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The Douglas AC-47 ("Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support .
Later, during the Vietnam era, the 14th Air Commando Squadron, flew Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunships between 1967 and 1968. The 14th flew out of Nha Trang Air Base , Phan Rang Air Base , Bien Hoa Air Base , and Binh Thuy Air Base , providing fire support in defense of US air bases, special forces camps, Republic of Vietnam Army outposts, and South ...
AC-47 Spooky gunship Serial 44-76625 of the 4th Air Commando Squadron, March 1969 AC-119G Shadow gunship Serial 53-3178 17th Special Operations Squadron at Nha Trang. The 14th Air Commando Wing was activated at Nha Trang on 8 March 1966 and it would be the host unit at the base until 15 October 1969 when it moved to Phan Rang Air Base.
Although nominally stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, the squadron was organized at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, where it trained as the first gunship unit in the Air Force for the next three months. It flew night combat missions in South Vietnam manning the Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship beginning in November 1965. By year's ...
On 24 July 3rd Brigade troops found the bodies of 13 PAVN 29 miles (47 km) southwest of Huế. They apparently were killed three weeks previously. [ 2 ] : 46 On 3 August at 21:10 an armored cavalry element under the control of the 3rd Brigade, in a night defensive position 30 miles (48 km) south of Huế was attacked by PAVN.
An AC-47 Spooky gunship also arrived to assist the defenders and together they succeeded in holding back the VC until dawn when a company from the 2/7th Cavalry arrived forcing the VC to withdraw. ARVN losses were 28 killed and 35 wounded, while VC losses were 42 killed.
AC-47 Gunship. The squadron was reactivated in October 1969 at England Air Force Base, Louisiana as the 548th Special Operations Training Squadron. Its mission was to train Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots and crews on the Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship, which the United States was transferring to South Vietnamese control in the conflict ...
An AC-47 Spooky gunship arrived overhead and began spraying the surrounding woods with fire. The PAVN assaulted the southwestern perimeter and at around 20:00 sappers from the 120th Sapper Battalion began to demolish the wire with satchel charges, blowing several gaps in the wire.