule Train
During January 1962 a detachment of a dozen Fairchild C-123 Provider transports arrived in South VietnamSouth Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
to to provide tactical airlift support for South Vietnam's hard-pressed ground troops. Called "Mule Train", its primary purpose was to give the ground forces an assault capability via airdrop or insertion. Yet the unit also saw a great need for logistic support entailing daily delivery of supplies to remote sites in Vietnam.
On 13 November 1961, President Kennedy approved a recommendation to increase the mobility of South Vietnam's hard-pressed military. The White House authorized the Air Force to deploy a squadron of Air Force C-123 Providers and 40 Army H-21 Shawnee helicopters to assist South Vietnam's forces. On Dec. 6, the Defense Department ordered the 346th Troop Carrier Squadron (Assault) to the Far East for 120 days TDY "to participate in a classified training mission" in the official jargon of the day. A second Mule Train squadron, the 777th Troop Carrier Squadron
777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
The 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force squadron activated after 11 September 2001, being engaged in the Global War on Terrorism. Its current status is undetermined....
(Assault), arrived in South Vietnam on June 15, 1962. Eventually, both squadrons were placed under the 315th Air Commando Wing.
Most sources fix Jan. 2, 1962, as the date that the initial group of aircraft arrived at Tan Son Nhut AB in South Vietnam. All of the initial Mule Train missions were dedicated to carrying cargo. One-hundred-kilo sacks of rice were a major item, and at least one pilot over-grossed his aircraft by figuring them in at 100 pounds. The most typical commodities were live ducks, chickens, pigs, and cows, packed in locally made pens of wood and, when necessary, parachuted into the outlying camps. Mule Train aircraft also transported many Vietnamese natives. On more than one occasion, a Mule Train crew would smell smoke in the aircraft and find a traveler cooking food in the aircraft's cargo compartment.
There was no pretense that this was a South Vietnamese cargo operation, nor was there any training of Vietnamese for the task. Vietnamese were employed as "kickers" to move the cargo out the rear on re-supply drop. Fortunately, the C-123 was a relatively simple and rugged aircraft. Its systems could take the heat and humidity of Vietnam better than more sophisticated aircraft. Tough landing gear and glider-strong fuselage could take the rough landings on short airfields, where stopping depended upon a slow approach, touching down on the edge of the airstrip, then full reverse and a steady, heavy foot on the anti-skid brakes.
Soon, the Mule Train route structure became linked to the hard-surface runways at Da Nang, Tan Son Nhut, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa, Pleiku, Ban Me Thuot, Hue, Da Lat, Soc Trang, Qui Nhon, and Vung Tau. Virtually every Mule Train sortie began or ended at one of these airfields, but intermediate stops could be anywhere.
Two C-123 aircraft were maintained at Da Nang to support northern outposts. The Mule Train crews were experienced in assault work, but they had to improvise for conditions in Vietnam. It was difficult to decide exactly where to drop paratroops over the rough terrain, and much depended upon the map-reading ability of the crew.
The die was cast on June 28, 1962, when 16 C-123s and 12 South Vietnamese C-47s dropped paratroops under adverse weather conditions about 35 miles north of Saigon. The operation went off well despite a 500-foot ceiling.
On other occasions, the C-123s would load up troops from the South Vietnamese airborne brigade in Saigon to fly to the relief of a village that had come under attack. Over the village, the C-123 pilot would reduce power, drop flaps, and spiral down to the drop altitude and give the paratroopers a green light to jump.
At times, C-123 crews were uncomfortable with the assault role. South Vietnamese Special Forces were sometimes capricious about when and where they would fight. Straight cargo operations were hazardous enough, especially during the monsoon season when South Vietnamese troops were socked in in the mountainous valleys. To execute the mission, the C-123s would line up in a proper direction, let down in the undercast, and if they did not break out by a given altitude, would climb back up. There were usually 800-foot ceilings in the valleys, and most of the time they broke out.
Mule Train missions during 1962 became extremely diverse, with the C-123s serving in roles ranging from duck delivery to napalm bombing. In the latter role, the Provider carried nine wooden pallets, each holding three 55-gallon drums of napalm mixed with gasoline. With a good kicker, the load could go out the back ramp in less than five seconds and leave a pattern of flame 1,200 feet long.
In October 1962, there began what became known as the Southeast Asia Airlift System. Requirements were forecast out to 25 days, and these requirements were matched against available resources. The 315th Troop Carrier Group and 8th Aerial Port Squadron came into being and set the stage for tighter control of airlift operations. The era of the Mule Train operation was over. It left behind a record of success and a collection of procedures and techniques for cargo work in Southeast Asia.
The Dirty Thirty
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
. This sudden loss of qualified C-47 pilots brought the 1st Transportation Group's airlift capability dangerously low.
In order to alleviate the problem, United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, on the recommendation of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
Military Assistance Advisory Group
Military Assistance Advisory Group is a designation for American military advisers sent to assist in the training of conventional armed forces of Third World countries. Before and during the Vietnam War, there were three of these groups operating in Southeast Asia...
(MAAG) Vietnam, ordered thirty USAF pilots temporarily assigned to the VNAF to serve as C-47 co-pilots. This influx of U.S. personnel quickly returned the 1st TG to full strength.
The Americans arrived at Tan Son Nhat during March and April 1962 and immediately began flying with Vietnamese crews. Unfortunately, problems arose between the Americans and Vietnamese and by August the situation had so deteriorated that the 1st Transportation Group commander. Nguyen Cao Ky
Nguyen Cao Ky
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ served as the chief of the Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of South Vietnam in a military junta from 1965 to 1967...
urgently appealed for closer cooperation and understanding between the two groups. The situation seemed to gradually improve and although there were still problems, the two groups developed a closer working relationship.
