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      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
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    • 1973: Winding Up the War
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The C-7 Caribou (Aug 1967)

The Canadian-built C-7 Caribou was first sent to Southeast Asia with the US Army’s 1st Aviation Company which deployed to Thailand on 23 July 1962. The Company moved to Vung Tau in South Vietnam in December 1962 where a second company joined it in July 1963. By 1966 the Army was operating six companies with a total of 96 Caribous in Vietnam. However, early in that year the Army agreed to the transfer of all C-7s to the USAF in a rationalisation of roles and missions. The aircraft had a remarkable STOL performance and was particularly suited to operating into short, primitive airstrips where the C-123 or C-130 could not land. Replacement of Army personnel in the Caribou squadrons by Air Force air and ground crew began in July 1966 but the aircraft were not officially handed over until 1 January 1967. Meanwhile the 483rd TCW was activated at Cam Ranh Bay on 15 October 1966 to take over the C-7s from the Army. Six squadrons were activated to replace the six Army companies, two at Cam Ranh Bay, two at Vung Tau and two at Phu Cat. Even before the handover six USAF personnel assigned to the 6252nd Operations Squadron were killed flying Caribous while still under Army control. The Caribou squadrons were usually dedicated to supporting Army units in specific military regions of South Vietnam. The 537th TAS was even more specifically assigned and worked primarily for the 1st Cavalry Division flying logistics, troop transport, courier, aeromedical evacuation and radio relay missions. The Caribou’s finest hours would come during emergency resupply operations to remote Special Forces camps and fire bases such as Dak Pek, Dak Seang and Duc Lap. The aircraft was also used by Air America in Laos where its short-field performance again proved very useful.

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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