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Montagnard tribespeople waiting to board an Air America C-130.
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1967
Hmong Auto Defense de Choc (ADC) soldiers preparing a cargo sling for an Air America helicopter bound for nearby Phou Pha Thi (LS 85), a mountain military post with a U.S. Air Force radar station site on top. Houei Kha Moun, a Striped Hmong village, was a key supply point for the mountain post and Ernest Kuhn (USAID Refugee Operations Officer)'s Sam Neua base 1967-68.
Hmong Auto Defense de Choc (ADC) soldiers preparing a cargo sling for an Air America helicopter bound for nearby Phou Pha Thi (LS 85), a mountain military post with a U.S. Air Force radar station site on top. Houei Kha Moun, a Striped Hmong village, was a key supply point for the mountain post and Ernest Kuhn (USAID Refugee Operations Officer)'s Sam Neua base 1967-68.
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1969
People watching an Air America C-46 dropping supplies.
People watching an Air America C-46 dropping supplies.
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1970
Air America pilot Pat Thurston examines photographs with Robert Wofford at the Wofford's home.
Air America pilot Pat Thurston examines photographs with Robert Wofford at the Wofford's home.
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1971
Robert Wofford with the family of Phil & Joanie Newell as it prepares to board a helicopter flight to Udorn, Thailand from the high ground at That Luang during the flooding in Vientiane. The U.S. Embassy provided small FM receivers for updates on the Mekong River and emergency instructions to those who remained in the capital.
Robert Wofford with the family of Phil & Joanie Newell as it prepares to board a helicopter flight to Udorn, Thailand from the high ground at That Luang during the flooding in Vientiane. The U.S. Embassy provided small FM receivers for updates on the Mekong River and emergency instructions to those who remained in the capital.
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August 1971
Rice in 100 kilogram bags secured by chains in the hold of an Air America C-123 plane for transportation from Udorn, Thailand, to Ban Xon in northeastern Laos.
Rice in 100 kilogram bags secured by chains in the hold of an Air America C-123 plane for transportation from Udorn, Thailand, to Ban Xon in northeastern Laos.
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1967
An early morning view of aircraft on the Air America ramp in Saigon.
An early morning view of aircraft on the Air America ramp in Saigon.
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If Air America had CH-3Es in their inventory, I just learned something new today . . .
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shot down by uh-1,i read this story
montagnard in laos!?
maj.gen.jamrong srimoung,former royal thai army,talked this story in his pockey book about his life.when he is captain,he served in phou pha thi with us,military and hmong army,before nva invaded and lost this radar station!
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that radar site was destroy by our special force , they climb the rock mountain side which surprise the American , there also a radar site being destroy by il28 raid the first and only mission of the il28 befor it being retired seem like soviet supply to us mostly 2 hand plane and weapon . btw yup those re not montagnard , montagnard are refer to ethnic minority in central high land ( ede / grai / .... ) while lao also have some ethnic minority like Vietnam but from the photo it seem like it a Tai ethnic tribe ,I heard a lot of thai was hired by American to fight in lao after hmong in lao were destroy by NVA and our allied pathet lao to the the point that hmong have to recruit they children and elder , chose the wrong side affect lao hmong for years lost so many of they own people for nothing , while vang pao and other hmong leader benefit the most and live a comfy live in America , btw AO-SEPIA do you know about the thai-lao border clash ? I heard in the 80s thai and lao have a border fight over a village
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btw fun fact a air American h-34 was transfer to lao royal airforce which later the pilot defect to Vietnam side , our airforce first plane to shot down a plane was a t28 Trainer that also defect from lao side and another neary intact t28 was capture in north central Vietnam after a thai air American pilot lost and land in there ( no information about the pilot so much be evacuated by air american helicopter ) with the part from the thai t28 the t28 was fully in flight condition and later shot down a south Vietnam cargo plane that carry spy ( btw early in the war the south Vietnam drop a lot of spy in north Vietnam most of them were capture , if not kill from the airdrop )
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LS 85: In the Jaws of the Enemy
"... it appears we may have pushed our luck one day too long in attempting to keep this facility in operation ..."
- Cable from William Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Laos, to the U.S. State Department, March 11, 1968
In the fall of 1967, the U.S. secretly put a modified COMBAT SKY SPOT radar on a remote Laotian mountain close to North Vietnam. The installation became known as LS 85 (or Site 85).
The location of LS 85 created complicated military and political problems. It was only 15 miles away from the border with North Vietnam and was surrounded by numerous communist troops. Moreover, the U.S. could not legally have an overt military presence because of official Laotian neutrality.
The top-secret radar program, code-named HEAVY GREEN, was manned by hand-picked, volunteer USAF technicians. These men were "sheep dipped" -- they "officially" left the Air Force and became civilians but remained under its command. When the mission was over, they were to be reinstated in the Air Force with no loss of rank or pay.
LS 85 guided bombing strikes, code-named COMMANDO CLUB, began on Nov. 1, 1967. For the next 4-1/2 months, LS 85 technicians guided USAF strikes against North Vietnam despite some of the worst weather encountered during the ROLLING THUNDER campaign. They also directed thousands of air strikes against communist forces in Laos.
On the night of March 10, 1968, this thorn in the side of the enemy became the scene of heroism and tragedy. Specially-trained enemy troops scaled the cliffs and overran LS 85, killing most of the technicians there.
Ridgeline on Phou Pha Thi and the COMBAT SKY SPOT radar site known as LS 85 (or Site 85). (U.S. Air Force photo).
Reconnaissance photograph of LS 85 six days after it was overrun. (U.S. Air Force photo).
The enemy moved and attacked under the cover of monsoon rains, low-laying clouds and darkness. The U.S. Air Force was hampered during these times by a limited all-weather and night bombing capability.
The U.S. Air Force adapted an existing system to address this problem. To train its crews, the U.S. Air Force had long used a ground-based radar system to predict the point of impact for a simulated bomb drop. In Southeast Asia, the U.S. Air Force essentially used it in reverse under the code name COMBAT SKY SPOT. The impact point was the target, and the radar team guided the flight crew through to bomb release.
Between 1966 and the end of combat operations in 1973, COMBAT SKY SPOT teams successfully directed thousands of B-52 strikes and tactical bombing missions.
With a maximum range of about 230 miles, COMBAT SKY SPOT radars covered most areas of interest, with the notable exception of northern North Vietnam. The installation of a modified COMBAT SKY SPOT site on LS 85 in 1967 covered this gap. (U.S. Air Force photo)
"... it appears we may have pushed our luck one day too long in attempting to keep this facility in operation ..."
- Cable from William Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Laos, to the U.S. State Department, March 11, 1968
In the fall of 1967, the U.S. secretly put a modified COMBAT SKY SPOT radar on a remote Laotian mountain close to North Vietnam. The installation became known as LS 85 (or Site 85).
The location of LS 85 created complicated military and political problems. It was only 15 miles away from the border with North Vietnam and was surrounded by numerous communist troops. Moreover, the U.S. could not legally have an overt military presence because of official Laotian neutrality.
The top-secret radar program, code-named HEAVY GREEN, was manned by hand-picked, volunteer USAF technicians. These men were "sheep dipped" -- they "officially" left the Air Force and became civilians but remained under its command. When the mission was over, they were to be reinstated in the Air Force with no loss of rank or pay.
LS 85 guided bombing strikes, code-named COMMANDO CLUB, began on Nov. 1, 1967. For the next 4-1/2 months, LS 85 technicians guided USAF strikes against North Vietnam despite some of the worst weather encountered during the ROLLING THUNDER campaign. They also directed thousands of air strikes against communist forces in Laos.
On the night of March 10, 1968, this thorn in the side of the enemy became the scene of heroism and tragedy. Specially-trained enemy troops scaled the cliffs and overran LS 85, killing most of the technicians there.
Ridgeline on Phou Pha Thi and the COMBAT SKY SPOT radar site known as LS 85 (or Site 85). (U.S. Air Force photo).
Reconnaissance photograph of LS 85 six days after it was overrun. (U.S. Air Force photo).
The enemy moved and attacked under the cover of monsoon rains, low-laying clouds and darkness. The U.S. Air Force was hampered during these times by a limited all-weather and night bombing capability.
The U.S. Air Force adapted an existing system to address this problem. To train its crews, the U.S. Air Force had long used a ground-based radar system to predict the point of impact for a simulated bomb drop. In Southeast Asia, the U.S. Air Force essentially used it in reverse under the code name COMBAT SKY SPOT. The impact point was the target, and the radar team guided the flight crew through to bomb release.
Between 1966 and the end of combat operations in 1973, COMBAT SKY SPOT teams successfully directed thousands of B-52 strikes and tactical bombing missions.
With a maximum range of about 230 miles, COMBAT SKY SPOT radars covered most areas of interest, with the notable exception of northern North Vietnam. The installation of a modified COMBAT SKY SPOT site on LS 85 in 1967 covered this gap. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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THE SECRET WAR
In response to a Laotian request for assistance, the U.S. initiated covert operations to keep "neutral" Laos from falling to the communist offensive across the Plain of Jars. The U.S. ambassador in Laos assumed control of all US operations in northern Laos, including the CIA-operated Air America fleet, and approved all targets struck by U.S. forces. BARREL ROLL was the code name for this area of operations.
