Bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base | |||||||
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Part of Fall of Saigon, Vietnam War | |||||||
On 28 April 1975, Tan Son Nhut Air Base became the target of North Vietnam's first successful air-attack against a South Vietnamese target | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
South Vietnam | North Vietnam | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Nguyen Huu Tan | Nguyen Van Luc | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
5th Air Force Division | Quyet Thang Squadron | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 air force division | 1 squadron | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3 F-5, 4 C-119, 3 C-47 and 1 DC-3 destroyed[1] | None |
History of Ho Chi Minh City |
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Metro • Names (district names) • Organised crime |
Vietnam portal |
The Bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base occurred on April 28, 1975, just two days before the Fall of Saigon. The bombing operation was carried out by the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) Quyet Thang Squadron, using captured Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) A-37 Dragonfly aircraft flown by VPAF pilots and RVNAF defectors led by Nguyen Thanh Trung who had bombed the Presidential Palace in Saigon on 8 April 1975.
In 1973, by the time the Paris Peace Accords were concluded, South Vietnam possessed the fourth largest air force in the world. Despite their size, however, RVNAF operations were severely curtailed due to cutbacks in U.S. military aid. Furthermore, the RVNAF were prevented from undertaking reconnaissance and ground support missions due to the threat posed by formidable anti-aircraft weapons deployed by North Vietnam. When the North Vietnamese military renewed their offensive early in 1975, the RVNAF was handicapped and many of their aircraft were either lost or captured as formations of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) swept through the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.