The
History of Takhli RTAFB - by Jim Traywick. Excellent chronology
and report on Takhli dating from 1962.
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base |
Thirteenth Air Force Archives history of
Takhli with emphasis on the period from 1971 to 1972 when the base was
reopened by the 49th TFW. Rather incomplete account of the 355th TFW history
from 1965 to 1971.
355th
TAC Fighter Wing History. Details of the Thud era at Takhli.
The
Son Tay Raid - November 21, 1970. Staged out of Taklhi and Udorn
this daring
raid was implemented to rescue up to 500 U.S. POW held in the Son Tay prison,
Hanoi. This
acccount was written by General LeRoy Minor. The Son Tay raid was
executed flawlessly - however no POWs were brought out. Read the whole
story via this linked article.
Son
Tay Raid - Article by C. V. Glines in the Air Force Online magazine from November 1995.
CIA
Tibetan Operations - Article from American Spectator magazine,
mentioning very early use of Takhli as operating base for CIA resupply
of Tibetan freedom fighters in the late 1950s.
Takhli
- The Traywick Connection
- Jim Traywick's entertaining and very interesting accounts of Takhli.
Jim's Takhli connection spans 30 years from his days as F-105 crew
chief in 1969 to F-111 Crew Chief in 1973 and now his present civilian
assignment on Guam coordinating the Cobra Gold exercises. Read Hand
Picked about the Thud Crew Chief with an Ego, There
I Was - a bomb-laden F-111 runway fire and The
Far Side - Jim's story of Cobra Gold 97. Finally for Jim's tribute to his good Thai friend Taweep Choomchoy read the Taweep Tribute.
Constant
Guard III - Lt. Col Edward Mills writes of a TDY tour to Takhli
in 1972 as part of CG III - the intensive bombing campaign waged in an
effort for force Hanoi to the negotiating table. The 49th TFW from Holloman
AFB made a 6 month deployment to Takhli. Col (then Lt and Capt.) Mills
was sent TDY from Langley AFB to augment the 49th Security Police Squadon
and he writes of the challenges of moving back onto Takhli after it had
been vacated in 1970.
My thanks to Jimmy
Butler for locating the the Thirteenth AF report - scanning it and getting
it to me.
Special thanks to
Jim Traywick for compiling the chronology of U.S. presence at Taklhi from
the early 60s to the present. Also to Jim Geddes for pointing me to the
Terry Butler's Son Tay article and the Consatant Guard III report.
email: rjw@sky.net
update 15 mar 99