Unlike the USAF Farm Gate personnel at Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
, the C-47 co-pilots actually became part of the VNAF operational structure - though still under U.S. control. Because of their rather unusual situation, these pilots soon adopted the very unofficial nickname, The Dirty Thirty.
In a sense they were the first U.S. airmen actually committed to combat in Vietnam, rather than being assigned as advisors or support personnel.
The original Dirty Thirty pilots eventually rotated home during early 1963 and were replaced by a second contingent of American pilots. This detachment remained with the VNAF until December 1963 when they were withdrawn from Vietnam.
509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Starting in 1962, the 509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron began rotating Convair F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors to Tan Son Nhut Air Base on a rotating basis to provide air defense of the Saigon area in the event of a North Vietnamese air attack. These rotations from Clark ended in July 1970.33d Tactical Group
On 8 July 1963 the MAAG units were organized as the 33d Tactical Group. The Group was equipped primarily with cargo aircraft, C-54 SkymasterC-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s, U-3Bs
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
, VC-47
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, and VC-123z
C-123 Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
.
Its mission was to maintain and operate base support facilities at Tan Son Nhat, supporting the 2d Air Division and subordinate units by performing reconnaissance of Vietnam from various detachments flying RB-26 Invaders
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
, RB-57 Canberras
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
, and RF-101 Voodoo aircraft.
The early months of 1964 were a time of expansion, training, and comparative quiet. By midyear, the South Vietnamese Air Force had grown to thirteen squadrons; four fighter, four observation, three helicopter, and two C-47 transport. The South Vietnamese followed the practice of the U.S. Air Force, organizing the squadrons into wings, with one wing located in each of the four corps tactical zones at Can Tho Air Base, Tan Son Nhat Air Base, Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
, and Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
After the Tonkin Gulf incident, the USAF response was to deploy twelve F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
air defense interceptor aircraft, their number divided between Tan Son Nhat and at Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
. In addition, eight F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
s joined the F-102s at Da Nang, and two squadrons of B-57 Canberra
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
light bombers landed at Bien Hoa Air Base.
Patricia Lynn Project
The need for additional reconnaissance assets, especially those capable of operating at night, led to a classified strategic reconnaissance project which began in May 1963. Earlier that year, the Air Force awarded the General Dynamics company a contract to modify two B-57Es (55-4243, 55-4245) as all-weather high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft.General Dynamics was chosen to make modifications to the B-57E as it had extensive experience in modifying Canberras with the RB-57D and RB-57F projects and turning the B-57 into a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft equipped with various electronic and imagery equipment. The forward nose section of the B-57Es were modified to house a KA-1 36-inch forward oblique camera and a low panoramic KA-56 camera used on the Lockheed U-2. Mounted inside the specially-configured bomb bay door was a KA-1 vertical camera, a K-477 split vertical day-night camera, an infrared scanner, and a KA-1 left oblique camera. The modified aircraft were redesignated RB-57E.
The 2d Air Division was desperate for tactical intelligence and on arrival the pilots that ferried in the RB-57Es were immediately assigned to the Division as combat crews and briefed on missions by Divisional intelligence officers on the reconnaissance flights they would make.
BThe first mission was flown on 7 May 1963 by the highly-classified Patricia Lynn squadron (Detachment 1, 33rd Tactical Group, later 6250th Combat Support Group, later 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing) operating from Tan Son Nhut AB. The Detachment flew nighttime reconnaissance missions to identify VC base camps, small arms factories, and storage and training areas. The sorties yielded results that heretofore only had been wished for.
The nighttime imagery showed Communist training and base camps; small, hidden factories and storage dumps that RF-101 crews had flown over during the day and had been unable to locate from the air. The existing RF-101s in 1963 could only photograph a few kilometers (they had to fly very low) per flight with their cameras. The RB-57Es could image the whole border with Cambodia in 2 1/2 flights at 16,000 to 17,000 feet with superior results.
From then on, the Patricia Lynn crews both night and day missions over South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and areas of North Vietnam until 1971, being some of the last USAF tactical aircraft to be withdrawn from the country. The RB-57Es carried the call-sign "Moonglow". Some missions were flown at low-level over single targets, others consisted of 4-6 specific targets. At night RB-57Es flew the canals and rivers in the Mekong Delta and southern part of South Vietnam. The sampans were easy to spot with the “real time” IR if the crew could keep over the canal which was difficult in the darkness.
The United States began Operation Steel Tiger over the Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
Panhandle and the DMZ on April 3, 1965, to locate and destroy enemy forces and materiel being moved southward at night into South Vietnam, and to fly bomb damage assessment reconnaissance runs over targets attacked in the secret war in which the United States was engaged there. These flights teamed with B-57B bombers operating out of Bien Hoa AB and a C-130 flare ship. Three more aircraft were subsequently modified in 1964/65 bringing the number of aircraft to five.
Two RB-57Es were lost in combat operations. The first (S/N 55-4243) was lost as a result of a fuselage fire caused by small arms while on a low level reconnaissance mission in August 1965. The crew ejected safely when near Tan Son Nhut Air Base. The second aircraft (S/N 55-4264) was lost on Oct. 15, 1968, after an engine fire started by ground fire forced the crew to eject.
A sixth Patricia Lynn aircraft (55-4257) joined the team in 1968, as a replacement for the combat losses. This aircraft had a Terrain Following Radar designed to allow the aircraft to fly at a constant altitude, which would, in theory, produce better reconnaissance photos. Unfortunately, the aircraft flew so low (500-1000 feet) that the infrared film was used up before the entire assessment area could be photographed.
A 1968 update, under the COMPASS EAGLE program, gave the back-seater a video display to monitor the IR scanner system. This allowed the crew to call in strikes on targets in real time, instead of having to return to base to get imagery developed, by which time the enemy would have likely moved on
There were frequent changes and updating of the equipment, including the installation of 12-inch focal length KA-82 and 24-inch focal length KA-83 cameras. The infrared equipment was useful in spotting Viet Cong river traffic at night along the Mekong delta southeast of Saigon.
