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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.
Downed USAF Douglas A-1E, pilot was later awarded the Medal of Honor A-1 Skyraider—191 total, 150 in combat . First loss: A-1E 52-132465 (1st Air Commando Squadron [ACS], 34th Tactical Group [TG]) shot down during night training mission on 29 August 1964 near Bien Hoa, SVN (Capt Richard Dean Goss KIA, one RVNAF observer [name unknown] KIA) [12]: 10
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 ...
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.
At 08:00 on 15 April, following the relief of Khe Sanh Combat Base in Operation Pegasus the 3rd Marine Division resumed responsibility for Khe Sanh Combat Base from the 1st Cavalry Division and Operation Scotland II began with the Marines seeking out the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces on the Khe Sanh plateau and across the operational area which comprised the western third of Quảng ...
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first notable modern gunship. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, [2] the popular Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the United States Air Force with three side-firing Miniguns for circling attacks. At the time the aircraft was known as a "Dragonship", "Puff, the Magic ...
Along with the Marine A–6s, United States Air Force (USAF) AC-47 Spooky gunships also took part in the nighttime defense of Thuong Duc. Air strikes proved essential in expelling the PAVN holding out in the village, fighting from new concrete-walled houses, many of them built by the families of Thuong Duc's defenders.
The sappers penetrated the perimeter but were unable to reach the inner perimeter and tactical operations center. At 03:40 a unit from the 1st Brigade reinforced the camp and helicopter gunships and a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) AC-47 provided fire support. The PAVN withdrew by 04:55, leaving 19 dead; U.S. losses were six killed and ...