118th Assault Helicopter
Company
(AHC)
THE LATER YEARS
The redesignation of the 118th Aviation Company,
Air Mobile Light (AML) to Assault Helicopter Company, took place
on 1 December, 1965. As of yet, the official GO has not been found
ordering the change. However, there seems to have been no major
change in the TO & E. The new designation, Assault Helicopter
Company, remained until the 118th transferred all its assets to
the VNAF 231st Helicopter Squadron on 31 March 1971. The 118th
then stood-down and returned to Hawaii.
The 118th already had the UH-1B for all platoons,
including the "Bandits". Then, beginning in early 1966,
new UH-1C and UH-1D model helicopters began to arrive replacing
the UH-1B's. By August of 1966, there were no B Models left in
the 118th. The 1st and 2nd Flight Platoons had UH-1D's and the
3rd Flight Platoon, "Bandits" had UH-1C's.
A great panoramic photo showing the 118th
Thunderbirds doing an insertion of
173rd Abn troops near Tan Uyen, just about
10 miles north of Bien Hoa. According to Tommy Thornton,
"this was a 145th CAB operation on May
4, 1966 taking the 173rd Airborne Bde in north of Tan Uyen.
Our company (118th) made 7 lifts that day.
We extracted the 173rd on May 6. Our flight
had 3 aircraft hit, Top Tiger 6 ( MAJ. Honneycutt) was hit in
the leg, and a 197th AWC
pilot was hit in the shoulder on the extraction."
This area was also near the site of the Leper
Colony.(66)
(Photo courtesy Tommy Thornton)
"Old Bird Cage"
View of "Old Bird Cage" on final
approach(Approx. 330 degrees) during monsoon season (Mar-May 66).
This was originally a short runway (15-33) of the Bien Hoa Air
Base. There were lots of "pot-holes" and it had been
oiled for paving with patches of old PSP. Large tall, two-bay
hanger on right is where 573rd Maint. Det. was set-up. "Thunderbird"
Operations was short building on left at end of parked "Hueys".
Note sand filled canisters for "L" revetments. Picture
taken from UH-1D as indicated by FM homing antenna. It belonged
to the 2nd Flight Platoon.
(Photo courtesy Tom Baca)
The Bird Cage
A low-level view of the 118th "Bird Cage"
looking generally to the NW. The road in foreground
is the Bien Hoa Air base perimeter road showing
a right turn after passing the old French
"pill box". The Bandit area is the
first area after turning right and the lift platoons are in
two rows on the far right.(67)
(Photo courtesy Richard Little)
The old French "pill box" at the
entrance to the Thunderbird "Bird Cage"(67)
(Photo courtesy James Morgan)
Photo from Bandit aircraft approaching the
Bird Cage for an over-head break to land.
Note the mud puddles between the 1st Plt and
2nd Plt. areas and the Bandit area at the
bottom. In this photo, the new Spartan Heliport
was not yet being constructed. (66)
(Photo courtesy Carl Garrett)
Thunderbirds--Form-up!
Interesting photo taken from Bandit 2 showing
the Thunderbirds
forming-up within the "Bird Cage"
for departure.(67)
(Photo courtesy Richard Little)
REVETMENTS
A major change to the "Old Bird Cage"
area, which was an extra wide and short old runway, was the construction
of revetments for all aircraft. Up to that time, revetments, when
there were any, were very crude. Much of the real protection was
provided by dispersing the aircraft far apart. The construction
of new revetments allowed the aircraft to be parked much closer
together. The newer revetments allowed all UH-1D's to be parked
in 5 feet tall, "L" shaped metal canister revetments
filled with sand. It is unknown just what had been in the metal
canisters or from where they had come. The "Bandits"
parked their UH-1C's in "L" shaped revetments in the
"Bandit" area, but they were made from 55 gallon drums
full of sand and sand bags.
Typical sand bag revetments in Bird Cage in
early 1966.
Note maintenance hanger in background.
(Photo courtesy Richard H. Stevens)
"Shit Platoon" memorial plaque says,
"in honor of all those sandbagger(s) who shoveled away
their lives for the Dinks" Apparently,
this was to fill the metal canisters (behind the plaque)
used to construct the new helicopter revetments
at the Old Bird Cage.(Dec 66)
(Photo courtesy Willis Long)
Terry Wade of 573rd Maintenace Det. holding
same sign--66
(Photo courtesy L.E. Golden)
1966-67
118th Thunderbird's Flight Operations
at the "Bird Cage"(66)
(Photo courtesy Charles Milan)
Bailey Compound and
the 118th Company street.
Orderly Room is at right with
CO's jeep sitting in front.(67)
(Photo courtesy Bill Langan
The 118th Orderly Room from what
appears to be the back door. (Nov 67)
(Photo courtesy Willis Long)
TheRichard P. Bubar Day Room of
the 118th Thunderbirds. Named in
honor of Richard Perley Bubar who
was killed in the rocket and mortar
attack on Bien Hoa Air base shortly
after mid-night Nov. 1, 1964.
(Photo courtesy David Vandenburg)
The old Enlisted barracks on the Bien Hoa
airfield near the Control Tower. These buildings were vacated
and turned
over to the Vietnamese and had been home
for several
years. The Enlisted men were forced to
live in tents for several months until the
new two story barracks were
finished on Bailey Compound.(66)
(Photo courtesy Richard Little)
"Home Sweet Home" for the Enlisted
men of the 118th in the barracks above.
Accommodations were wonderfully
appointed with screens, cement floors,
footlockers and wall lockers.(66)
(Photo courtesy Richard Little)
The "Tent City" where the EM lived
as the
new 118th barracks were being built in Jan
67.
(Photo courtesy Willis Long)
The new 118th and 573rd barracks
being built in Jan 67.
(Photo courtesy Willis Long)
"New Bird Cage"
© Copyright--JEAN AKER
New 145th CAB heliport and parking areas. Looking to the NW from Spartan Tower
which stood about 80 feet above the tarmac
and red Vietnam soil. Note the tall and
long 573rd Maint hanger for the 118th AHC
in the right far distance and right of
the water tower. The 118th "Bird Cage"
was this side of that hanger stretching
to the left. (Photo courtesy Jean Aker, a
Spartan Tower controller in 1968)
Note: See more of Jean's great photos from
atop Spartan Tower and of
Bien Hoa, follow this LINK!
Another view of Spartan heliport and the "New
Bird Cage"
as seen on short final landing to the N.(69)
(Photo courtesy Bob Rich)
Close-up view of Spartan Tower by Dale Moore
in Red Bird 3
on take-off from Lane 4 on a 33 departure(69)
(Photo courtesy Dale Moore)
1968
118th Headquarters and Orderly Room(68).
(Photo from "145th Combat
Aviation Battalion";
Pictorial History, Vol. II)
118th Thunderbird Operations crew
in 1968. (Photo from "145th
Combat Aviation Battalion";
Pictorial History, Vol. II)
118th Thunderbird Supply Section
in 1968 (Photo from "145th
Combat Aviation Battalion";
Pictorial History, Vol. II)
118th Thunderbird Mess Hall crew(68).
Photo from "145th Combat Aviation
Battalion" ; Pictorial History, Vol.
II)
118th Thunderbird Motor Pool (68)
Photo from "145th Combat Aviation
Battalion"; Pictorial History, Vol.
II)
Standing third from left is
Michael "Butch" Hall.
Typical Combat Assault in the wet season
prior to rice planting.
Probably 9th Div. (67)
(Photo courtesy Lanny Hansen)
Honor Smith Compound, Home of the 145th CAB
units including the 118th Thunderbirds.(70)
(Photo courtesy Tom Morely)
On approach to Ham Tan. (70)
(Photo courtesy Rock Lyons)
Interesting view of Thunderbird approach to
Ham Tan on the
coast of the South China Sea. (70)
(Photo courtesy Rock Lyons)
"SMOKE SHIPS"
An interesting photo of "Pollution IV"
running the smoke device at 2000' +
AGL! Obviously too, it is the wet rainy season.
Dave "Killer" Evans remembers..."That could very
well have been a mission I was on.
As it turned out, Thunderbird 6 decided that
Pollution IV would not need to smoke the LZ and as it turned out,
the LZ was "cold"!
However, Pollution IV was scheduled to go
into the hanger for maintenance when we returned after the day's
mission and the "Fog Oil"
tank had to be enpty. So....we pumped the
tank empty at altitude enroute home! The bad part of this was
that as part of the crew,
and after each time we used smoke, we all
had to pitch in and scrub down the tail boom as soon as we got
back to the
Bird Cage. It was a very unhappy chore for
all of us. Plus, we didn't get to smoke anyone that day!!"(68)
(Photo courtesy Jim Thorne)
An innovation that came out of the "Air Mobile
Concept" in Vietnam was the "Smoke Ship". Spawned
by the need to protect the aircraft and crews from Viet Cong small
arms fire, the idea of using smoke to obstruct the vision of the
VC gunners as they lay-in-wait was a battle tried technique dating
back to WW I and perhaps prior.
The predominate terrain in the southern provinces
of Vietnam and along the sea coasts was open with canals and rice
paddies. These terrain features had been "man made"
over hundreds and perhaps thousands of years for transportation
and agricultural purposes. They afforded the VC with ready made
dikes and tree lines in which to remain hidden from observation.
Thus, the simplest way to foil their effective fire was to obstruct
their vision.
Sometime in 1964-65, the "Smoke Ship"
was first employed by the 145th CAB; the first CAB to fly smoke
ship missions in Vietnam. In 1966, the 145th CAB "Pathfinder"
detachment flew and maintained the UH-1B "Smoke Ship".
In 1966 it was usually flown by the Pathfinder Detachment CO,
CPT Homer Hudson. Other 145th CAB officers were co-pilots for
the craft.
145th Battalion Smoke Ship
Photos showing the 145th Battalion "Smoke
Ship" flown
by Homer Hudson, Commander of the Pathfinder
Detachment as it sets up a smoke screen between
the village and the LZ. (67)
(Photos courtesy Richard Little)
Another great photo of the 145th Battalion
"Smoke Ship" flown by CPT Homer Hudson
doing a treeline before the Thunderbird flight
lands.(66-67)
(Photo courtesy Charles Milan)
"POLLUTION IV"
In 1968 the 118th Assault Helicopter Company was
able to acquire an extra UH-1H for the use as a "Smoke Ship".
Adding tanks to the cargo area and pumps to transfer the "fuel"
to the ring of nozzles encircling the turbine exhaust, the "Smoke
Ship" and its dedicated crew carried out low-level missions
designed to obstruct the vision of the VC anytime a Platoon or
Company sized flight was used to insert or extract combat troops.
The crew of the "Smoke Ship" was highly dedicated and
could be classed as definitely "daredevil" like.
Leading the flight of troop carriers by a minute
or so, the smoke ship would swoop down to low level, on top of
the rice paddies, and fly parallel to the tree line, Nippa Palm
line or dike line trailing a dense wall of white puffy smoke.
The flight of troop carriers would then land with the smoke providing
a "wall" of smoke between them and the suspected VC
to block their vision. Assuming the wind was not too high, the
technique was very effective and the smoke stayed close to the
ground for 4-5 minutes. But, the maneuver was highly dangerous
for the crews of the "Smoke Ship". However, the very
aggressive crew of the smoke ship thrived on it, to hear them
tell it!
"Pollution IV" the 118th "Smoke
Ship" in 1969 with its Gunner
SP4 Brian Willard (aka "Wizard")
Note the tank and hoses under the seat
and the removed Pilot doors. Also note the
troops beyond the helicopter.
If this is "Pollution IV" what happened
to Pollution I, II and III?
(Photo courtesy Dave Norton)
ARVN LZ in the jungle.
Note height of trees.(68)
(Photo courtesy Dave Evans)
Pollution IV crossing below the flight.
See rotor disc slightly above skid!(68)
(Photo courtesy Dave Evans)
Pollution IV Crewmembers at Bien Hoa (Nov
68)
L to R: ?, ?, Wally, Dave Henderson
(Courtesy Dave "Scottie" Henderson)
Pollution IV at work on combat assault in
1968
(Courtesy Dave "Scottie" Henderson)
Remberance of Dave "Scottie" Henderson,
CrewChief on Polution 4
"To get the Smoke Ship (Pollution
IV) started for the 118th we converted one of the blue tails(Second
Platoon). We had a crew of 6. Three were gunners working the
tree line, full suppression all the time on a 1strun LZ and the
crew chief guarding the inside of the horse shoe profile we flew
around the slicks. The Bandits protected us all but Pollution
4 was on the deck at 80 kts pumping out the smoke screen, cutting
off the VC's view of the ships in the LZ. We had our share of
bullet holes but nobody was killed or wounded during my 6 months
of smoke ship."
"In the picture of the
four guys(above), I am on the far right. The black guy beside
me is Wally. I don't remember any of the other names. The one
on the far left saved my life once. The smoke system was not
operating and we determined the circuit breaker had popped. It
was located in a small electrical compartment on the right side
below the engine. We had to land for me to get to it. The rice
paddies were full of water and no dry places to land anywhere.
The A/C hovered close to a rice dike. I unbuckled and ran across
the cargo floor to jump out the other side on to the dyke. That
gunner stuck out his arm,
caught me on my chest and threw me to the floor of the helicopter.
He pointed down at a snake pit full of snakes in the side of
the dyke I probably would have landed in if I had kept going.
I bought him a case of beer that night."
Pollution 4 CrewChief, Dave "Scottie"
Henderson
and Pilot, WO1 Joseph L. Richards, 68
(Courtesy Dave Henderson)
Today
Brian Willard, aka "Wizard" shown
with one of the curators
of the Vertical Flight Collection at the Smithsonian's
National Air & Space Museum, Dulles Facility.
Brian donated his helmet, scarf and a photo
for
display at the facility.(below their hands)
(Photo courtesy Brian Willard)
Close-up of Brian Willard's helmet, scarf
and photo at Vertical Flight
Collection of the National Air & Space
Museum facility at Dulles
(Photo courtesy Brian Willard)
Remembrance of Dave Norton
" Pollution IV"
was Blue 4, renamed. I think it was set up for smoke within 6
months prior to my arrival (Aug. 1968), because I think the original
AC still flew it for quite awhile after I started flying. They
also only used certain peter pilots. It had a heavy crew. That
is, it had a regular crew of AC,Pilot, crew chief, and 2 gunners.
The #1 gunner mostly took care of the guns and the #2 gunner
took care of the oil tank and cleaning up the oily tail boom.
Because they were in harms way a lot, they used two gunners on
the hot side; sometimes, all three on one side. The only official
duty for them was to smoke the LZ. So, they went looking for
trouble between lifts. That's what made "Pollution IV"
the ship of choice to fly on if you had it in you to get in harms
way. They got a pretty fair body count. The AC called it "the
hunt" when they were out looking for VC. Once, they even
slipped into Cambodia a few times and once went low level right
over a major base camp. They just made a big circle and came
across again shooting. The AC got chewed out by the CO for that
one. Sometime in early 69 they traded a mini gun for a fifty
cal. and set it up with a big rubber cushioned mount for it.
It was used for shooting-up bunkers and sampans that the VC had
sunk to hide from the ground troops. It was pretty effective."
Remembrance of Bruce Plumb
Bruce Plumb,
a Crew-Chief remembers that, "Also, pollution 4 ate many
tail booms from oil eating up rivets and hard points. Also, we
had to keep a special eye on the transmission cooler because
of the oil. The .50 cal had to have special padding under the
mount, and even with that there was cracking of airframe at door
openings.
Interesting photo of combat assault by 118th
using a smoke ship in
the area of Xuan Loc. Photo provided by John
Peeff who was an
Advisor with the 18th ARVN Div. (68)
(Photo courtesy John Peeff)
Remembrance of WO Bob Wrinkle who flew Pollution
IV
In April 1968, when I made
PIC, I was honored, along with another WO in the 1st Platoon
with the assignment of one of the first 2 H-models to arrive
in the company. That day I got to paint it with a red strip and
big white 7 at the base of the vertical fin. (SP5 Bruce Plumb
contends that the first H-model was his ship, Red 2) By summer
I was asked to ‘volunteer’ to fly Pollution IV for
First Platoon which was one of the next 4 H models to arrive.
Two of these H models were fitted with smoke equipment that worked,
their tail numbers were IV and VIII. The Second Platoon flew
VIII when 2nd Platoon flew lead and I flew IV when 1st Platoon
flew lead. Generally every other day was our ‘pigs and rice”
missions. One of my three gunners was nicknamed “Killer”
(David Evans) a lad of 130 lbs, about 5’5’’ and
big glasses. A strange 19 year old but could place a tracer round
in the top of a palm tree or the center of a bomb crater puddle
from 2000’. I won money on him doing that several times.
He could fix any M-60 problem that came up and I saw him drop
several VC coming out of a tree line on a smoke run. No nude
pictures on his wall just guns and ammo pictures.
WO1 John Robert Wrinkle,
118th AHC from 15 Feb 1968 to 12 Feb 1969
Bob Wrinkle
LTC,USA (Ret)
Two photos taken from within Thunderbird formation
flights showing
Pollution IV doing its "thing"!(69)
(Photos courtesy Bob Rich)
A 118th pilot, Robert Konopka, remembers
The way that pollution
IV got the 50 cal. was CPT Chapman, XO of the Thunderbirds, asked
me to see if I could "acquire" a 50 cal. that would
be mounted on the smoke ship. He had tried to have supply requisition
one through the supply channels with no luck since we were not
authorized one. I got busy and traded a couple of VC flags for
a couple of air-conditioners which where then traded for a 50
cal. machine gun. You should have seen the XO's eyes when I came
walking into the HQ with a 50 cal. over my shoulder. It worked
quite well on Pollution IV and was very effective on bunkers
and sampans.
"Pollution IV" as seen from above.
The high speed low-level pass is just
beginning and prior to smoke being placed
along the dike and tree line
in advance of the lift ships sitting down
with their troops. (1969)
(Photo courtesy Dave Norton)
Personal remembrance of Dale Moore, Pilot in 118th
from 1968-70.
"I flew on the smoke ship a
few times. It was a "Red tail," I think. Even though
we had "Star 5" and "Rainbow 6" as special
named aircraft, the 2nd platoon as, I remember, had Pollution
4 (I was in first platoon.) Yes, In 1969 it was fitted with a
50 cal. out the left door."
"It was an exciting ride to
say the least. The 50 cal. hammering out the left side and smoke
oil spraying into the hot exhaust. What more could a young crazy
pilot ask for?"
"The 50 cal. was mounted with
rubber padding and wood to absorb the shock while firing. It
didn't work! The deck it was attached to was being voided(hollowed
or separated) badly and the aircraft was sent back to the states
for rebuild sometime in 1969."
"While I was still in Vietnam,
I received a letter from a guy that I had known that had been
a crew-chief with the 190th Spartans in 1968. He was at that
time stationed at Fort Benning,GA."
"He wrote to me that they had
received a rebuilt Huey and that he could see under the over
sprayed paint the outline of the tail flash of a four and knew
it had been in the 118th. He asked me if I could explain all
of the patches that the aircraft had! I wrote him back that it
was probably our old smoke ship."
Dale Moore
Thunderbird 13
1968/1970
A better picture of "Pollution IV"
laying smoke prior to lift ships
touching down with combat troops.
(Photo courtesy Dave Norton)
Great photo showing the "Pollution IV"
laying down smoke to mask the jungle beside an
LZ which was NE of Bien Hoa in the vicinity
of Dinh Quan(City of Rocks) area.(69)
(Photo courtesy Joe Lemieux)
View from inside Pollution IV at low level
and 90 Knots!! (68)
(Photo courtesy Dave "Killer" Evans)
Look very closely, in the center of the photo
and
just to the right of the smoke,......Ten
Thunderbird
slicks on the ground as Pollution IV makes
a pass! Also, check the bomb craters, possibly
from an Arc Light (B-52) strike.(68)
(Photo courtesy Dave "Killer" Evans)
Interesting photo from altitude of "Pollution
IV" as
it shields from view from river line and houses
along the river. Note also the artillery prep
and WP
or smoke rounds in wooded area to the
right.(69)
(Photo courtesy Robert Springer)
Note: If you flew any of the smoke ships,
have pictures or know anything about them
and their crews, please contact the Webmaster