In 1969/70, Patricia Lynn missions were flown into Laos and into Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
including Barrel Roll strikes in 1969. The Patricia Lynn operation was terminated in mid-1971 with the inactivation of the 460th TRW and the four surviving aircraft returned to the United States.
Known RB-57E Patricia Lynn aircraft were:
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4243 Modified to RB-57E in 1963. Lost in combat with Detachment 1, 6250th Combat Support Group, when hit by ground fire Aug 5, 1965 and caught fire while on return to base.
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4245. Modified to RB-57E in 1963. Returned to CONUS June 1971. Converted to WB-57E. Retired to MASDC as BM0069 Jun 15, 1972.
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4237. Modified to RB-57E in 1964. Returned to CONUS June 1971. Converted to WB-57E. Retired to MASDC as BM0070 Jun 28, 1972.
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4249. Modified to RB-57E in 1964. Returned to CONUS June 1971. Converted to WB-57E. Retired to MASDC as BM0068 Jun 15 1972.
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4264. Modified to RB-57E in 1965. Lost in combat with Detachment 1, 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Oct 25, 1968 after being hit by ground fire 3 mi SW of Truc Giang, South Vietnam. Both crew ejected safely and were rescued.
- Martin B-57E-MA 55-4257. Modified to RB-57E in 1968. Equipped with terrain-following radar. Converted to EB-57E in 1971 and transferred to ADC 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah. Retired to MASDC in 1979.
505th Tactical Air Control Group
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and to some extent Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. Carrying out the mission of providing tactical air support required two major components, radar installations and forward air controllers (FAC's).
The radar sites provided flight separation for attack and transport aircraft which took the form of flight following and, in some cases control by USAF Weapons Directors. Forward Air Controllers had the critical job of telling tactical fighters where to drop their ordinance. FAC's were generally attached to either US Army or ARVN (Army of Vietnam) units and served both on the ground and in the air.
Squadrons of the 505th were located as follows:
- The 619th Tactical Control Squadron at Tan Son Nhat Air Base.
- The 620th Tactical Control Squadron with responsibility from Pleiku to the DMZ, was located at Son Tra, known as "Monkey Mountain."
- The 621st Tactical Control Squadron which supported tactical air operations in Thailand, located at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUbon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUbon Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility and is the home of Wing 21 of the RTAF 2nd Air Division. It is located in East-Central Thailand, near the city of Ubon Ratchathani, in the Ubon Ratchathani Province. It is approximately 305 miles North-East of Bangkok...
, and later at Udon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUdon Thani International AirportUdonthani International Airport is an airport located near the city of Udon Thani in Udon Thani Province in the northeast region of Thailand. It is approximately 280 miles northeast of Bangkok...
. - The 19th TASS which operated mainly from the Central Highlands south, located at Bien Hoa Air BaseBien Hoa Air BaseBien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
. - The 20th TASS based at Da Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
. - The 21st TASS headquartered at Pleiku Air BasePleiku Air BasePleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
. - The 22nd TASS based at Binh Thuy Air BaseBinh Thuy Air BaseBinh Thuy Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam, It was constructed by the United States in 1965 and used by the South Vietnamese Air Force and the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the IV Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army...
. - The 23rd TASS based at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force BaseNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force BaseNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base , formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is located approximately 365 miles northeast of Bangkok, 9 miles west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the...
.
The TASS units flew either the O-1G Birddog, O-2 Skymaster, or OV-10 Bronco.
Maintenance support was provided by the 505th Tactical Control Maintenance Squadron first based at Tan Son Nhut and later at Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
619th Tactical Air Control Squadron
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
to Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands from 8 Apr 1964-15 Mar 1973. During this period its primary mission was to operate and maintain air control management center capable of operating 24 hours a day in order to control air traffic and operate direction finding equipment. Detachments of the 619th TASS were located as follows:
- Det 1, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Da Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
: 8 April 1964 - 22 December 1965 - Det 1, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Duong Dong Army Airfield: 15 August 1967 - 20 December 1968
- Det 2, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Ubon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUbon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUbon Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility and is the home of Wing 21 of the RTAF 2nd Air Division. It is located in East-Central Thailand, near the city of Ubon Ratchathani, in the Ubon Ratchathani Province. It is approximately 305 miles North-East of Bangkok...
: 8 April 1964 - 22 December 1965 - Det 3, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Can Tho Army Airfield: 8 April 1964-30 June 1972
- Det 4, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Udon Royal Thai Air Force BaseUdon Thani International AirportUdonthani International Airport is an airport located near the city of Udon Thani in Udon Thani Province in the northeast region of Thailand. It is approximately 280 miles northeast of Bangkok...
: 18 October 1964-22 December 1965 - Det 5, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force BaseNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force BaseNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base , formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is located approximately 365 miles northeast of Bangkok, 9 miles west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the...
: 10 August-22 December 1965 - Det 6, 619th Tactical Control Squadron (Green Hill, Thailand): 10 August-22 December 1965
- Det 7, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Tay Ninh Army Airfield: 10 August 1965-15 May 1968.
- Det 8, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Ca Mau Army Airfield: 10 August 1965-15 May 1968.
- Det 9, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Ban Me Thuot Army Airfield:1 October 1965-29 February 1972.
- Det 10, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Pleiku Air BasePleiku Air BasePleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
: 1 October 1965-8 November 1966. - Det 11, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Nha Trang Air BaseNha Trang Air BaseNha Trang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province....
