What's happening with the FAD?

[Texas Bill]

Luis;
I agree with Tony! A very informative site!

Beautifully constructed and easily navigated. Very professional!

I have bookmarked for future reference.

Question??? Will you update soon with the latest additions to the Navy section? I read where the Navy has acquired some new boats to the inventory.

Texas Bill

 

[Jon S.]

Wow, Luis. That's one hell of an informative website. I knew that the DR military had firepower but not like what I saw on the website. Kudos on the site.

 

[jcporcella]

You can browse http://fuerzasmildom.com to see FAD's inventory and pictures of each aircraft along with it's history. You are more that welcome to participate in our forum. Most of the information on http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/dominican_rep/DomRep-af-home.htm is wrong and should no be considered official whatsoever. At http://fuerzasmildom.com we have worked very hard to gather pictures, documentation, etc. from FAD pilots and mechanics for this information to be accurate.

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/dominican_rep/DomRep-af-home.htm has sucked most information from fuerzasmildom.com web page as well as some information from http://laahs.com forum.

PS.:.Tony C : Hipolito Mejia has not signed any contract with the Antonov.

 

[Luis Puesan]

Thanks

Thank you for all your comments....we are working in a smaller English Version because we dont have the time and resources to have a full version in English... I am the creator of this page, also I created this page as part of my Intenet Design Company Web Ready Corporation hrrp:// www.webreadycorp.com

Mr. Porcella and Mr. JP. Jimenez amoung others have been contributed with data, images and corrections from day one, without them my page cannot be as good as it is with the information presented there.

 

[Jon S.]

Luis, it's one heck of a page, as I previously stated. I was wondering how you got all those officers from the FAD to collaborate since they aren't always the most willing to talk, until I saw that you put one of my neighbors from Santo Domingo in there, Colonel Carlos Tello. He is a "super troop" as we in the US Air Force would call an outstanding airman. There aren't too many people in the Dominican military that carry themselves as well as him by keeping with high military standards and also by being so helpful with any and everybody without batting an eye. Right now my best friend is in San Isidro Academy and is already being recognized for being an outstanding cadet, and knowing how he is, he won't make distinctions between the wrong and the wrong. Those are the type of people that the Dominican military needs so in the future you'll probably end asking him for some info on the planes.................damn, the DR military needs to update their equipment fast!!! They're breaking apart at the seams.........

 

[Criss Colon]

The DR needs a "MILITARY" like I need another "girlfriend"!

They only serve to take down the campaign posters after the elections,clean the streets after a hurricane,and to intimidate the populace and would be "overthrowers" of the government! The US could have planes here from Puerto Rico in 15 minutes if needed! THe military is just another way to reward friends,maintain political power,and steal lots of money on contracts for military equipment,construction,and supplies! PPPPAAAAAAlllleeeeeezzzz!cccccccccccccccccccc

 

[Ogre of the Caribbean]

i read that juan bosch once said that one of his biggest regrets of his short presidency was that he was not able to attack haiti and liberate that country from papa doc and his gang. i thought the military overthrew him because of his left wing policies, not because he was wanting to invade haiti.( did the americans urge bosch to be overthrown?)

i thought trujillo had created a professional, well trained, and well equiped armed forces. from the comments i have read here, the army was just a "garrison army". i know he used the various military,police and paramilitary units to maintain control of the country, but weren't some of the units combat ready?

i have read that the vampire was a good aircraft and was extremely effective in rhodesian civil war, and used right up to the rhodesian government's end in 1980. i don't pretend to be an expert on aircraft.

when did the dominican airforce get rid of its vampire jets?

how many military academies does the DR have? are they 6month/1 year schools or 4 year universities? does anyone have photos of the schools or the cadets?

i looked through the site, but i don't unerstand spanish, so i will have to wait until the english version of is up.

 

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

With a name like "Pacheco" you don't read Spanish?!?! Shame, shame.

I don't know if Juan Bosch really wanted to "liberate" Haiti, but he felt like the Duvaliers were a real threat to him when they began working with the Trujillos. And the Haitian occupation of the Dominican embassy in Port au Principe was, by international law, an act of war.

Golo and Tony say that the DR military weakened dramatically in the two years after Trujillo was killed. I doubt it. According to former Ambassador Martin's book, Bosch was shocked at the inability of the DR military to project forces. And Martin himself believed that Trujillo's military was all about putting on a good enough show to scare the people.

Bosch essentially ordered a Haitian invasion, but then learned it was impossible. The Trujillo military was only designed for domestic control.

