U.S. Air Force Special Air Warfare Forces (1965)

Synopsis

The US Air Force Film Report, Special Air Warfare Forces (F R 426), produced by Air Photographic and Charting Service, Military Air Transport Service in 1965, shows how the Special Air Warfare Forces are structured and what they do. The film begins with a brief history of the creation and expansion of the Air Force Air Commandos ( 01:13 ), a special force designed to combat communist insurgencies throughout the world. The Air Commando force begins with the activation of 4400 Combat Crew training squadron in April 1961, and initially consists of only 32 aircraft and 360 men. In November 1961, a detachment of the squadron is sent to South Vietnam to train the South Vietnamese Army. Shortly after, the squadron size increases, and the Special Air Warfare Center (SAWC) under Tactical Air Command is established at the Eglin, Florida Air Force base. By 1964, the force expands to four tactical squadrons at Eglin, with several other squadrons stationed throughout the world. Eglin remains the force’s headquarters, where doctrines, tactics, procedures, and equipment for use in special warfare are developed ( 04:30 ). A variety of versatile aircraft is used by the Air Commandos, including modified T-28s ( 05:56 ), B-26 Ks ( 06:45 ), C-123s, C-46s, C-47s, and U-10s ( 07:55 ). Nearly all aircraft are capable of flying photo reconnaissance missions with the specially designed cameras ( 08:15 ). Air Commandos train in the use of the cameras, and they are also trained in processing photos,…

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Details

Running time

27 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage