2018 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - Barrel Bombing Marine Style
Document Item Number: 20080304001
- Pages
- 28
- Media Type
- Document
- Physical Location
- Box 03, Folder 04,
- Copyright Statement
- This document is copyrighted
- Language(s)
- English
Dates
Creation: 2018- General Note
- Table of Contents
Front Cover Photo – VHPA subscriber Bill Stilwagen took this photo from another USMC CH-53 in June 1970. In a single day, HMH-463 used twelve helicopters in four flights of three to drop 2,000 55 gallon barrels filled with napalm mixed with diesel onto an enemy tunnel and cave complex. See the January photos and narrative for the details.
January
Operation Thrash Light
CH-53s from HMH-463 (Helicopter, Marine, Heavy), the (Pegasus Squadron, based at Da Nang, I Corps – June 1970 – VHPA subscriber Bill Stilwagen provided the cover photo plus the collage. Bill says the unofficial name for this barrel bombing mission was the surname of Major General Thrash, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Air Wing, plus the famed Arc Light missions delivered by US Air Force B-52’s. The barrels burst on impact when dropped from 1,500 feet, allowing the napalm and diesel filing to flow into the caves and tunnels. A Cobra gunship ignited the firestorm with white phosphorus rockets. The small photo, from the National Archive, was taken in 1968 on a mountain top in I Corps.
February
LZ Wharton
1st Air Cavalry Division started LZ Wharton on 3 Apr 1968 – VHPA subscriber Bennie Koon took this photo while serving with the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division during Operation PEGASUS (the relief of Khe Sanh). The blue circle on the door says the Huey is from Company C, 229th Aviation. The door art is one of many variations of the “Fly United” theme as seen in the small photo. American 105 and 155 cannons were installed on LZ Wharton that was under heavy North Vietnamese artillery fire much of the time. A good bunker was a must-have!
March
129 AHC/ROK Tiger Division
The 129th Assault Helicopter Company primarily supported the Republic of Korea (ROK) Tiger Division base in Binh Dinh Province – 1969. VHPA Member Larry Alexander took these photos during his 1968 – 1969 tour with the 129 AHC based at Lane Army Airfield near the village of An Son not far from Qui Nhon in II Corps. This collage is dedicated as a tribute to the Tiger Division and those that supported them. The lower left photo shows Larry with the Division Commanding General’s favorite command and control Huey. They often trained Korean pilots to fly the Huey and conducted Combat Assaults and resupply missions. The Tiger Division, also known as the Capital Division, arrived in Vietnam 22 Sep 1965 and departed 11 Mar 1973. Officially the division suffered 2,111 KIAs and 4,228 WIAs. The 129th’s slicks were BULLDOGS as shown in the small photo, and their guns were COBRAS even though they flew UH-1Cs. They were also known as BITE and STRIKE.
April
Thunderbirds and ARVNs
UH-1Ds from the 118th Aviation Company – 1965. VHPA Member Tommy Thornton took literally hundreds of photos during his first tour in Vietnam with the 118th Thunderbirds based at Bien Hoa. For some sad reason, the VHPA Calendar did not have access to any of his photos until recently. The small photo shows their distinctive aircraft numbers on the tail rotor pylon.
May
Thunderbirds and the 173rd ABN
UH-1Ds from the 118th Aviation Company – 4 May 1966. VHPA Member Tommy Thornton took this frequently published photo showing the 118th Thunderbirds inserting troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade near Tan Uyen, just about 10 miles north of Bien Hoa. Tommy recalls, “This was a 145th CAB operation. We made seven lifts that day.” This photo is the first a reader sees on their website: www.118ahc.org. The small photo shows Tommy and his Huey.
June
Silver Spur Air Cavalry
A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry (A/3/17 Cav) OH-58s at Quan Loi – 1971. VHPA Member (deceased) Scott Evans gave most of these photos to the Silver Spur Association. Webmaster and former Scout Platoon line chief Roger ‘Bear’ Young provided them to the VHPA. This collage is dedicated as a tribute to WO1 Wallace and SP4 Gillett, who perished in #68-16945 on 4 June 1970.
July
How a Flipper Earns an Aircraft Recovered Silhouette!