From my perspective, Bosch's big mistake was not doing away with the Dominican military first thing - a la Costa Rica. It would have been a giant risk but, in hindsight, one that he should have taken. He was overthrown by them anyway.

As for the Vampire jets, they were de facto retired prior to 1965. They never flew again.

 

[Luis Puesan]

Porfirio Rubirosa let me correct you in some of your comments:
1- Trujillo's military was not designed for domestic control, He had the control already with a well spies' network to control the general population using terror and asacinations. The Dominican military during 1947 (1st Invasion Luperon) to 1961 was founded to fight an invasion from foreign countries, Trujillo's enemies Venezuela and Cuba. The Haitian army was nothing to present a treat to DR. In fact, Trujillo told Duvalier if he allows a invasion from Haiti, he will order the FAD to bomb the hell out of Puerto Principe. The Cuban army was inferior in man power and only Venezuela was compared to the Dominican military at that time, or had superior aircraft that really could challenge the FAD.
Fidel Castro was very concerned about an invasion from DR by the Dominican Army in 1960. Think about this, DR bought around 98 combat airplanes (Vampire, F-47 , AT-33 and F-51) and had around 32 out of 69 AT-6 Texan that may be armed as needed. Until 1950, the DR had a bomber force of 2 B-17G, at least 4 B-25, 8 Mosquitoes, and 10 Beaufighters (the 1st dominican aircraft to operate combat radars) that could reach Venezuela's oil fields and Guatemala City. All of those planes were to atack.
In addition to this the Dominican Navy had 3 Destroyers, 4 Fragates, 4 corbetes (all considered moderns until mid-1950) and more than 20 patrol boats that constantly were in patrol 24/7 around the country. In addition, there were other airplanes such as Catalinas that were in constant patrol of the Dominican coasts. Trujillo had one of the best naval forces in Central America and the Carribean. All of than was not for domestic control.

I am not defending Trujillo but I am pointing out the fact from the fiction.

The FAD was well effective intercepting "unknown" aircraft that in several ocasions they force landed several US military aircraft in route to Puerto Rico at Presidente Trujillo Air Base (San Isidro)and General Andrews airport. In a comment from the US State Department to President Truman, they were "surprised" about the ability of the Dominican warplanes to vector and direct interceptions against other aircraft.

2- The Vampire combat airplanes were not retired prior 1965 as you estated. That is very false! The Vampires participated during the Civil War of 1965 bombing Santo Domingo, and the last 4 out of 38+ available since 1954 were retired in 1977-78.

3- Bosch ordered the Dominican military to protect our territory, not to invade. You are taking in consideration the book of Mr. Martin, an american, with some of the data that he had in his book are wrong about the Dominican military. In matter of fact, Haiti intentions were backed out after they saw the mobilization of the Dominican Army and the determination of Bosch to protect our territory. Look for books written by Dominican authors, those books that are made in the USA about Trujillo or the Dominican Republic history some time are not the best.

 

[Ogre of the Caribbean]

i read that the dominican navy in 1961 consisted of 39 ships, which included 2 destroyers and 7 frigates. it was the largest navy in the caribbean and latin america, larger than even mexico's navy. the only navy in the area larger than DR's was venezeula.

the DR was also self sufficient in the production of pistols, mchine guns("san cristabal" sub machine guns),hand grenades, mortars, and even smaller artillery cannons.

from the books i've read, the DR military was state of the art.(for 1961 anyway).

trujillo poured millions of dollars into cuba trying to keep batista in power, when batista fled, trujillo was furious. that is why the cuban dictator was so badly treated and had 4 million dollars he carried on his person taken away by trujillo before he was allowed to go into exile in portugal. i've also read that trujillo looked down on batista because batista had been a sergeant in the cuban army, and was not a member of the "officer corps". (trujillo had graduated from an american sponsored military academy in the DR.)

trujillo had even sent in the the most ruthless agents of the SIM, including johnnie abbes garcia to help in the war against castro. johnnie was caught off guard when batista fled cuba and had to escape castro's men in disguise.

there were several invasions, like the june 14th group, and they were all defeated. the army did well fighting castro backed and dominican exiled backed invasions. some of these ivaders were actually hunted down by trujillo's army in the mountians over a period of weeks.

ambassador martin's book is actually avaliable in the local university library, it is the only DR book there i have not yet read. i'll have to check that book out next week.

i think bosch would not be able to disband the army. the DR was threatend by a heavily armed cuba next door. i doubt that the americans would have gone along with disarming the DR. america still was the DR's largest trading partner, had the "sugar quota", and largest financial aid donor, i don't think bosch would have been able to drop the DR military.

i think the DR should keep its military. it has 7 million people, and a lightly armed police force could not keep order as effectively. the DR has been lucky that is does not have a "shining path" or" tupac amuru" terrorist army to deal with. but, from what i've been reading on the economic threads in the forum, civil war could be around the corner. i am not for dictatorship, but anarchy isn't the solution to the DR's problems either.

can anyone tell me about the DR military academies?

