Republic of Viet-Nam Air Force (VNAF) On 1 June 1951, the French established the Vietnamese Air Training Center at Air Base 194 in Nha Trang. The opening of the training center was seen as the first step towards the creation of a South Vietnamese Air Force independent of the French Armee de l'Air. The Vietnamese Air Force of this period was under the command of the Republic of Viet Nam Armed Forces (RVAF) that operated under strict control of the French until the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954. By July 1951 the Vietnamese Air Force office was officially open in Saigon and the 1st Air Observation Squadron (AOS) was established. While the 1st AOS was ostensibly an independent unit, in reality its crews were generally used as replacements for French squadrons. Training During the early 1950s, Vietnamese pilots and aircrews were routinely trained in France, Morocco and Algeria. In Viet Nam however, Vietnamese pilots generally flew only training and observation missions and the French granted few leadership responsibilities, resulting in an Air Force with low morale and generally inexperienced personnel. The cover in Figure 1 was sent 23 April 1953 to 2nd Lieutenant Pham Ngoc Sang at the Marrakech Air Base in Morocco. Figure 1. Cover sent to Vietnamese Air Force training facility in Morocco Vietnamese Air Force Training 1951-1955 Viet Nam     Nha Trang Air Training Center / Air Instruction Center France     Auxerre Air Base (Communications)     Avord Air Base (Transports)         View 1954 cover >     Chamberry Air Base (Mechanics)     Orleans Bricy Air Base (?)     Rochefort Air Base (Mechanics)     Salon Air Base (Air Force Academy)     Toulouse-Francazal Air Base1         View 1955 cover > Morocco     Marrakech Air Base (Fighters)         View 1953 cover >     Meknes Air Base (Fighters)     Fez Air Base (Air Navigation)     Khouribga Air Base (Fighter Gunnery) Algeria     Blida Air Base Source: Flying Dragons - The South Vietnamese Air Force, Robert C. Mikesh, except 1 based on cover in author's collection. Figure 2. Many VNAF pilots trained in the United States. By 1955 France had withdrawn most of its troops from Viet Nam and the United States, who had provided economic and material support for the war since 1950 via the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP), began its first steps towards establishing a significant military presence in the country. On 1 July 1955, the South Vietnamese Air Force (Khong Quan), more commonly known as the VNAF, was established as a distinct military unit with 58 aircraft and some 1,300 personnel. Over the course of the following 20 years, the VNAF would eventually become one of the world's largest and most experienced air forces. VNAF United States Training Locations 1957-1972 Arizona     Williams AFB (F5-A training) California     Naval Air Station LeMoore, San Diego (Attack Squadron 122) Florida     Graham AFB, Marianna         View 1959 cover > Georgia     Moody AFB, Valdosta (1961-1963) Hawaii     Hickam Air Field, Honolulu Mississippi     Keesler AFB, Biloxi         View 1971 cover > Ohio     Clinton County AFB, (Training for AC-119 air craft) Texas     Randolph AFB, San Antonio         View 1970 cover >     Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (Aviation Training Unit 301)     Lackland AFB (Defense Language Institute)         View 1971 cover > Source: Flying Dragons - The South Vietnamese Air Force, Robert C. Mikesh. Many Vietnamese aircrews headed for training in the United States underwent English language training at the RVN Armed Forces Language Institute in Saigon or the English Language School in Nha Trang. VNAF Training Viet Nam Locations 1955-1975 Bien Hoa     Bien Hoa Air Base - Air Base 23* Binh Thuy     Binh Thuy Air Base Da Nang     Da Nang Air Base - Air Base 41 Nha Trang     Air Training Center - Air Base 12         View 1975 cover > Pleiku     Pleiku Air Base - Air Base 62 Tan Son Nhut (Saigon)     Technical Training Center - Air Base 33 (KBC 3011)         View 1967 cover >     Officer Training Academy (KBC 4324)         View 1971 cover > * The first digit of the Air Base number indicates the order in which the airfield was established as a military base. The second digit indicates the Military Region in which it is located. Introduction & Training | Recruiting Slogans | Identification | Related Military Documents | Conclusion < Imnaha Stamps Home Original content ©2008 Andrew Crenshaw - All Rights Reserved.