CH-47 from the 196th Assault Support Helicopter Company at Lane Army Airfield – 1968. VHPA member Larry Alexander took the center photo while serving with the 129th AHC at Lane of a Flipper Chinook. Later he donated the slide to the U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Ft. Rucker. VHPA subscriber Ray Wilhite provided a digital copy of this photo to the VHPA. VHPA subscriber Tom Crawley provided the two photos on the right when the Huey he was riding in as a passenger made a forced landing and needed to be recovered. This collage is dedicated to the seven (7) 196th men killed on 16 July 1969 when their aircraft crashed during a test flight. These are the only KIAs known to the VHPA from this unit. Please note the small black silhouettes of Hueys near the front door of the Chinook. This is the Vietnam version of mission markers used in WWII. There is no known name for these markers, so we juat called them aircraft recovered silhouettes. Lots of Chinook units painted them on their aircraft in Vietnam. Larry also provided the small photo of a Chinook lifting off a hill- top base.
August
Charlie Troop at LZ Two Bits
UH-1C from C Troop, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at LZ Two Bits in II Corps – 1967. VHPA subscriber Jim Hohman took these photos during his tour as a gunner and crew chief in the weapons platoon. VHPA member Rudy Ribbeck flew with Jim for several months and provided the VHPA with copies of Jim’s photos. The presentation is dedicated to the crew chief, and 1LT Honorio as observer. The small photo shows Jim’s “office” on the flight line.
September
LZ Two Bits ~ July 1967
OH-13s from C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at LZ Two Bits in II Corps – 1967. VHPA subscriber Russ Underwood took these photos during his tour as a crew chief in the scout platoon. On 21 July while flying with VHPA member John Lee in 64-15394, they experienced a tail rotor failure and crashed on the side of a hill. You can see what remained after the wreck was returned to Two Bits. Russ is the guy in the middle of the photo in the center. He says he traded a package of cigarettes in a nearby village for the monkey. Notice they didn’t have to walk too far from their tents to get to their helicopters!
October
CH-54A Tarhe Sky Cranes. Most everyone associated with helicopter in Vietnam after 1965 recalls seeing a Crane. Many have photos of them. VHPA Subscribers Robert Brackenhoff, Bennie Koon, and Jim Sheridan plus VHPA Member Rick Berry contributed photos to this collage dedicated as a tribute to the three US Army Heavy Helicopter Companies.
November
The End Of Easy Rider #1
UH-1C #66-15045 at Duc Pho in I Corps – Nov 1970. VHPA subscriber Robert Brackenhoff took all these photos while serving in the maintenance platoon. The 174th AHC’s gun platoon was called the Sharks. He Wrote, “045 was with the company from Mar 1970 until Nov 1970. It was on a night mission down in the Rice Bowl (South of Duc Pho near FSB Debbie) when while maneuvering at low level it had a tail rotor strike when a tree got in the way. Despite the fact the crew chief’s seat belt broke, sending him rolling across the rice paddy, everyone walked away from the scene.”
December
BLUE MAX Going To Song Be
BLUE MAX going to Song Be – 25 Dec 1968. VHPA Member Steve Shaw took this photo of his wingman early on Christmas Day 1968 en route to stage at Song Be in case anyone called in an ARA (aerial rocket artillery) mission. This AH-1G Cobra is 67-15685. Records show it was direct from the factory when it joined Charlie Battery, 2/20th Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division in December. On 17 February 1969, it was destroyed by a mortar round while parked in a revetment. The small photo shows the two crews eating Christmas dinner with the infantry that day. They are: WO1 Crumpton on the left, WO1 Jon Rowe in the center holding the menu, and 1LT Bill Drummer on the right. To the best of the VHPA’s knowledge, Steve is the only one still living today.
Above: VHPA Member Gary Gard provided this photo of Purple Fox 23, A HMM -365 CH-46, on an artillery ammo resupply mission into the famous Khe Sanh (notice the runway at the top of the photo above the aft pylon) during February 1968. These were very challenging days – monsoon weather, heavy incoming NVA artillery, virtually non-stop resupply and medevacs missions, dodging American artillery and air strikes, plus external loads (reduced maneuverability). SEMPER FI!!! The patch came from VHPA Member Allyn Hinton’s USMC Insignia website.
Below: One of hundreds of photos Life Magazine accumulated during the Vietnam War. This shows Hueys delivering more infantry into an uncontested landing zone.
- Perma Link
- https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=20080304001
- Citation
- 2018 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - Barrel Bombing Marine Style, 20080304001. 2018, Box 03, Folder 04, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University, https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=20080304001, Accessed 27 Jan 2026.
- Pub Credit Line
- 20080304001, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University
- Added: 18 Apr 2018 [Updated: 18 Apr 2018]
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
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