a1h

The aircraft escorting the AC-119K is a Douglas A-1H (AD-6) Skyraider, USAF Serial No. 52-139608 (ex- US Navy BuNo 139608), "Blood Sweat Tears," of the 1st Special Operations Squadron (SOS), 56th Special Operations Wing (SOW). It would later be transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF).

Douglas AD-6 Skyraider 137532 VA-165 ‘Boomers’ Modex 504, code AH of CVG-16. Circa 1961. Carrier Air Group 16 was assigned to CVA-34 USS Oriskany and the Pacific Ocean region. Douglas AD-6 (A-1H) Skyraider BuNo 137532 *9/22/1964: Struck off charge at NAS Alameda, CA. *Transferred to the USAF as 52-137532. *Transferred to the South Vietnamese AF. *518th Squadron. *12/30/1967: December 30, 1967. Written off.

The aircraft depicted in the clip above is a US Navy Douglas A-1H (AD-6) Skyraider, BuNo 134619 (c/n 9848), belonging to VA-152. This aircraft would be lost in combat to AAA fire near Son La Province, North Vietnam on August 29, 1965. Naval aviator Lieut. Edd David Taylor (USN) would perish in the crash of the aircraft. Taylor was flying as part of a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission seeking the rescue of F-105 pilot Captain Wesley D. Schierman, who was shot down on his 37th combat mission over North Vietnam on August 28, 1965. Lt. Taylor was on his third low-level pass trying to locate the source of an emergency radio beeper when his plane was struck by ground fire. Schierman was captured and would spend the rest of the war as a Prisoner of War. See: navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?c...