| Date: 15:50, 23rd January From: Webmaster Email: viking23@crunet.com Message: Tigers one and all: This is the place for any and all war stories. What you enter here will be a reflection on not just you, but the 121st AHC so please keep it clean. Date: 15:08, 30th January From: Joe Email: *** Message: Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 64-13670 The Army purchased this helicopter 0665 Total flight hours at this point: 00001579 Date: 03/26/1967 Unit: 121 AHC This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was REPAIRED IN THEATER This was a Rescue and Recovery mission for Rescue or Rescue Support While Enroute this helicopter was Unknown at 0050 feet and UNK knots. South Vietnam Helicopter took 16 hits from: Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM) The helicopter was hit in the Tail Section Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL, MAIN ROTOR SYS, ELECTRICAL SYS Casualties = YES . . The helicopter Continued Flight. The aircraft continued and accomplished all mission objectives. Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: UH1P2, 72407, Larry McDonald's log book () Summary: This was VIKING SURPRISE that made about 13 smoke passes and took over 130 hits. The Bell Tech Rep turned it in for rebuild. Crew Members: AC CW2 DALY JR P WO1 MCDONALD LF War Story: Because of an entry in Larry McDonald's personal logbook, the VHPA believes this aircraft was the 121st AHC's VIKING SURPRISE and the battle damage noted in this record was received during the Battle on Easter Sunday near the village of Hoa Binh in Vinh Long Province. SURPRISE was still at Soc Trang when the initial assault into LZ ALPHA was made. Soon three Hueys were down in the LZ and the 13th CAB units in the battle sent out calls for reinforcements. CW2 Jerry Daly was at Soc Trang, got a crew together using a brand new WO as the other pilot, and flew to Vinh Long. About this time WO Larry McDonald arrived at Vinh Long on a C-123 returning for an in-country R&R. While SURPRISE was refueling and waiting for the rescue effort to get organized, Daly and McDonald linked up and McDonald used the new WO's flight helmet and other equipment. The MAVERICK gunships from the 175th AHC were organizing the rescue effort and when Daly arrived on the scene, he radioed "I think I have something you can use," referring to the smoke ship. The gunships set up a large daisy chain, SURPRISE smoked the tree line, and four Hueys landed to perform the rescue. All the while, USAF and VNAF attack aircraft will bombing the tree line. There was enough wind to dissipate the smoke, so SURPRISE had to lay it down repeatedly. Larry says about the time the Plexiglas was all shot out, he stopped counting smoke passes at number nine. Daly was a excellent judge of the amount of oil they had as they continued to maintain the protective smoke screen. Even with the gunships and the attack aircraft, SURPRISE was all alone during the smoke passes and the VC knew exactly what they were doing. Larry says the enlisted men were laying on the floor while firing their weapons to minimize their exposure to the enemy fire. Larry’s log book records they took 130 hits but miraculously no one was wounded except Larry with some Plexiglas cuts. He says the enlisted guys talked about moving around in the cargo compartment and having bullet holes appear in the floor where they had just been. He estimates they made 12 to 13 smoke passes and that they run out of oil just about the time the fourth rescue helicopter departed the LZ. They knew their aircraft was in bad shape but flew it safely back to Soc Trang. They logged a total of 1:35. Their Bell Tech Rep "put a ribbon around it" meaning that it would have to be turned in for rebuild. For his bravely this day, CW2 Daly was awarded a DSC in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. and promoted to the rank of Captain. Date: 15:20, 30th January From: Jim Lohman Email: *** Message: In the fall of 1965 all of us Vikings (121st AHC)saddled up and flew all the way up to Nha Trang on what was described to us at the time, a mission to change the face of the war. After a few days on the beach a a night or two at Ban Me Thuot, we returned to Soctrang. All I can remember us accomplishing was to piss off all the house girls who had to tackle about 10 days of dirty laundry. I can only hope that someone who was in the command structure during that time might remember this "mysterious mission." Date: 15:20, 5th February From: *** Email: *** Message: This is the story behind the WIA on February 5,1969, while serving as crewcheif on 64-14085, call sign "Viking 22." The unit was the 121st AHC based at Soc Trang, RVN. We were called out on a fire support mission near Soc Trang, I don't remember the location but it was within 50 