Set of Vietnamese Air Force subdued hand-embroidered patches removed from a flight suit, Top: general Vietnamese Air Force patch, Bottom Left: 1st Air Division,
Bottom Right: 41st Tactical Wing, circa 1971, RVNHS Archive.
This set of Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) insignia were removed from a flight suit, and came into the possession of an American advisor who later kept them as souvenirs. The set consists of three patches. All were hand-embroidered in Vietnam and are subdued colored variants. As the patches came from the same flight suit, they are related in terms of unit lineage. A general Vietnamese Air Force patch is followed by a 1st Air Division patch, and finally a 41st Tactical Wing patch.
Air Cadet TV THON of class 72G wearing a flight suit
with a subdued Vietnamese Air Force patch, circa 1970s.
The 41st Tactical Wing was based in Danang, and these patches could have been worn on a flight suit by any aircrew from the units of the 41st. The typical order of wear would have been the general Vietnamese Air Force patch on the left chest, with the 1st Air Division patch on the left shoulder, and the 41st Tactical Wing patch on the right shoulder. However, variations in order of wear can be seen in period photographs, and these three patches would not have always been worn concurrently.
Vietnamese air force cadets in a celebratory mood,
note: the mixture of colored and subdued insignia, circa 1970s.
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