armor for the crew), 3 C-123B Provider aircraft arrived at the base on 7 January 1962 under the code name Ranch Hand. The 315th ACW was transferred to Phan Rang Air Base on 14 June 1967. 834th Air Division On 15 October 1966 the 834th Airlift Division was assigned without personnel or equipment, to Tan Son Nhut AB to join the Seventh Air Force, providing an intermediate command and control organization and also act as host unit for the USAF forces at the base. The 315th Air Commando Wing and 8th Aerial Port Squadron were assigned to the 834th Division. Initially the 834th AD had a strength of twenty-seven officers and twenty-one airmen, all of whom were on permanent assignment to Tan Son Nhut. The Air Division served as a single manager for all tactical airlift operations in South Vietnam, using air transport to haul cargo and troops, which were air-landed or air-dropped, as combat needs dictated, through December 1971. The 834th Air Division became the largest tactical airlift force in the world. In addition to airlift of cargo and personnel and RVNAF training, it took on Ranch Hand defoliation and insecticide spraying; psychological/propaganda leaflet distribution; helicopter landing zone preparation; airfield survey; the operation of aerial ports; and other special missions. Units it directly controlled were: 315th Air Commando (later, 315th Special Operations; 315th Tactical Airlift) Wing: 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971) Located at: Tan Son Nhut AB; later Phan Rang AB (15 June 1967 – 1 December 1971) UC-123 Provider. Composed of four C-123 squadrons with augmentation by C-130 Hercules transports from the 315th Air Division, Tachikawa AB, Japan. Two C-123 Squadrons (32 a/c) at Tan Son Nhut AB; There were 23 C-130B aircraft assigned by 1 November 1966 483d Troop Carrier (later, 483d Tactical Airlift) Wing: 15 October 1966 – 1 December 1971 2d Aerial Port Group (Tan Son Nhut) 8th Aerial Port Squadron, Tan Son Nhut (16 detachments) Detachments were located at various points where airlift activity warranted continuous but less extensive aerial port services. Aerial port personnel loaded, unloaded, and stored cargo and processed passengers at each location. The Air Division also supervised South Vietnamese air transport operations (primarily C-47s), six DHC-4 Caribou transports operated by the No. 35 Squadron RAAF at Vung Tau Air Base and two Republic of Korea Air Force Curtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft from 29 July 1967, later replaced