: 22 December 1965-29 February 1972. - Det 12, 619th Tactical Control Squadron Qui Nhon Army Airfield: 22 December 1965-8 November 1966
Operation Rolling Thunder
Attacks against Americans in South Vietnam continued. On Christmas Eve 1964, the bombing of a residence for American officers at Saigon brought the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to the brink of bombing North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. The Johnson administration's
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
reluctance to directly engage North Vietnam ended on 7 February 1965, when the Viet Cong attacked an American detachment near Pleiku
Pleiku
Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province; it is inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or Degar....
, killing eight and wounding 104 American soldiers.
President Johnson approved Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained US 2nd Air Division , US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.The four objectives...
, a limited and carefully paced program of air strikes that more closely resembled the graduated response to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
than the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
for a vigorous and extensive bombardment. Despite the reliance on gradual escalation, the Johnson administration struck directly at North Vietnam in an attempt to save South Vietnam unilaterally, regardless of the weakness or incompetence of the military government in Saigon, abandoning a policy of partnership with the South Vietnamese that worked toward political stability and economic progress as conditions leading to a military victory in the South.
The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
now had four distinct air wars on the mainland of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, as the offensive against North Vietnam took its place alongside the attacks in South Vietnam and in northern and southern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. In 1965, United States Air Force was not fully equipped, suitably trained, nor doctrinally prepared for the situation in Southeast Asia. The transition from massive retaliation to flexible response and the shift from nuclear to conventional weapons remained incomplete.
As part of the Operation Rolling Thunder buildup, several Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
squadrons wee deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base:
- 481st Tactical Fighter Squadron481st Tactical Fighter Squadron-History:In 1957, the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing was assigned to Bergstrom Air Force Base near Austin, Texas and at that time it was part of the Strategic Air Command. In the summer of 1957, it was re-named as the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing and transferred to the Tactical Air Command...
, 29 June 1965-1 January 1966 - 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1 November 1965-15 June 1966
The 481st was deployed on temporary duty from the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, Cannon AFB, New Mexico. The 416th was a PACAF 31st Air Division squadron that was moved to TSN from Bien Hoa AB. The 418at returned to the United States; the 416th returned to Bien Hoa.
6250th Combat Support Group
The first tasks facing the USAF, however, were to set up a workable organizational structure in the region, improve the area's inadequate air bases, create an efficient airlift system, and develop equipment and techniques to support the ground battle.Starting with the buildup in 1965, the Air Force, while continuing to conduct the four air wars, adjusted its structure in Southeast Asia to absorb incoming units. Temporarily deployed squadrons became permanent in November. A wing structure replaced the groups. On 8 July 1965, the 33d Tactical Group was redesignated the 6250th Combat Support Group.
460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
On 18 February 1966 the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was activated and entered the Vietnam War. Its headquarters shared the Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
Headquarters and the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV).
When it stood up, the 460th TRW, alone, was responsible for the entire reconnaissance mission, both visual and electronic reconnaissance, throughout the Southeast Asia (SEA) area of responsibility. On 18 February 1966 the 460th TRW began with 74 aircraft of various types. By the end of June 1966, that number climbed to over 200 aircraft. When the 460th TRW stood up, the Wing gained several flying units
- 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
- 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (located at: Udorn RTAFB, Thailand)
- 41st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (located at: Takhli RTAFB, Thailand)
- Detachment 1 of the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (see: Patricia Lynn Project)
On 15 October 1966, the 460th TRW assumed host wing responsibilities for Tan Son Nhut Air Base, to include being responsible for all depot-level aircraft maintenance responsibility for all USAF organizations in South Vietnam. In addition to the reconnaissance operations, the 460th TFW's base flight operated in-theater transport service for Seventh Air Force and other senior commanders throughout South Vietnam. The base flight operated T-39A Saberliners, VC-123B Providers (also known as the "White Whale"), and Cessna U-3Bs between 1967-1971.
Photographic Reconnaissance
RF-101C Voodoo- 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 30 March 1966 - 31 December 1970 (RF-101C Tail Code: AH)
- Deployed from 39th Air Division, Misawa Air BaseMisawa Air Baseright|thumb|A US Navy C-2 at Misawa is a United States military facility located northeast of the railway station in Misawa, west of the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Towada, northwest of Hachinohe, and north of Tokyo, in Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region in the northern part of the...
, Japan. The unusual thing about the 45 TRS was that while most of the squadron’s assets were in Southeast Asia, there was a housekeeping force of one officer and one enlisted airman back at the squadron’s home station at Misawa. Inactivated in place. Later reactivated as an RF-4C squadron on 15 October 1971 with the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
RF-4C Phantom II
- When it joined the 460 TRW, the 16th TRS was the only unit operating the RF-4C Phantom II in Southeast Asia. It was also the first unit to achieve initial combat readiness of this aircraft in August 1965. The 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing’s contingent of RF-4Cs increased first on 29 July 1966 and then on 9 September 1966 when the Wing received additional RF-4C squadrons, the 12th TRS, and the 6461st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Udon RTAFB, Thailand .
- 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 29 July 1966 - 31 August 1971 (RF-4C Tail Code: AC)
- Deployed from 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Reassigned to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 27 October 1965 - 15 March 1970 (RF-4C Tail Code: AE)
- Deployed from 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Reassigned to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
RB-66C Destroyer
- In addition to the visual reconnaissance part of the 460 TRW’s overall mission, the Wing’s mission also included electronic warfare. To handle the communications countermeasures mission for the 460th TRW, the 41st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, located at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand flew the RB-66C Destroyer. On 8 June 1966, the 460 TRW gained another RB-66 squadron, 6460th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, also stationed at Takhli. While the 41st and 6460th TRSs completed other electronic warfare missions, the primary role of both squadrons was to find enemy radar sites in North VietnamNorth VietnamThe Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
that controlled anti-aircraft missile and gun sites. Being unarmed, the RB-66s could not attack these anti-aircraft sites themselves. However, after identifying these sites, strike aircraft could either try to avoid them or target them.
