| During the Vietnam war the 505th Tactical Control Group was the
organization primarily responsible for controlling the tactical air
resources of the US and it's allies in South Vietnam, Thailand, and to
some extent Cambodia and Laos. Carrying out the mission of providing
tactical air support required two major components, radar installations
and forward air controllers (FAC's). The radar sites provided flight
separation for attack and transport aircraft which took the form of flight
following and, in some cases control by USAF Weapons Directors.
Forward Air Controllers had the critical job of telling tactical fighters
where to drop their ordinance. FAC's were generally attached to
either US Army or ARVN (Army of Vietnam) units and served both on the
ground and in the air.
As many as 11 different radar sites were set up in
Vietnam and 6 in Thailand. Locations of the radar sites in Vietnam
ranged from Swissboy (Phu
Quoc Island) and Playboy (Ca Mau
in the Mekong Delta) in the south to
Waterboy (Dong Ha) and Pamper
(Quang Tri) near the DMZ. Some sites were short
lived, (Playboy, Penthouse, and Swissboy were all shut down by 1968) while others such as Paris, Panama,
and Lion remained in service virtually from the beginning to the end of
the conflict. The primary radar equipment was generally state of the
art, but, especially in the early years included some of the oldest radar
in the USAF inventory (the primary search radar at Pyramid was a TPS-1D,
built in 1947).
To understand where the radars sites were located and
as an aid to navigating this site, go to the
SEA Map. From the map, you
can click on the radar icon for a site which will take you to the page for
that location. To date, I have been unable to pinpoint where the FAC
detachments were located. Army units moved, Special Forces camps
closed and where the Army went, the FAC's went. Probably the truest
and safest thing to say is that the FAC's probably flew over every square
mile of land in Vietnam during the 7 years of the war.
Headquarters for the 505th was located at Tan Son Nhut AB
in Saigon.
At various times the 505th TCG
was comprised of three radar squadrons, several Tactical Air Support
Squadrons (TASS)*, and a Maintenance Squadron. These units were:
-
The
619th Tactical Control Squadron with responsibility from the Delta to
Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands,
The
620th Tactical Control Squadron with responsibility from Pleiku to the DMZ
this varied; (at one time Peacock at Pleiku was part of the 619th). -
The
621st Tactical Control Squadron which supported tactical air operations
in Thailand).
-
The
19th TASS which operated mainly from the Central Highlands south,
-
The
20th TASS based in Danang
-
The
21st TASS headquarted in Pleiku
-
The
22nd TASS based in Binh Thuy
-
The
23rd TASS in Thailand.
The TASS units flew either the O-1G Birddog, O-2 Skymaster,
or OV-10 Bronco.
Maintenance support was
provided by the
505th Tactical Control Maintenance
Squadron first based in Saigon and later in Bien Hoa. Many of the
radio operators for FAC's in the TASS squadrons were assigned to this unit
under the name Pack Rat.
* A Note regarding the Tac Air Support Squadrons.
At the time this site was originally built, I was under the impression that all
the TASS's were part of the 505th TCG. I have since learned that such was
not the case. However, because of the close ties and the fact that I've
already got information here, unless someone screams loud and long, I'm going to
leave the TASS squadrons in.
Lineage and Honors
For information on the official U.S. Air Force History of the
505th Tac Control Group (now the 505th Air Control Group), click on the AF
Outstanding Unit Citation icon below.
Pictures
Pictures are organized into albums for each unit and/or locations. So,
for example, to see pictures of Ban Me Thuot, go to the 619th TCS page, select
Pyramid, and there will be a link on that page that will take you to the photo
album for that site. If you don't find a link on a page for pictures, it
probably means that we haven't received any. If you've got pictures to
submit, please be sure to read the guidelines for
submittal before you send them in. We have gotten in excess of 500
pictures so far, and it's really important to submit using the guidelines so
that I can do a better job of getting them posted.
How come a 505th TCG website?
I was stationed at Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands of Vietnam from
August 1965 to August 1966 as a Flight Follow Tech.
Since that time, I've not only lost contact with everyone I was stationed
with there, but I've also wondered about how Pyramid managed throughout
the Tet Offensive and what happened to the Vietnamese we worked with when
the whole thing fell apart in 1972. I expect that many of the other folks
who were stationed at various 619th detachments have also lost track of
their buddies and wondered about the places they knew. After seeing the
success of the Airborne Early Warning
Association's web site, I was encouraged to start this site. My hope
is that this site will do at least two things:
- provide a means for the people who worked
in the tactical air control business during those years to get back in touch,
and
- to become a focal point for documenting
some of the history of tactical air control throughout the Vietnam years.
Of course, what will make
this thing "fly" will be your contributions. So keep those "cards
and letters", AKA "no shit stories" and pictures, coming in. Also
please sign the
Logbook. It's a great way to let people know where you are and
how to get in touch. In addition, I maintain a mailing list of
people interested in the goings on with this site. If you want to be
kept posted on changes, updates, etc. send me an email at
webmaster@squawk-flash.org
letting me know that you want to be on the list.
Ken Kimbrough
SSgt
(Pyramid 36)
1965 - 1966
You are visitor number
since Dec. 26, 1997.
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