miles of our base. A company of 9th ARVNs were pinned down by some bad guys estimated strength was unknown. To lay this out better 2 UH-1B models, light fire team, came on to set of tree lines sort of shaped like a Y, with scattered hooches in the open fields. We were flying wingman, 085 was a "Hog" 19 shot pods and nose mounted 40 mm chunker. When we got there, the 9th guys ID themselves with smoke, if we were headed north along the longer tree line the freindlies would have been to our right in that tree line, the bad guys were in the left fork of the Y. So we circled right and descended over the friendlies and came up on an echelon left formation. We came back along the tree line to the north and my pilot dropped us down below lead ( this turned out not be a good thing), and fire came out of a hootch between us and the left arm of the tree line. We called fire and I returned fire to the hootch, wham, a round came through the left windshield. The A/C called we were hit and broke right away from the fire. The windshield had a hole in it and the P/P's head was leaning down, so I jumped up and looked over there was blood coming out of his neck, chin, and cheeks. So I started to pull the seat pins to lean him back to get him out of there. I heard this voice over intercom "Stewart don't drop this fucking seat!" It was Mr. King the pilot, his face shield had been down (good for him) it turned out it was just plexi glass cuts. You have been there, there was a lot of conversation between lead ship, our ship, ground units, and my gunner, it was always so hectic when shit hit the fan. The bottom line Mr. King and the flight were PO'ed now, so we weren't going home over some cuts. He was returning to the fight so we could kick some butt. So we regrouped and went back in there and lit up the hootch, tree line, and everything else that stood in our way. We got 2 confirm kills that day and the 9th went on about their business. I spent the evening replacing a windshield and green house. So that's what I remember it is pretty clear because of two things, that pilot , Mr. King gave me my senior check ride at Ft. Wolters, got a 98 by the way. The other part was my gunner argued the whole time I had called the target wrong, but he was or could be such and A-hole. Randy Stewart 121st AHC 68-69 B/229th 1st Cav 71-72 WORWAC 71-1 Proud to have served! Date: 15:24, 5th February From: *** Email: *** Message: War Story: Because of an entry in Larry McDonald's personal logbook, the VHPA believes this aircraft was the 121st AHC's VIKING SURPRISE and the battle damage noted in this record was received during the Battle on Easter Sunday near the village of Hoa Binh in Vinh Long Province. SURPRISE was still at Soc Trang when the initial assault into LZ ALPHA was made. Soon three Hueys were down in the LZ and the 13th CAB units in the battle sent out calls for reinforcements. CW2 Jerry Daly was at Soc Trang, got a crew together using a brand new WO as the other pilot, and flew to Vinh Long. About this time WO Larry McDonald arrived at Vinh Long on a C-123 returning for an in-country R&R. While SURPRISE was refueling and waiting for the rescue effort to get organized, Daly and McDonald linked up and McDonald used the new WO's flight helmet and other equipment. The MAVERICK gunships from the 175th AHC were organizing the rescue effort and when Daly arrived on the scene, he radioed "I think I have something you can use," referring to the smoke ship. The gunships set up a large daisy chain, SURPRISE smoked the tree line, and four Hueys landed to perform the rescue. All the while, USAF and VNAF attack aircraft will bombing the tree line. There was enough wind to dissipate the smoke, so SURPRISE had to lay it down repeatedly. Larry says about the time the Plexiglas was all shot out, he stopped counting smoke passes at number nine. Daly was a excellent judge of the amount of oil they had as they continued to maintain the protective smoke screen. Even with the gunships and the attack aircraft, SURPRISE was all alone during the smoke passes and the VC knew exactly what they were doing. Larry says the enlisted men were laying on the floor while firing their weapons to minimize their exposure to the enemy fire. Larry’s log book records they took 130 hits but miraculously no one was wounded except Larry with some Plexiglas cuts. He says the enlisted guys talked about moving around in the cargo compartment and having bullet holes appear in the floor where they had just been. He estimates they made 12 to 13 smoke passes and that they run out of oil just about the time the fourth rescue helicopter departed the LZ. They knew their aircraft was in bad shape but flew it safely back to Soc Trang. They logged a total of 1:35. Their Bell Tech Rep "put a ribbon around it" meaning that