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility. It is located in Central Thailand, approximately 144 miles northwest of Bangkok in Takhli district, Nakhon Sawan Province, near the city of Nakhon Sawan.- Units :...
, Thailand. After the 432d TRW activated it
took control of the reconnaissance squadrons in Thailand. With the activation of the 432d TRW, the 460th TRW was no longer responsible for all air reconnaissance missions throughout the SEA area of responsibility. However, the 460th TRW provided the new 432d TRW with continued support in recovering RF-101 and RF-4C aircraft returning from high priority, high interest target missions.
In addition to all of its main missions, the 460 TRW took part in several additional operations, either directly or through supporting it. During their time in SEA both the 12th and 16th TRSs supported Operation “Arc Light” by flying bomb damage assessment missions. Additionally, these two squadron flew "Operation Search" missions that found some of the targets for “Arc Light”.
To help military leaders at all levels better understand the topography of sections of the DMZ and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, on 20 October
1967, the RF-101Cs of the 45 TRS began flying aerial mapping missions as part of Project “Muscle Shoals” This program morphed into Project “Igloo White” which also included ground sensors and B-66 electronic warfare aircraft as well as the RF-101Cs. Ignoo White continued until the United States withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1972.
Project Niagara: On the morning of 21 January 1968 regular forces of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces attacked the US Marine strategic bases at and around Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
. Immediately, the 460th TRW began Project “Niagara” to locate enemy troops and equipment surrounding Khe Sanh. The efforts of the 460th TRW directly contributed to the effectiveness of the most intensive bombing campaign of the conflict, to include the first use of B-52s as tactical bombers sometimes dropping their bombs with 100 yards of the base. Khe Sanh held out because of this intensive bombing and aerial resupply. Relief forces reached the besieged base during the first week of April. At that time “Niagara” changed to “Pegasus” and continued for three more weeks as US forces regained control of the area around Khe Sanh.
Project Grand Canyon: The A Shau Valley
A Shau Valley
The A Shau Valley is a valley in Vietnam's, Thừa Thiên province, west of the city of Huế along the border with Laos. The valley was one of the key entry points into South Vietnam for men and matériel brought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by the communist forces and was the scene of heavy fighting...
, is a 22-mile long valley located 6 miles from the Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
border close to the former De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) which separated North and South Vietnam between 1954 and 1976. The valley became a North Vietnamese Army staging area and was one of the main routes for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
to funnel troops and supplies towards Hue
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
and Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
. Also there were three abandoned airfields and a deserted South Vietnamese Special Forces camp in the valley. On 10 April 1968 the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
1st Air Cavalry Division began Operation “Delaware.” To support this the 460th TRW began Program “Grand Canyon” to locate enemy positions, particularly the
anti-aircraft batteries making up one of the most complex interlocking defensives in South Vietnam. The 29 day
operation was successful in clearing out the 5,000 to 6,000 enemy forces, at least for a time.
Electronic Reconnaissance
A few months after the 460th TRW’s activation, two squadrons activated on 8 April 1966 to take on projects “Hawkeye,” “Phyllis Ann,” and “Drillpress.” In April 1969 the 460th TRW stood up an additional detachment to fly EC-47s. This started out as 460th TRW Det 2, but on 1 June 1969 the unit transferred to become 360th TEWS Det 1.EC-47 Skyktrain
-
- 360th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 8 April 1966 - 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q Tail Code: AJ)
- Deployed from 1st Air Commando Wing, England AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. - Reassigned to 1st Air Commando Wing, Hurlburt FieldHurlburt FieldHurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron361st Tactical Electronic Warfare SquadronThe 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 56th Special Operations Wing, stationed at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. It was inactivated on 30 June 1974...
8 April 1966 - 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q Tail Code: AL) (Nha Trang AB)
- 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
- Deployed from 1st Air Commando Wing, England AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. - Deactivated in place
- 362d Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron362d Tactical Electronic Warfare SquadronThe 362d Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at Pleiku Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. It was inactivated on 27 June 1972-History:...
1 February 1967 - 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q Tail Code: AN) (Pleiku AB)
- 362d Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
- Deployed from 1st Air Commando Wing, England AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. - Deactivated in place
Project “Hawkeye”: This mission came about as a better and safer way to conduct radio direction finding (RDF), whose main target during the Vietnam conflict were Viet Cong radio transmitters. Before this program RDF involved tracking the signals on the ground. Because this exposed the RDF team to ambushes, both the US Army and USAF began to look at airborne RDF. After some initial problems, “Hawkeye” was born. While the US Army used U-6 Beaver and U-8 Seminole aircraft for its own version of the “Hawkeye” platform, the USAF modified several C-47 Skytrains/Dakota. These were one of the main workhorse during World War II and the USAF had a great many of them in its inventory
Project “Phyllis Ann”: Also used modified C-47s. However, the C-47s for this program were highly modified with a great deal of advanced, for its time, navigational and reconnaissance equipment. In essence the “Hawkeye” and “Phyllis Ann” missions were the same. The real difference was that the “Phyllis Ann” aircraft were more sophisticated. On 4 April 1967, project “Phyllis Ann” changed to become “Compass Dart”. A year later, on 1 April 1968, “Compass Dart” became “Combat Cougar”. Because of security concerns the operation’s name changed two more times first to “Combat Cross”, and then to “Commando Forge”.
"Project “Drillpress”: Used modified C-47s, their mission was a little different. Whereas, “Hawkeye” and “Phyllis Ann” tracked Viet Cong radio traffic to find the enemy and track their movements, “Drillpress” listened into that traffic and collected intelligence from it. This data gave insights into the plans and strategy of both the Viet Cong and the North Vietnam military. Information from all three projects contributed in a major way to the intelligence picture of the battlefield in Vietnam. In fact about 95 percent of the B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
Arc Light
Arc Light
Arc Light is the debut novel by Eric L. Harry, a techno-thriller about limited nuclear war published in 1994 and written in 1991-2.As China and Russia clash in Siberia in June 1999, nuclear missiles strike the United States. The U.S. retaliates against Russia, and World War III begins...
strikes conducted in South Vietnam were based, at least partially, on the data from these three programs. On 6 October 1967, “Drillpress” changed to “Sentinel Sara”.