 

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Luis,

I am willing to stand corrected on many points. Are you sure about the Vampire jets operating in the '65 revolution?

The question I have, then, is the degree to which the DR military declined from 1961 to 1964. The FACT is that Bosch felt he did not have the military might to attack Haiti or project forces. he also did not feel that he had a functioning navy, and was looking for Venezuela's help in this regard. Are we really to believe that the military collapsed from the most powerful in the region to one incapable of attacking pathetic Haiti in three years??? Or did the collapse begin in the later years of Trujillo himself?

 

[Luis Puesan]

Porfirio Rubirosa:
The Dominican Army in 1961 to 1964 was in better condition to handle Haiti 100%. In addition to that, Bosch was ready to buy 25 Hawker Hunter fighter bombers that were in England just to be shipped over. And the reason that he did not authorized the deal because there were several generals who will benefits from the deal and Bosch killed the deal. Also, they wanted to buy the Hunter because Cuba received a shipment of MIG-21. In addition, Haiti only had around 10 M3 Stuart Tanks, who knows how many were actually working since they were in service since 1943, Dominican Republic had 12 AMX-13 brand new Battle Tank, 24 L-60, 13 Lynx and 4 M3 Stuarts. In addition, The Haitin Air Corp only have 6 Mustang F-51, conpared to at least 12 Mustang F-51 and around 18 or 24 Vampire, and 4 B-26 Invander from the FAD that were in active service between 1961 and 1964. By 1964, all the surviving Mustang and Vampire received an overhaul financed by the US MAP Program, at the start the Civil War 40 aircraft (between Mustang and Vampire) were in good condition and were modified in Florida by Cavalier and the Vampires in San Isidro.

Visit my web site www.fuerzasmildom.com and read about the Mustang and the Vampire, there are several photos of the Vampires after 1965. One was in Santiago in 1968, you can see several of them parked next to each other.
During 1965 to 1974, there were 10 Vampires in flying condition and the number was reduced even futher in 1974.

They participated in the Dominican Civil War. The only aircraft that did not participated in the Civil War were 4 B-26 Invander that were in service. General Wessin thought to use them to bomb Ciudad Nueva, but the American did not allow him to achieve that. The aircraft that were used by the FAD were Mustang F-51, armed AT-6 Texan and FB-5 Vampires. May be you are refering to the Vampire MK1 that were in service until 1963 (I believe), those MK1 were retired before the civil war and were used as spare parts. DR bought 25 MK1 and around 20-25 FB-5 in 1953-54.

Another thing, according with the American Historian Dan Hagerdorn, in his book Latin American Mustang, the government of Haiti locked the machine guns of their Mustang because Duvalier did not trust his generals.

 

[Ogre of the Caribbean]

i'm currently reading several books on haiti and papa doc. papa doc realized quickly that the haitian army was always a threat to any government and quickly set up a rival army, the para military ton ton macote. personally loyal to papa doc, and eventually better armed than the regular haitian army, the ton ton macote kept papa doc firmly in power. eventually most of the army would not even have access to heavy weapons and ammunition. papa doc would move most of the weapons and ammo to the dessalines barracks complex next to his presidential palace.

when did the dominican navy get rid of the 2 destroyers and 7 frigates? were they sold off to another country or just scrapped?

i was rereading some books on the DR army under trujillo. there were american military advisors who desribed trujillo's army as "well trained, highly disciplined". the officer corps was highly praised. i have never read anything that claimed that trujillo created an ineffective army.

trujillo was a bad person. but he was always an extremely disciplined and proficient soldier. he graduated at the top of his cadet class and by all accounts, the marine corps officers in charge of his training all described him as being the "best" officer in the dominican republic. he was "tireless" and hard working. one of his personal secretatries published a book 1-2 years after his assassination in which he described trujillo's work schedule. it was gruelling. he had extremely high standards and his officer corps and army were reflections of that highly dicsiplined personality. and to some degree, some elements of it(the SIM) reflected trujillo's cruelty. trujillo was once asked how he stayed in power despite all the enemies he had. trujillo answered that he "worked harder than any of his enemies".

is the modern DR army still considered highly disciplined and well trained? is it still considered a prestige job to be an officer in the dominican army?