it would have to be turned in for rebuild. For his bravely this day, CW2 Daly was awarded a DSC in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. and promoted to the rank of Captain. Date: 06:21, 9th March From: Army Reporter Article Email: **** Message: 22Jun70- Aviators riddle Delta forces page 1 SOC TRANG - Helicopter gunships and fixed-wing aircraft from the 13th Combat Avn. Bn., reported killing 24 enemy soldiers June 7 in a series of air-to-ground clashes throughout IV Corps' Mekong Delta area. The 121st Assault Helicopter Co., commanded by Capt. Charles E. Cowan, accounted for a dozen of the enemy fatalities. Six of the enemy were killed in a morning action when the 121st's Tigers were operating approximately 20 miles south of Can Tho, and the remaining six fell during an afternoon contact 10 miles west of Soc Trang. "The gunships were taking fire so they put in a couple of rockets," Cowan said referring to the earlier action. "The enemy jumped into a canal trying to escape but we got them with minigun and machine gun fire." The afternoon contact, the captain said, was very similar except that the enemy soldiers were standing beside a canal. Fixed-wing aircraft of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. accounted for six enemy deaths approximately 10 miles southeast of Can Tho, while the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. killed a lone enemy soldier 60 miles west of Can Tho to bring the battalion's total for the day to 24. Another 164th Avn. Gp. unit, the 16th Air Cav., added five enemy deaths to the day's total late in the afternoon about 10 miles south of Vi Thang. The air mission commander, Lt. Dennis J. Braddock, reported that a LOH took fire from enemy forces dug into machine gun positions in the area. Cobra gunships rolled into the area and silenced the machine guns. Date: 06:27, 9th March From: Army Reporter Articles Email: **** Message: 22Jun70 Vietnam communique June 1-7 1st Avn Bde In the Mekong Delta June 6, 13th Combat Avn. Bn. helicopter gunship crewmen reported killing 11 enemy soldiers in three separate actions. In the largest contact, elements of the 336th Assault Helicopter Co., the 16th Air Cav., and the 121st Assault Helicopter Co., combined to kill seven enemy soldiers in southern Kion Giang Province in the northern portion of the U Minh Forest. Elsewhere in helicopter clashes in IV Corps, other pilots of the 121st AHC reported killing two Viet Cong about 15 miles northwest of Bac Lieu, while crewmen of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. killed two others 20 miles northwest of Soc Trang. The battalion's gunships accounted for 24 enemy killed in five separate actions June 7 in the Mekong Delta. A dozen enemy fatalities were the result of efforts by the 121st Assault Helicopter Co. Six of the enemy were killed in a morning action when the 121st Tigers were operating about 20 miles south of Can Tho and the remaining six fell during an afternoon contact 10 miles west of Soc Trang. The 16th Air Cav. added five enemy deaths to the day's total late in the afternoon about 10 miles south of Vi Thang. A LOH took fire from enemy machine guns and subsequent pass by the LOH revealed five enemy bodies. Fixed-wing aircraft of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. accounted for six enemy deaths approximately 10 miles southeast of Can Tho and the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. killed a lone enemy soldier 60 miles west of Can Tho to bring the total for the day to 24. Gunships of the 121st weathered a driving rainstorm June 5 and reported killing 11 Communists in two separate incidents. The first encounter, which resulted in five enemy killed, occurred south of Ca Mau while the other took place on the edge of the U Minh Forest. In the second incident, the Vikings also destroyed 20 sampans and 10 hootches. Crewmen of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. reported killing five Communists June 4 southwest of Vi Thanh. 17th Combat Avn Gp. reported killing two enemy soldiers and finding the bodies of two more killed during previous fighting in the Central Highlands. The 13th Combat Avn. Bn. reported killing nine Communists the same day. Date: 13:13, 9th March From: VIKING SURPRISE Email: **** Message: For date 691230 121 AHC was a US Army unit Primary service involved, US Army Ba Zuyen Province, South Vietnam Location, Soc Trang Description: FIREFLY The "bug" completed another very outstanding year as it proved once more that "Charlie" can be stopped at night. Their constant vigilance during the hours of darkness often broke up VC attacks on friendly outposts or units while their lightening quick reactions prevents the VC from continuing mortar attacks on Soc Trang Army Airfield. The devastating firepower packed by