North Vietnam Propaganda Stamps of American Aircraft Downed

NORTH VIETNAM throughout the Second Vietnam War issued stamps detailing the numbers of American aircraft they had downed. As the United States began its "Operation Rolling Thunder" bombing campaign over North Vietnam, the North Vietnamese defended themselves as best they could and managed to shoot down many American fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, mostly by anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles and small arms fire. To shore up morale in the face of devastating US raids, North Vietnam began issuing a series of postage stamps boasting of their successes in shooting down American aircraft.

The first stamp in 1965, indicated 500 aircraft had been downed. In 1966, another stamp was issued claiming 1,000 shot down. Later in 1967, the 2,500th US aircraft to be shot down over North Vietnam was commemorated in stamps. By 1968, the North Vietnamese were claiming 3,000 US Aircraft shot down. In April 1972, one stamp brought the total up to 3,500 and portrayed a US airman in captivity. By 1973,  one stamp in a set of 4 called ‘Victory Over US Airforce’ claims a grand total of 4,181 US Aircraft shot down over North Vietnam.

These were propaganda stamps and one could assume that the North Vietnamese claims must have been greatly exaggerated. How many US aircraft were actually lost? It is quite difficult to find a definitive number that everyone agrees on. The number 2,257 is mentioned often but it depends on whether you include helicopters, losses due to accidents, losses over Cambodia and Laos and other variables. A declassified US Airforce report (should be a reliable source) puts USAF (i.e. not including Navy, Army, Marines) combat losses of fixed wing aircraft at over 1600.  According to the Oxford Companion to American Military History, 8588 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters were lost. Whatever the true figure, it was huge!