20 Facts About Thao Ma

Brigadier general Thao Ma was a Laotian military and political figure of the Laotian Civil War and the Vietnam War.

Thao Ma began his military career as a paratrooper in the French Union Army, when France administered the Kingdom of Laos.

Thao Ma switched to aviation, first as a transport pilot, then as a fighter-bomber pilot.

From 1959 to 1966, Thao Ma was the commander of the Royal Lao Air Force, and was noted for his charisma and aggressiveness.

Thao Ma Manosith was born in 1931 at Salavan in the French Protectorate of Laos, of mixed Laotian and Vietnamese heritage.

Thao Ma became a Laotian patriot, initially opposed to any foreign intervention in Laos.

Thao Ma's views changed as he became involved in the battle for Laotian independence.

Thao Ma, already trained as a paratrooper in the ANL airborne forces, retrained as a transport pilot.

In 1959, Thao Ma was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of Laotian Aviation, which the following year became the Royal Lao Air Force, with him remaining at its helm.

Thao Ma continued to take advanced flight courses, which enabled him to master strike aircraft types such as the North American T-6G Texan, followed by the North American T-28D Trojan.

Thao Ma led the RLAF's T-28 attack squadron in the raids against the Ho Chi Minh trail and in support of Major general Vang Pao's SGU guerrilla forces in northeastern Laos.

Thao Ma devised an early version of the AC-47 gunship by using a few modified Douglas C-47 Skytrain transports as weapons platforms.

Thao Ma came into conflict with other Laotian generals, as his whole-hearted commitment of employing RLAF aircraft for military purposes stood in the way of their plans of using them for their own gold- and opium-smuggling operations.

Thao Ma had not only successfully managed to increase the T-28s' combat sortie rate, but continued to personally fly many strike missions.

Thao Ma was both pressured to allow the smuggling of drugs by the RLAF's C-47 transports and enticed with bribe offers.

Thao Ma was ordered to transfer his headquarters back to Vientiane, where he could be under the General Staff's watchful eye.

Thao Ma attempted a coup via air strike when he personally led a flight of Laotian T-28 pilots loyal to him in a combat sortie directed at Vientiane.

Thao Ma was then persuaded by American officials not to fly a followup strike.

On 20 August 1973, Thao Ma returned from exile in a motorized column carrying 60 adherents to stage another coup attempt.

Thao Ma was hauled wounded from his crash-landed plane and taken to Kouprasith's headquarters in Vientiane.