Page 35 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2020-1

Detachment 2 was immediately thrust into combat operations, supporting Special Forces teams throughout Vietnam and assisting Republic of Vietnam Army forces in fighting communist insurgents.
More and more aircraft and personnel were assigned as the Detachment grew to Squadron and then Group size and, in response to President Kennedy’s call for more unconventional warfare capability, General LeMay established the Air Force Special Air Warfare Center (SAWC) at Eglin AFB, Florida in April 1962.
Additional aircraft were assigned to the SAWC, including the Douglas A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft, Cessna 0-1 Birddog and Cessna 0-2 Skymaster for Forward Air Control (FAC) operations, Cessna A-37 Dragonfly Light Attack aircraft and Curtiss C-46 Commando, Fairchild C-119 Boxcar and C-123 Provider air transports and Helio U-10 Courier.
In Vietnam, Special Forces advisors had
increased from 900 to nearly 15,000 by 1963 and Air Force counter-insurgency support continued to expand throughout the country with additional Air Commando assets based at Soc Trang and Pleiku.
Fairchild C-123 Providers were deployed to Vietnam to provide additional air transport capabilities. Many were outfitted with spray systems to conduct defoliant operations in Operation RANCH HAND, first with Agent Purple and later with Agent Orange. The defoliant flights required the C-123s to fly low and slow in formations of three or four or more and many were shot down or received battle damage. (A UC-123 on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force is nicknamed “Patches” due to repairs of nearly 600 bullet holes in the fuselage). Air Commando T-28s and A-1s provided cover fire to protect the UC-123 air crews (see Dean Hunter’s story on page 40).
Douglas A-1 Skyraider
Nicknamed the “Spad” the A-1 Skyraider carried an enormous
amount of munitions. The A-1 replaced the T-28s and B-26s starting in 1964 and became the primary close air support aircraft for the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.
Operation RANCH HAND Fairchild UC-123B Providers were outfitted with sprayers to conduct defoliant operations in Vietnam to deny enemy insurgents cover and concealment. Deployed in 1961 with Vietnamese Air Force markings, most would later be upgraded to higher performance UC-123Ks with auxiliary jet pods.
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