China Airlines in Action

Under the code name Southern Star (南星計畫), the China Airlines Ltd. and its CAF counterpart Black Bat Sqn. had conducted a special warfare over North Vietnam for 14 years.  In 1960 the president of Republic of Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem requested a military cooperation with ROC, and triggered a long CAL clandestine operation in Vietnam War under the ROC Military Assistance Advisory Group.

The CAL started in Dec 1959; its twin PBY Catalinas, 26 staff and few support equipments all came from its big brother CAF.  In struggling, the new startup joined Vietnam War for cash flow via international alliance.  With a strict engagement ban over north latitude 17° imposed on the USAAF, the US asked ROC to take over the secret airdrop into North Vietnam.  Using two mothballed CAF’s C-46s with newly-purchased R-2800 engines installed, the CAL launched its Southern Star No.1 in 1962-63.  During a prolonged overflight for identifying drop zone, a C-46 exposed its course to the Vietnam People’s Army.  This DZ info leaks caused the second Commando shot down in the next sortie, all its crews killed.

South Star No.1 merged into No.2 then 3, its profit began beefing up CAL’s vigor, the buildup was the arrival of Douglas DC-4/C-54, Lockheed L-1049, Nihon Aircraft YS-11, Boeing B-727, etc.  But their baptism of fire was costly, 14 aircraft lost and 49 crewmen perished.  30 Apr, 1975, the last CAL charter plane arrived Tan Son Nhat airport for urgent evacuation, ground crews must removed the cabin seats to squeeze all the panic ROC aliens.  Under the VPA crossfire and bullets riddled the empennage, the overloaded transport took into the Saigon air by its war-hardened pilots.  Soon after the ROV capital was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.