Lam Son 719: On 8 February 1971 units from the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) launched Operation “Lam Son 719” into the southeastern panhandle of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. This operation called for ARVN troops to drive west from Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
, cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
, seize Tchepone in Laos and, after destroying North Vietnamese Army forces and supplies, then return to South Vietnam. While ARVN provided and commanded the ground forces entering Laos, US Army and Air Force units furnished aviation airlift and supporting firepower. Part of that support came from 460th TRW units like
the 362th TEWS and its EC-47s, and the 460th TRW Det 1’s "Patricia Lynn" RB-57Es. The ability to track enemy units electronically and through reconnaissance photos was a major factor in the operations military success. After heavy losses, the ARVN returned to South Vietnam on 9 April 1971.
Because these three squadrons flew the modified C-47 Skytrains, and many of the squadron personnel were World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans, squadron personnel affably dubbed their squadrons “Antique Airlines.” Even though these aircraft were considered vintage, the equipment inside was not and the US would go to great lengths to prevent this equipment from falling into enemy hands, As an example, when one EC-47 from the 362d TEWS crashed on 22 April 1970, members of an explosive ordnance unit policed the area destroying anything they found and six F-100 tactical air sorties hit the area to be sure. Detachments of these squadrons operated from different locations, including bases in Thailand. Each of the main squadrons and their detachments moved at least once due to operational and/or security reasons. Personnel operating the RDF and signal intelligence equipment in the back of the modified EC-47s were part of the 6994th Security Squadron (SS).
Inactivation
Being one of two reconnaissance wings supporting SEA there were few military operations that did not involve the 460th TRW. Not only did the 460th TRW provide electronic and photo reconnaissance, the Wing’s electronic capabilities allowed it to provide electronic counter measure support to B-52s returning from striking targets in North Vietnam. The Wing even gave support to the CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n military against the North Vietnam and Viet Cong forces, as well as support to US units operating inside Cambodia.
As the Vietnamization Improvement and Moderization Program began, Vietnamese crews began flying with EC-47 crews from the 360th TEWS and 6994th SS, on 8 May 1971, to get training on operating the aircraft and its systems. The wing was inactivated in-place on 31 August 1971. Decorations awarded to the wing for its Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
service include:
- Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit Citation (US)The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
: 18 February 1966 - 30 June 1967; 1 September 1967 - 1 July 1968; 11 July 1968 - 31 August 1969; l February-31 March 1971. - Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device: 1 July 1969 - 30 June 1970; 1 July 1970 - 30 June 1971.
- Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 August 1966 - 31 August 1971.
315th Air Commando Wing, Troop Carrier
315th Air Division
The 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
, based at Tachikawa AB, Japan, exercised command of airlift resources in South Vietnam through the 315th Air Corrrnando Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. However, the Army Military Assistance Conmand (MACV) controlled airlift through the Air Force component of the MACV joint staff, the 2d Air Division. This dual structure of command and control was complex and cumbersome.
The 315th Air Commando Group, (Troop Carrier) was activated at Tan Son Nhut AB on 8 December 1962 and became responsible for all in-country airlift in the Republic of Vietnam, including control over all USAF airlift assets, aerial port squadrons, an aeromedical evacuation squadron, and a special air transport flight of the Royal Australian Air Force. It was re-designated the 315th Air Commando Wing on 8 March 1966.
Squadrons of the 315th ACW/TC were:
- 12th Air Commando Squadron (Defoliation), 15 October 1966 - 15 July 1970 (Bien Hoa) (UC-123 Provider)
- Det 1, 834th Air Division, 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971 (Tan Son Nhut) (C-130 Hercules)
- 19th Air Commando Squadron 8 March 1966 - 15 June 1967 (Tan Son Nhut) (C-123 Provider)
- 309th Air Commando Squadron 8 March 1966 - 15 June 1967 (Phan Rang) (C-123)
- 310th Air Commando Squadron 8 March 1966 - 15 June 1967 (Phan Rang) (C-123)
- 311th Air Commando Squadron 8 March 1966 - 15 June 1967 (Phan Rang) (C-123)
- Det 1., HQ 315th Air Commando Wing, Troop Carrier 1 August - 15 October 1966
- Det 5., HQ 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo) 8 March - 15 October 1966
- Det 6., HQ 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo) 8 March - 15 October 1966
- Royal Australian Air Force Transport Flight, Vietnam (RTFV)No. 35 Squadron RAAFNo. 35 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force transport unit. First formed in 1942, No. 35 Squadron saw action in World War II and the Vietnam War.-History:...
8 March - 15 October 1966.
The unit also performed C-123 airlift operations in Vietnam. Operations included aerial movement of troops and cargo, flare drops, aeromedical evacuation, and air-drops of critical supplies and paratroops.
Operation Ranch Hand
The 315th ACG was responsible for Operation Ranch HandOperation Ranch Hand
Operation Ranch Hand was a U.S. Military operation during the Vietnam War, lasting from 1962 until 1971. It was part of the overall herbicidal warfare program during the war called "Operation Trail Dust"...
Defoliant operations missions. South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem requested USAF help to remove enemy cover. The USAF's Special Aerial Spray Flight was already using C-123s in the U.S. to control mosquitoes. After some modifications to the aircraft (which included adding armor for the crew), C-123B Provider aircraft arrived in Southeast Asia in January 1962 under the code name "Ranch Hand".
