Tan Son Nhut Air Base

History

Tan Son Nhut Air Base (Vietnamese: Căn cứ không quân Tân Sơn Nhứt) is a former Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility 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 use today.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport (IATA: SGN, ICAO: VVTS) has been a major Vietnamese civil airport since the 1920s. Over time the Vietnam Air Defence - Air Force's military activities at the airport have been gradually reduced due to the airport's proximity to downtown Ho Chi Minh City, as well as military lands having been converted and utilized for civilian facilities and developments.

Text from Wikipedia: Tan Son Nhut Air Base, CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Key dates

1. 1961
   In 1961, the government of South Vietnam requested the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) to plan for expansion of the Tan Son Nhut airport.
2. 1963
   The plotters invited loyalist officers to a routine lunch meeting at JGS and captured them in the afternoon of 1 November 1963.
3. 1966
   The reconnaissance Voodoos at Tan Son Nhut were incorporated into the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in February 1966. 1 RF-101C was destroyed in a sapper attack on Tan Son Nhut AB. The last 45th TRS RF-101C left Tan Son Nhut on 16 November 1970.
4. 1966
   On 15 October 1966, the 460th TRW assumed aircraft maintenance responsibilities for Tan Son Nhut AB, including being responsible for all depot-level aircraft maintenance responsibility for all USAF organizations in South Vietnam.
5. 1966
   Det 1, 834th Air Division, 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971 (Tan Son Nhut) (C-130B Hercules)
6. 1967
   On 4 April 1967, project Phyllis Ann changed to become Compass Dart.
7. 1971
   On 1 July 1971 the entire 38th ARRS was inactivated.
8. 1972
   In 1972 inactivating USAF units throughout South Vietnam began to assign units without equipment or personnel to the 377th ABW.
9. 1973
   Congress reflected the popular mood, halting the bombing in Cambodia effective 15 July 1973, and reducing aid to South Vietnam.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Records that place someone at this base

A base history doesn't name everyone who served. These records do:

• Morning reports (include Army Air Forces units)
• Search Army and AAF morning reports, 1912–1946 (National Archives Catalog)
• Air Force organizational records and lineage (AFHRA)

More history

• Air Force Historical Research Agency
• Wikipedia: Tan Son Nhut Air Base