WATER PUMP
In 1964 the USAF began providing aircraft and flight instruction to the Royal Laotian Air Force (RLAF). Under the name WATER PUMP, USAF Air Commandos in Thailand trained RLAF, Thai and civilian Air America pilots to fly armed T-28 trainers and C-47 cargo aircraft in support of Laotian ground forces. WATER PUMP later expanded to include forward air control, armed reconnaissance and close air support strikes by USAF Air Commandos flying from Udorn Air Base in Thailand.
OPERATION BARREL ROLL
In the spring of 1964 Pathet Lao (Laotian communists) and North Vietnamese troops drove Laotian forces from the Plain of Jars in northern Laos. At first, the USAF only flew unarmed reconnaissance missions. As the situation grew worse, the USAF began flying combat strike missions in northern Laos in under the code name BARREL ROLL. Strike aircraft used during BARREL ROLL included F-100s, F-105s and F-4s based in Thailand and South Vietnam (no USAF jet combat aircraft were stationed in "neutral" Laos).
When the dry season in the fall of 1965 made offensive ground operations on the Plain of Jars possible, the communists launched their largest offensive to date. Air power gradually slowed the Pathet Lao advance, and by August 1966, a Royal Laotian counterattack had advanced to within 45 miles of the North Vietnamese border. North Vietnam responded by sending in more troops, and once again the Laotians retreated. This remained the pattern for the next two years, with the ground situation changing back and forth with the seasons. The USAF flew thousands of BARREL ROLL missions, but poor weather at times caused missions to be cancelled.
In 1970 fresh North Vietnamese troops advanced through northern Laos. In February USAF B-52s bombed targets in northern Laos for the first time. Laotian reinforcements, along with the AC-47 gunships the USAF had provided to the Royal Laotian Air Force, stopped the enemy. For the rest of the year, it remained a "seesaw" military campaign. Through 1972, the communists slowly occupied more territory in northern Laos with their superior numbers, but they failed to overwhelm government forces.
Often forced to operate from short, crude and isolated landing strips known as Lima Sites, Air America relied on helicopters and rugged light aircraft like this Pilatus PC-6 Porter. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Thailand-based U.S. Air Force aircraft used to train Thai, Laotian and CIA pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Damage caused by a communist ground attack on Luang Prabang airfield, Laos, 1967. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Unmarked T-28 attach aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo).
In response to a Laotian request for assistance, the U.S. initiated covert operations to keep "neutral" Laos from falling to the communist offensive across the Plain of Jars. The U.S. ambassador in Laos assumed control of all US operations in northern Laos, including the CIA-operated Air America fleet, and approved all targets struck by U.S. forces. BARREL ROLL was the code name for this area of operations.
WATER PUMP
In 1964 the USAF began providing aircraft and flight instruction to the Royal Laotian Air Force (RLAF). Under the name WATER PUMP, USAF Air Commandos in Thailand trained RLAF, Thai and civilian Air America pilots to fly armed T-28 trainers and C-47 cargo aircraft in support of Laotian ground forces. WATER PUMP later expanded to include forward air control, armed reconnaissance and close air support strikes by USAF Air Commandos flying from Udorn Air Base in Thailand.
OPERATION BARREL ROLL
In the spring of 1964 Pathet Lao (Laotian communists) and North Vietnamese troops drove Laotian forces from the Plain of Jars in northern Laos. At first, the USAF only flew unarmed reconnaissance missions. As the situation grew worse, the USAF began flying combat strike missions in northern Laos in under the code name BARREL ROLL. Strike aircraft used during BARREL ROLL included F-100s, F-105s and F-4s based in Thailand and South Vietnam (no USAF jet combat aircraft were stationed in "neutral" Laos).
When the dry season in the fall of 1965 made offensive ground operations on the Plain of Jars possible, the communists launched their largest offensive to date. Air power gradually slowed the Pathet Lao advance, and by August 1966, a Royal Laotian counterattack had advanced to within 45 miles of the North Vietnamese border. North Vietnam responded by sending in more troops, and once again the Laotians retreated. This remained the pattern for the next two years, with the ground situation changing back and forth with the seasons. The USAF flew thousands of BARREL ROLL missions, but poor weather at times caused missions to be cancelled.
In 1970 fresh North Vietnamese troops advanced through northern Laos. In February USAF B-52s bombed targets in northern Laos for the first time. Laotian reinforcements, along with the AC-47 gunships the USAF had provided to the Royal Laotian Air Force, stopped the enemy. For the rest of the year, it remained a "seesaw" military campaign. Through 1972, the communists slowly occupied more territory in northern Laos with their superior numbers, but they failed to overwhelm government forces.
Often forced to operate from short, crude and isolated landing strips known as Lima Sites, Air America relied on helicopters and rugged light aircraft like this Pilatus PC-6 Porter. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Thailand-based U.S. Air Force aircraft used to train Thai, Laotian and CIA pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Damage caused by a communist ground attack on Luang Prabang airfield, Laos, 1967. (U.S. Air Force photo).
Unmarked T-28 attach aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo).
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