 

[Luis Puesan]

Joel
You are right you can see this is www.fuerzasmildom.com
This is the list of mayor ships from 1947 to 1999

- Destroyer Sanchez(1961-1969)/ Ex-Generalisimo (1949 to 1961)/HMS Fame H-78 (1934-1949). Flag ship of the Dominican Navy until from 1949 to 1969. She participated in the bombarment of Santo Domingo in 1965. After Trujillo's death it was rename Sanchez. Armed with 3x 4.7in cannons, 1x 3in cannon, 6x 40mm automatic cannon antiaircraft, 4x torpedoes tubes and several antisubmarine Depth charge with sonar

- Destroyer Duarte (1961-1972)/Trujillo (1949 to 1961) / HMS Hotspur (1935 - 1949). Second Destroyer bought in the UK by Trujillo. She also participated in the bombarrment of Santo Domingo in 1965. Rename Duarte in 1961. Same type of armament as the Destroyer Sanchez.

- Fragate Mella (1961-1999)/Presidente Trujillo (1946-1961)/ HMCS CarlPlace (1944-1946). Bought brand new in Canada. And was armed in Dominican Republic by Dominican and Italian naval engineers. Flag ship of the Dominican Navy from 1970 to 1999 after Destroyers Sanchez and Duarte were retired. Also participated in the bombardment of Santo Domingo in 1965. Armed with 1x4in cannon, 1x12pound cannon, 4x 20mm antiaircraft automatic cannons. Retired in 1999, the Navy may make a museum out of her.

-Fragate General Gregorio Luperon(1961-1979) /Presidente Troncoso(1947-1961)/ USS Knoxville (1943-1947). Participated as a submarine hunter during WWII sold to DR in 1947 relative new ship only 3 years old. Partcipated during the invasion of dominican exiliates of July 14 1959 alone with the Dominican patrol boats that sunk in from of Puerto Plata the boats Tinina and Carmen Elsa which had abord the guerrilla that came from Cuba during the invasion. She was armed with 3x3in/50 cannon, antisubmarine Depth charge, 2 40mm automatic cannon (antiaircraft), fire control by radar, 6x 20mm automatic cannon (antiaircraft), sonar. rename Luperon after 1961.

- Fragate Juan Pablo Duarte (1948-1949)/HMCS ANNAN bought in Canada in 1948 similar to Fragate Mella or Presidente Trujillo was armed in Dominican Republic. Trujillo bought this ship from a friend of his Louis Moore that bought her as his personal ship. In 1949, she had an accident in Puerto Plata's Port and sold to Felix Benitez, an puerto rican engineer who repaired her and use her as his personal yacht rename MOINEAU.

-Fragate Capitan General Pedro Santana (1961-1979)/Presidente Paynado (1947-1961)/ USS Pueblo (1943-1947) Similar to Gregorio Luperon /Presidente Troncoso, only was 3 years old when she was transfered to the Dominican Republic. Rename in 1962 General Pedro Santana was in service until 1979. Ended in Metaldom.

- there were 4 Corvette class Flower 2, made in Canada all made between 1943 and 1945 bought by the Dominican Republic in January and February 1947 unarmed, they were armed by Dominican naval engineers. Their names:
Juan Bautista Maggiolo(retired in 1972)
Juan Alejandro Acosta(retired in 1979)
Colon(retired in 1979)
Juan Cambiasco(retired in 1972)

Armed with 1x4in Vickers cannon, 1x40mm automatic cannon with electronic fire control,6x20mm automatic cannon antiaircraft, several antisubmarine depth charges and sonar.

The Army had good trained and also Trujillo brought mercenaries from Italy to train a Naval Comandoes Unit know as Hombre Rana,also there were Brazilians, Americans, and Ex-German SS officers mercenaries that trained our Armed Forces.

Please check my website and you guys will have an idea of our military power during Trujillo's Era.

 

[Ogre of the Caribbean]

luis, i don't understand spanish. i just scan through the pictures on your website. that is why i was asking.

when the destroyers were retired in the 1970's, were they scrapped? or were they sold off?

you didn't mention the fate of the destroyers.

 

[Luis Puesan]

All were scrapped at Metal Dominicana (MetalDom), the only ship that did not was scrapped was Fragate Mella ( Fragate Juan Pablo Duarte was sold after one year of service as I mentioned in my comments above).

 

[Ogre of the Caribbean]

what happened to trujillo's yacht, angelita?

how many cadets attend the dominican miltary academy?