Flying specially-equipped C-123 Providers, members of the squadron flew low and slow to reduce the risks to our soldiers on the ground and to expose the enemy. Ranch Hand never had more than five C-123Bs. Sometimes these aircraft had their spray equipment removed to conduct regular airlift flights, and it appeared that the defoliation mission might be eliminated altogether. With the increased U.S. commitment in South Vietnam in 1964 and 1965, however, requests for defoliation soared.
Ranch Hand grew into an essential part of the war effort, with over six million acres sprayed in South Vietnam between 1965 and 1969. Beginning in 1965 with only four aircraft, by the middle of 1969 Ranch Hand had about 25 UC-123 aircraft available for missions. On 15 October 1966, Ranch Hand became the mission of the 12th Air Commando Squadron.
In 1965 Ranch Hand began using a very effective defoliant called Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
, and the range of targets grew considerably. The Agent Orange controversy later became both a political and veterans' issue. Operation Sherwood Forest sprayed the key Viet Cong-controlled Boi Loi Woods northwest of Saigon, and Operation Swamp Fox targeted the mangrove forests used by the communist for shelter in the Mekong Delta. Late in the year, operations extended into the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. A flood of defoliation requests came in, and the small number of crews flew constantly.
The defoliation of vital enemy strongholds, transportation routes, and crops forced the communists to vigorously defend against the spraying. Ranch Hand aircraft regularly received damage on missions -- considering their low altitude, low speed and large size, they were easy to hit. Ranch Hand maintainers worked constantly to repair the damage and get their UC-123s ready for the next mission. In addition to engines and flight controls shot out, and several crewmen wounded and killed, Ranch Hand lost five UC-123s in combat between 1966 and 1968.
In February 1967, Ranch Hand was ordered for the first time to fly missions over the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Vietnam. These missions helped uncover infiltration routes from the north and expose stockpiles of supplies hidden in the DMZ. By June, 1967, the number of UC-123s had increased to 20.
During the Tet Offensive in early 1968, spraying operations were temporarily halted in favor of airlift missions. Between Feb. 5 and March 20, Ranch Hand UC-123s flew 2,866 airlift sorties.
The 315th ACW was transferred to Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
on 14 June 1967. With the Vietnamization drawdown in 1969, Ranch Hand was reduced from 25 to 13 aircraft. In 1970 Agent Orange was discontinued, and the existing stocks of Agent White ran out in May 1970. After the last anti-crop mission in January 1971, anti-mosquito spraying continued for a short time after, and then Ranch Hand ended.
834th Air Division
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
, providing an intermediate command and control organization and also act as host unit for the USAF forces at Tan Son Nhut Air Base..
The 834th AD was formed from the 315th Troop Carrier Group (Combat Cargo) and 8th Aerial Port Squadron of the former C-123 Provider "Mule Train" units, and the "Dirty Thirty" provisional transport units. Initially the 834th AD had a strength of twenty-seven officers and twenty-one airmen, all of whom were on permanent assignment to Tan Son Nhat.
The Air Division served as a single manager for all tactical airlift operations in South Vietnam, using air transport to haul cargo and troops, which were air-landed or air-dropped, as combat needs dictated through December 1971. The 834th Air Division became the largest tactical airlift force in the world. It was capable of performing a variety of missions. In addition to
airlift of cargo and personnel and VNAF training. its missions and activities included "Ranch Hand" defoliation and insecticide spraying, psychological leaflet distribution, helicopter landing zone preparation, airfield survey and the operation of aerial ports.
Units it directly controlled were:
- 315th Air Commando (later, 315th Special Operations; 315th Tactical Airlift) Wing315th Airlift WingThe 315th Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is stationed at Charleston Air Force Base, in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina...
: 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971
- Located at: Tan Son Nhut AB; later Phan Rang AB (15 June 1967-1 December 1971) UC-123 ProviderC-123 ProviderThe C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
. Composed of four C-123 squadrons with augmentation by C-130 Hercules transports from the 315th Air Division315th Air DivisionThe 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
, Tachikawa AB, Japan.- 2 C-123 Squadrons (32 a/c) at Tan Son Nhut AB; one (16 a/c) at Nha Trang AB; one (16 a/c) at Da Nang AB.
- C-130 aircraft assignments were 20 aircraft at Tan Son Nhut; 8 at Nha Trang; 1 at Da Nang, along with 10 at Cam Ranh AB; 4 at Don Muang RTAFB and 5 at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand
- 483d Troop Carrier (later, 483d Tactical Airlift) Wing483d Composite WingThe 483d Composite Wing was a tactical airlift and composite wing assigned to Pacific Air Forces during the Vietnam War. It was the host organization at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base South Vietnam from 1970–1972....
: 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971
- Located at: Cam Ranh AB 5 C-7A Caribou squadrons (Taken over from US Army), C-130B Hercules (Det 2, 834th AD)
- 2 C-7A Caribu squadrons at Phu Cat AB.
- 2d Aerial Port Group (Tan Son Nhut)
- 8th Aerial Port Squadron, Tan Son Nhut (16 detachments)
- 14th Aerial Port Squadron, Cam Ranh AB (13 detachments)
- 15th Aerial Port Squadron, Da Nang AB (14 detachments)
- Detachments were located at various points where airlift activity warranted continuous but less extensive aerial port services. Aerial port personnel loaded, unloaded, and stored cargo and processed passengers at each location.
The 834th AD also directed its crews to fly aeromedical evacuations missions within South Vietnam in support of the 903d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Phu Cat AB, using C-7 Caribus and C-118 Liftmasters operating from mobile casualty staging facilities at medical field stations having operating airfields.
In addition, the 834th supervised transport operations (primarily C-47's) of the South Vietnamese Air Force and six A-4 Wallaby transports operated by the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
35 Squadron at Vung Tau Army Airfield
Vung Tau Airport
Vung Tau Airport is a small airport in southern Vietnam. The airport serves the city of Vung Tau and is located near the downtown of the city.-Facilities:There is a 1,800 m paved runway...