VIKING SURPRISE, with its .50 caliber machine-gun, two M60s and 40mm grenade launchers, often surprised the VC in a very unpleasant manner. When the big searchlight on SURPRISE put VC sampans or units in the spotlight, the gunships would roll on target providing timely and unbelievably accurate fire on targets. This highly successful techniques used by the firefly team have taught "Charlie" that he is not safe at night and enabled the friendly personnel to relax at little at night when they knew the "bug" was overhead. Firefly accounted for hundreds of sampans and VC casualties during the past year, and their outstanding performance has been a great asset in the struggle for freedom in the Mekong Delta The source for this information was 121st 1969 Yearbook provided by Bob Hofmann & Chas Robinson Date: 13:32, 9th March From: Ira Will McComic Email: **** Message: The attack on the Can Tho airfield happened in the early morning hours of January 13, 1969. Viet Cong sappers sneaked through the perimeter onto the airfield and began blowing up the aircraft parked there. Seven Cobras, two Chinooks, and a Huey helicopter were lost. We also lost a pilot, Gary Weatherhead. Gary was with the "Vipers", the third flight platoon of my unit, the 235th Armed Helicopter Company. He was killed as he was attempting to reach his aircraft from the ready hootch. Each of the three flight platoons of the 235th alternated weekly in providing pilots and crew chiefs for an instant reaction nighttime fire team that was scrambled in the event they were needed somewhere in the delta. The crew members assigned to that duty stayed in the ready hootch which, at that time, was located just inside the perimeter and close to their aircraft (meaning their aircraft were also near the perimeter.). Ironically, once the sappers made it inside the perimeter that night undetected, the closest aircraft for them to take out were the Cobras that belonged to the ready team. When the first charges went off, those persons in the ready hootch began running to their aircraft. As they did so, they ran right into the sappers already in the revetments. As I remember, that's where Gary Weatherhead was killed, in the revetment where his Cobra was parked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My own participation in the incident was nothing worthy of much note. When the first explosions went off, I was sleeping in the cot under a buzz fan in my hootch. My first reaction was to hit the floor and hug it, thinking we were being mortared. Then I heard someone shout that the airfield was being overrun. At first, I didn't believe that news, but it didn't stop me from grabbing my .38 and low crawling in my underwear to the door of the hootch to be in a better position to intercept any VC that might come charging in my direction. Several others had the same view of the matter and joined me in the doorway. After several minutes when we heard no more explosions or gunfire, we decided to go to our aircraft. We dressed as quickly as we could in the dark, and with shirts unbuttoned and shoes untied, groups of two or three of us dashed for the aircraft revetments some two-to-three-hundred yards from the hootches where we were. There were several other buildings along our route and we skittered from one building to another, still cautious about the possibility of bumping into some VC. I was wearing my chicken plate and carried my flight helmet in one hand and my .38 in the other. I eventually reached the revetment where my Cobra was parked. I discovered it was too damaged to fly (the tail boom was mangled). Then someone suggested that the VC may have booby trapped the aircraft and we were directed to stay away from them until they could be checked thoroughly. By this time, all the shooting inside the perimeter was over. I remember examining closely the bodies of two VC lying dead on the runway directly in front of the Cobra revetments. I was struck by the observation that these two appeared to be well fed, unlike nearly all the others I observed in the delta, all of whom were inclined to be skinny. Although some gunships made it up, some of them arriving from elsewhere, I believe these two VC were killed by ground fire since their bodies were not as chewed up or fragmented as bodies normally were from aircraft fire. (Among the units in the delta that came to help us that night was the 121st Assault Helicopter Company from Soc Trang, east of Can Tho. Years later, I corresponded with Randy Stewart, a helicopter crew member from the 121st who came to our aid that night and I had the chance to thank him for coming to help us. If they had not come when they did, it could have been much worse. I flew a lot of missions with the 121st during my tour and I thought it was a fine unit.) [1] [2] [3] |