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Military Operation

Operation Babylift

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Operation Babylift was the mass evacuation of more than 3,300 children from South Vietnam to the United States and allied countries in early April 1975, in the final weeks before the fall of Saigon. U.S. military and chartered civilian aircraft flew orphans out of Tan Son Nhut Airport for adoption abroad; the effort was marred when the first flight, a C-5A Galaxy, crashed shortly after takeoff on 4 April 1975, killing 138 people, including 78 children. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Operation Type
Evacuation (humanitarian, child welfare) 1
Start Date
1975-04-03 1
End Date
1975-04-26 1
Location
Tan Son Nhut Airport, Saigon, South Vietnam, to the United States and other countries 1
Participants
U.S. 62nd Airlift Wing and Military Airlift Command, private adoption agencies, Pan American World Airways 1
Objective
Evacuate Vietnamese orphans and vulnerable children from Saigon before the city fell to North Vietnamese forces 1
Outcome
Approximately 2,500 to 3,300 children were relocated and adopted internationally; a C-5A Galaxy crash on the first flight killed 138 people, including 78 children 1
Operation Type
Operation Type (category)
Evacuation 1
Operation Type (category)
Humanitarian Relief 1
Connections

Commanders and Forces

Operation Babylift was flown by United States Air Force transport aircraft

Source Wikipedia: Operation Babylift
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Operation Babylift
Wikipedia
  • Overview section
    Over 3,300 infants and children were airlifted, although the actual number has been variously reported.
  • In Category: Military Operations
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