. The 834th's flying components also performed defoliation missions, propaganda leaflet drops, and other special missions.
C-123s from the Divisions's 311th Special Operations Squadron, (315th TAW) flew supplies into the surrounded Khe Sanh Combat Base
Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam , between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War...
, Vietnam in 1968 in relief of Marines and Army units there. C-130s and C-7s also flew highly hazardous missions, dropping cargo on the dirt airstrip at the outpost. The 834th received the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
recognizing their effort.
The Cambodian campaign was an incursion into Cambodia by United States and South Vietnamese armed forces in May and June 1970. The objective was to destroy fac11ities and supplies stored by the North Vietnamese within Cambodia. which the US had previously regarded as a sanctuary. The operation was supported heavily by tactical air strike and airlift forces. All three types of airlift aircraft (C-123, C-130, C-7) were employed by the 834th AD operating into 24 jungle airfields along the South Vietnam-Cambodian border, and airlifting more than 52.000 tons of supplies and equipment and 98,000 troops and passengers.
C-l30s airdropped ammunition and supplies to fire base personnel and Cambodian troops, and during the last week of June, C-7s and C-123s evacuated more than 3,000 Cambodian refugees from the
Cambodian airstrips of Bung Lung and Ba Kev
During its last few months, the 834th worked toward passing combat airlift control to Seventh Air Force. On 1 December 1971 the 834th AD inactivated as part of the USAF withdrawal of forces from Vietnam,
377th Air Base Wing
377th Air Base Wing
The 377th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.-Mission:Provide world-class nuclear surety, expeditionary forces, and support to base operations.-Units:...
was responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the USAF portion of the facility from April 1966 until the last USAF personnel withdrew from South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
in March 1973.
In addition, the 377th ABW was responsible for housing numerous tenant organizations including Seventh Air Force, base defense, and liaison with South Vietnamese Air Force.
The 377th was also responsible for Binh Thuy Air Base
Binh Thuy Air Base
Binh Thuy Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam, It was constructed by the United States in 1965 and used by the South Vietnamese Air Force and the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the IV Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army...
12 May-1 July 1970. In addition, the Wing operated a Combat Crew Training School at Phu Cat Air Base
Phu Cat Air Base
Phu Cat Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Qui Nhon in Binh Dinh Province....
, with C-7
De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
aircraft, 15 March - October 1972.
Units assigned to the 377 ABW were:
- 834th Air Division (T-39, C-54, C-47, C-118, C-130)
- 7th Air Force (C-47, C-123 and C-54)
Inactivation
In 1972 deactivating USAF units throughout South Vietnam began to administratively assign units w/o equipment or personnel to the 377th ABW:From Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
:
- 8th Special Operations Squadron8th Special Operations SquadronThe 8th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates CV-22 Osprey in support of special operations.-Mission:...
15 January - 25 October 1972 - 9th Special Operations Squadron 21 January - 29 February 1972
From Cam Ranh Air Base
Cam Ranh Air Base
Cam Ranh Air Base is located on Cam Ranh Bay in the province of Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. It was one of several South Vietnamese Air Force air bases built and used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War...
:
- 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron 15 March 1972 - 23 February 1973
From Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
- 310th Tactical Airlift Squadron January–June 1972 and March–October 1972 (C-123, C-7B)
- 360th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron970th Airborne Air Control SquadronThe 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron is part of the 513th Air Control Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.-History:...
1 February - 24 November 1972
All of these units were administratively inactivated in place at Tan Son Nhut.
An operating location of the wing headquarters was established at Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
on 14 April 1972 to provide turnaround service for F-4s
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
of other organizations, mostly based in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It was replaced on 20 June 1972 by Detachment l of the 377th Wing headquarters, which continued the F-4 turnaround service and added A-7
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
for the deployed 354th Tactical Fighter Wing aircraft based at Korat RTAFB, Thailand on 30 October 1972. The detachment continued operations through 11 February 1973.
The 377th ABW phased down for inactivation during February and March 1973, transferring many assets to the South Vietnamese Air Force. Decorations awarded to the wing for its Vietnam service were:
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" Device: 8 April 1966-31 May 1967; 31 January-31 March 1968: 1 April 1969-31 March 1971: 17 January 1972-28 February 1973.
- Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 April 1966-28 January 1973.
When deactivated on 28 March 1973, the 377th Air Base Wing was the last USAF unit in South Vietnam.
Accidents and incidents
- On 18 February 1968, Douglas C-47D 43-48471 of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
crashed on take-off. All three people on board survived.
See also
- Republic of Vietnam Air ForceVietnam Air ForceThe Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
- United States Air Force In South VietnamUnited States Air Force In South VietnamWhat began as a military aid program by the United States in 1950 to assist the French in subduing communist rebels in French Indochina, became, by 1965 an all-out war between South Vietnam and North Vietnam in which the United States was deeply involved...
- United States Pacific Air ForcesUnited States Pacific Air ForcesPacific Air Forces is a Major Command of the United States Air Force. PACAF is also the air component of the United States Pacific Command . PACAF is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii. It is one of two USAF Major Commands assigned outside of the Continental United States, the other...
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
Other sources
- Endicott, Judy G. (1999) Active Air Force wings as of 1 October 1995; USAF active flying, space, and missile squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. CD-ROM.
- Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History. ISBN 0887405134.
- Mesco, Jim (1987) VNAF South Vietnamese Air Force 1945-1975 Squadron/Signal Publications. ISBN 0-89747-193-8
- Mikesh, Robert C. (2005) Flying Dragons: The South Vietnamese Air Force. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0764321587
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
- USAF Historical Research Division/Organizational History Branch - 35th Fighter Wing, 366th Wing
- VNAF - The South Vietnamese Air Force 1951-1975
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present