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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-07272.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-07272
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Title
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The Choppers Prove their Use in War
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Description
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Article about the successes of helicopters in Vietnam, for the New York Herald Tribune
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Transcript
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- Page 1
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Sunday, December 20, 1964
The Choppers
Prove Their
Worth in War
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
BATOON.
The war in South Viet Nam is the world's first hell-
copter war.
It has been just over three years since the first Ameri-
can "choppers"-4211-21 "banana boats-arrived in Balgon
aboard the United States aircraft carrier Core and surprised
the inhabitants by showing that they could, indeed, fly.
Since then, U. B. helicopters have carried more than
one million passengers and 40,000 tons of cargo over South
Viet Nam. Out of the 22,000 American military persotinel
In the country, close to a third nearly 7,000 men-belong
to helicopter unite. And of the more than 230 American
military men who had been slain In Viet Nam, a high pro-
portion have been "chopper boys."
"The helloopter has made the difference between hold-
ing our own in the war and fallure," one U. 8. offloer say
The Vietnamese keep asking for more and more hell-
copter support, and we've now increased helicopter effee-
tiveness 100 per cent.
The helicopter in a counterinsurgency operation pro-
vides mobility for the ground forces that they could never
achieve otherwise in this terrain. When the Viet Cong hit
a town, by the time government troops can get there on the
around the Reds are zone. The helicopter can get there 10
times as fast.
FIRST WAR USE
The Viet Nam war is the first in which belleopters have
been used in quantity, both for airlifting troops and, armed
with rockets and machine guns, for ground-support operas
tions. The rotor-driven aircraft have some obvious ad-
vantages for this kind of war: they can land and take off
from amall clearings Inaccessible to even propeller-driven
planes. And they can hover almost motionless to scout and
pound enemy positions in a way that faster-flying planes
cannot
For the same reasons, of course, the helleopters are
more vulnerable to Viet Cong around fire.
The first American pilots, who were told to wear sports
shirts and slacks to "fook like American tourista" new
their H-21's off the Core before an expectant crowd of
thousands, most of whom appeared confident the odd all-
craft would plunge into the Saigon River.
"The streets around the ship were roped off." Lt. Col.
Robert Dillard, who flew the first helicopier, O-49, off the
carrier, recalled recently. "But thousands of people were
backed up for blocks. They had never seen helicopters be-
fore and didn't think they could fly. But when the choppers
dad fly, they all applauded like mad."
Almost two and a half years later-on June 27, 1964-
Col. Dillard again flew his O-49 for the last time-in
simple ceremony in which all the famed "banana boats
were retired from Viet Nam and replaced by the more mod-
ern turbojet UH-1's "Huey").
INDEX OF WAR
The increase in the intensity and pace of the war
arsinst the Communist ruerrillas is Indexed by the increase
th the number and caliber of helicopters. The first two
H-21 companies were soon to be accompanied by three
more, plus a Marine helleopter squadron. Later, the five
companies of the slow-moving, highly vulnerable H-21
were replaced by turbo-jet Hueys, and four more Huey
companies were added for a total of nine.
Besides eutting down the chief advantage of the Com-
munist guerrilla-his mobility-the helicopters have
brought under government control areas totally inacces
New York Her
alble by any ether means. They are used to transport
province chiefs throughout their villages and to supply
isolated outposts with food and pay.
A visit to the hellcopter units throughout the country
produces a collection of stories some fantastic, some
funny, some sed. Most of them displaying as one infantry-
man explained. "the day-in day-out courage of these plota.
The things they are willing to do is incredible. I've seen
the medical evacua lon choppers fly at night 120 miles from
Saigon to Camau to pick up the wounded-and when they
couldn't get them all, they came back for the others."
One American division adviser said: "These helicopters
are flying stagecoaches. They take in the pay; sell stamps
and money orders; cash paychecks, and are a small de-
partment store. On the eireult last week, we had only one
carton of cigarettes and four boxes of razor blades left.
They've carried around the Thankastitng turkeys, birth-1
day cakes and mattress bags of toys to isolated outposts
at Christmas time.
In the northern seacoast eity of Qui Nhin, the eld
is named after a crew chief who never returned. The
heavily Communist infested Mekong Delta provinces have
been called "the graveyard of choppers" and the charred
skeletons of downed helicopters are visible in the rice pad-
dies and treelirles,
But rarely do the "chopper boys" recall these incidents.
"There's no shortage of courage among chopper boys,"
ene American ground adviser muttered.
The words of one company song goes:
"History will buy violets,
Por dead chopper pilots
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Date
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1964, Dec. 20
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Tactics; United States. Air Force; United States. Army; UH-1 (Helicopter); Military helicopters; Air warfare
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Container
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B186
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Format
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newspaper clippings
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
