![[IMAGE]](usaf21.jpg)
In the United States Air Force "airlift" usually means fixed-wing
transports - C-130s, C-141s, C-5s, C-124s or C-119s. But USAF airlift
has also meant helicopters, though the rotary-wing mission has been
pretty well hidden from the public eye. But just as the Marines and
Army developed transport helicopters, the Air Force did as well.
In the mid-1950s Tactical Air Command began developing a helicopter
troop carrying capability, using UH-21 twin-rotor helicopters that were
drawn from the Air Force at large. Plans were made for eight squadrons,
but when the Army ruled against the Air Force's plans - the Army had
its own plans for helicopter development - the concept was scrapped and
the UH-21s went to various Air Force units for tasks such as the
resupply of missile and communications sites. Meanwhile, both the Army
and the Marines were developing troop carrying helicopters. The Marine
Corps, especially, saw the helicopter as an ideal means of delivering
troops onto a beachhead from ships, thus reducing their exposure time.
In 1961 the United States became involved in Southeast Asia. Both the
Army and the Marines sent helicopter units to South Vietnam to assist
the government forces while at the same time testing their capabilities
in a combat environment. The Air Force still had helicopters,
particularly in the rescue and fire fighting roles, and as the US
presence in the region increased, USAF helicopters were sent to bases
in South Vietnam. Soon the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service's
HH-3's, known as "Jolly Green Giants" because of their camouflage
colors, were well known for their rescue role. The smaller twin rotor
HH-43 Husky was a familiar sight on all Air Force bases where they doubled as fire fighters and for short rescue missions.
But the Air Force also was developing helicopter airlift capabilities
somewhat along the lines of those of the Marine Corps. The US buildup
in Southeast Asia led to the establishment of several remote radar
sites in both South Vietnam and Laos. In October, 1965 the Air Force
activated the 20th Helicopter Squadron at Tan Son Nhut, and equipped it
with CH-3C's. The squadron came about as a result of an Air Force
proposal that the service would own and operate all heavy-lift
helicopters, including the CH-47s and CH-54s that the Army sought to
purchase. Needless to say, the Air Force proposal gave the Army
apoplexy. Eventually the conflict was resolved when the Army agreed to
transfer all of its CV-2 Caribou fixed-wing transports to the Air Force
in return for an agreement that the Army would be responsible for most
helicopter development.
The 20th was chargd with the task of
supporting remote Air Force units and construction sites, and also with
aeromedical evacuation and the support of counterinsurgency operations
as well as augmentation of the SAR squadrons. Operating from Tan Son
Nhut and advanced locations at Da Nang and Cam Rhan Bay, the 20th HS
began operations in December, 1965. In early 1966 the squadron was
placed under the control of the 14th Air Commando Wing at Nha Trang,
and was soon involved heavily in counterinsurgency airlift operations.
The Air Force helicopters not only supported USAF operations, they also
assisted the Marines in I Corps as well as U.S. Army units in other
parts of Vietnam.
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(USMC UH-53, courtesy of JHorton461.)
The 20th HH flew numerous missions for both the Army and the Marines as
the two sister services awaited the arrival of their own CH-46s and
CH-47s. The Marines would soon get CH-53s, a more powerful derivative
of the CH-3. USMC Ch-53s would play a major role in the Battle for Khe
Sanh as they delivered cargo to outlying positions around the combat
base. The Marines used their helicopters to move troops, position
artillery and other tasks in support of the III Marine Amphibous Force.
As the Army and Marines began receiving their own heavylift helicopters
for use in South Vietnam, the Air Force role shifted more and more
toward the support of counterinsurgency operations . Beginning in early
1966, 20th HH CH-3s commenced cross-border operations supplying
counterinsurgency teams operating in North Vietnam just north of the
DMZ. In 1967 operations into North Vietnam from Thailand were
authorized and a detachment of the 20th HH began operating out of
Nakonphanom. Eight out of 37 scheduled missions into North Veitnam were
completed in 1967. In September, 1967 USAF CH-3s made the first
recovery of a counterinsurgency team from North Vietnamese soil. As the
counterinsurgency role increased, the 20th received several UH-1s who
flew using the call sign "Green Hornet" while the larger CH-3s were
"Pony Express."
In November, 1970 USAF helicopters airlifted
the rescue team to Son Tay Prison, a mission that while successful in
that the team landed at their objective and then returned safely to
Thailand, it was unsuccessful since it produced now released POWs.
Undoubtedly the major USAF helicopter transport contribution was in
Laos, where the 20th and a second squadron, the 21st which arrived at
NKP in December, 1967 from Shaw AFB, SC, flew missions in support of
the Lao forces. A major mission of the two squadrons was supplying
remote LIMA sites, where Air Force communications teams operated radar
stations. The 21st HH flew armed CH-E's with more powerful engines than
the C-models flown by the 20th. The need for increased lift performance
led to the procurement of the CH-53; the first CH-53C joined the 21st
in August, 1970.
USAF and Air America helicopters flew hundreds
of missions in support Laotian troops. They also evacuated refugees,
especially from the Plain of Jars. When the ceasefire ended hostilities
in Laos, the CH-53s remained at NKP to be prepared to evacuate
Americans from Laos and Cambodia.
Shortly after the Vietnam War
ended, USAF Special Operations and Rescue helicopters airlifted Marines
to rescue the crew of the Mayaguez, a ship that was captured by
Cambodian Communists within days after the fall of Saigon. The Air
Force helicopters came under very heavy fire. Eighteen Marines and USAF
helicopter crewmen were killed in the battle.
Since Vietnam,
helicopters have been a major part of USAF Special Operations Forces.
Air Force SOF squadrons still fly the CH-53 as well as the newer
Blackhawk. USAF SOF helicopters led the Apache strike force who took
out Iraqi radar sites to launch DESERT STORM.
Helicopter Links - USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Reunion Helicopter Aviation Helicopter Links Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association (VHCMA)
Jim Henthorn flew with the 21st HS, check out his home page - Jim Henthorn's Home Page
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