50th anniversary of Operation Babylift
On 4 April 2025, Australia commemorates the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Operation Babylift, a humanitarian mission that evacuated thousands of Vietnamese orphans during the final days of the Vietnam War.
Babylift was initiated by the US Government as north Vietnam communist forces pushed south in early 1975. Thousands of orphans had been brought to Saigon, many of them in need of medical help that wasn’t available. Many were born of American soldiers and there was a fear they would be murdered by communist forces.
The Australian Government committed aircraft in the form of Detachment S (for Saigon), made up of 10 transport planes from 36 and 37 squadrons, mostly C-130 Hercules. Detachment S operated out of Bangkok as well as Butterworth air force base in Malaysia, initially providing aid to refugees around South Vietnam.
The first Babylift operation for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took place on 4 April. Children in reasonable health, who could endure a long air journey, were taken on a US Air Force C-5A Galaxy to the United States. Those in more fragile heath would undertake the shorter journey to Australia.
Tragically, soon after the Galaxy took off, it experienced a catastrophic decompression at 23,000 feet, resulting in a crash that claimed the lives of more than half the passengers, including babies, young children and two Australian women, Lee Makk and Margaret Moses.
It wasn’t clear at that point what had caused the crash, so the RAAF Hercules took off with some trepidation. Their aircraft was loaded with 107 babies.
‘The smallest were simply placed in cardboard boxes, packed side by side on the floor and the loadmaster secured each row of boxes with a tie-down strap,’ said Flying Officer Geoff Rose. ‘It was such a sad and pathetic sight to see so many tiny, helpless babies and young children crammed into the back of our aircraft.’
Happily, they arrived at Bangkok safely, and the children were later flown to Australia aboard a chartered Qantas 747 under medical evacuation conditions. They were collected by adoptive parents who had already been approved by state and territory adoption authorities.
Said Geoff Rose: ‘It was a day I experienced the stress and anxiety of operating in a war zone, but also one of the most satisfying days of my life.’
A second Babylift took place on 17 April. This was overseen by Matron Vivian Bullwinkel who flew to Vietnam with a team of nurses from Melbourne.
Between the Babylifts, Detachment S was called in to transport civilian refugees away from the front lines. To maximise the number of passengers, no seats were fitted. Over several days in April 1975, the RAAF detachment evacuated more than a thousand civilians from Phan Rang to the safer southern town of Can Tho, in chaotic conditions.
Operation Babylift remains a poignant chapter in Australia's history, reflecting the nation's commitment to humanitarian aid amid the chaos of war. As we mark this 50th anniversary, we honour the bravery of those involved and remember the lives saved and lost during this remarkable mission.
You can read more about Operation Babylift on the Australian War Memorial website.
Orphans arriving at Tan Son Nhut airport, Saigon, 4 April 1975. Photograph Geoff Rose