Must be a volcano,highest is `Haut Dong Nai`...OH if correct

sycamore,

You are getting there!

However, Haut Dong Nai is on a plateau. This mountain is described as a volcano, but it might be a volcanic plug and it is not on a plateau. The base is close to sea-level.

Hows about `bas Dong Nai`.....

Nice try but no. ;)

There is no other mountain as tall as this within 70 miles and only a small number of low hills in between.

Nui Ba Den - Black Virgin Mountain - Tay Ninh province SVN - would make it perhaps Tay Ninh (West ?) Airfield. Lots of action -

but I can't for the life of me make any connection with the H-21.

Must be Toerong Prong,NE of Dak To..?

sycamore,
Sorry. Pipped to the post by LFH!

LFH,

Full marks for perseverance. It is indeed Tay Ninh West and the mountain is Núi Bà Đen (Black Lady or Black Virgin mountain).

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...psd31e1d07.png

Tay Ninh is just under 50 nm northwest of Saigon, near the Cambodian border, on the northern edge of the Mekong delta. You can see how anomalous the mountain is by looking at the safety altitudes on the TPC above. This chart comes from a great collection of maps here: Vietnam Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online

http://25thaviation.org/4a580b70.jpg

On a clear day (very rare), I can see the mountain from my office in Saigon. Because the delta is so flat, it's a bit like seeing an island come up over the horizon at sea. I can see only the top two-thirds of the 3200' peak.

The H-21 connection is on this page of a site dedicated to the Thunderbirds (118th Assault Helicopter Company) : Photo Album. The caption reads:
Tay Ninh is an interesting place in more ways than one. It was at the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail so there was a lot of activity during the "American War", including an NVA assault on the US communications facility on the summit of the mountain in 1968: Attack on Nui Ba Den

More information on the mountain here: Story Of The Black Virgin Mountain

Tay Ninh is also home to the Cao Dai religion (formed in 1926) Cao Dai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which had a private army. During the early 1950s, the army was run by General The (pronouced Tay) (Trinh Minh The - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), who figures very prominently in Graham Greene's book, The Quiet American and in the 2002 film of the same name by Philip Noyce.

Sorry for thread drift. I hope it is of interest.


LFH has control.

Thank you Simon, fascinating stuff. I'd been trailing round the hilltops following Sycamore and got lucky. Must do the Graham Greene movie again. LFH

Try this -

http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1368023433

Yes, a great movie. I've watched it many times and like to show visitors the locations. It was originally scheduled to be released in late 2001, but the producers got cold feet after 9/11 because of the movie's not very complimentary view of the CIA.

It was finally released in 2002 after vigorous campaigning by Michael Caine. He should have won an Oscar for his performance as Fowler.

Your latest picture. Are we actually in Tonkin this time?

Looking at range of aircraft types and markings - French air force base? If so one of their former colonies so (thinking aloud) is it North Africa? Or perhaps it's Indo China. Mmm, need a clue I think.

Sommes-nous réellement au Tonkin, cette fois?

Mais certainement. En avant mes braves.

Merci, mon ami.

I'm off to bed, so I'll leave Duckbutt to do the research. ;)

So that suggests that I'm on the right track so I'll dig a bit deeper. As a first guess how about Tan Son Nhut?

Seems a bit too obvious though.....

My grandad says "When you're innanolelad – stop digging." :)

In ye olden days, Asterix quoth verily - "French Indo-China in tres partes divisa est. Cochin, Annam and Tonkin – south, middle and north in that order."

Not Saigon - Tan Son Nhut. I'm not sure TSN was that active in this time-frame. See posts 3777 to 3793 pages 189-190. Continuez à creuser, Monsieur Duckbutt.

LFH

In my ignorance hadn't realised about the three divisions I'll admit. So more Hanoi'ish then?






Edited to add that with that thought in mind a spot more creusering came up with Bach Mai in Hanoi. C'est possible?

Spot on Duckbutt. :ok: Hanoi Bach Mai it is. 1954.

Principal military and logistic airbase supporting Dien Bien Phu at that time. According to the writ, there are Navy Bearcats plus Cricquet, Pingouin, C-47, Beaver, Siebel, Beech 18 and Navy Corsair F4U-7 and AU-1 on the field. The pic below is looking towards the Red River with Gia Lam airfield (see page 94 post 1879) in the distant haze the other side of the river. LFH

http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1367937102

Well done Duckbutt - You have control.

Thanks. Mel's listdoesn't seem to work at present so hope this is not a duplicate:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ler/Puzz98.jpg

"Macchi MC.200 very low over airfield"

Grottaglie Airfield, Italy.

That's the one LM, all yours.

Cheers Db, but I'm afraid this will have to be OH.