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Wallaby Airlines: Twelve Months Caribou flying in Vietnam

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Wallaby Airlines: Twelve Months Caribou flying in Vietnam AWARDED SPECIAL MENTION IN 2005 RAAF HERITAGE AWARDS twelve months caribou flying in vietnam JEFF PEDRINA © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. Disclaimer The views expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defence, the Royal Australian Air Force or the Government of Australia, or of any other authority referred to in the text. The Commonwealth of Australia will not be legally responsible in contract, tort or otherwise, for any statements made in this document. Release This document is approved for public release. Portions of this document may be quoted or reproduced without permission, provided a standard source credit is included. National Library of Australia Pedrina, Jeff. Wallaby Airlines: Twelve months Caribou flying in Vietnam. ISBN 1 920800 13 1 1. Pedrina, Jeff - Diaries. 2. Vietnam War, 1961 - 1975 Personal narratives, Australian. 3. Caribou (Transport plane) - History. I. Title. 959.7043394 Edited by: Michelle Lovi and Keith Brent Layout and design by: Michael Wright Published and distributed by: Air Power Development Centre Level 3 205 Anketell Street TUGGERANONG ACT 2900 AUSTRALIA Telephone: + 61 2 6266 1355 Facsimile: + 61 2 6266 1041 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.raaf.gov.au/airpower ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks are due to John Harris, a Vietnam fellow traveller who encouraged me to get moving with this book, waded through it and provided many suggestions; to my wife Robyn for her patience and encouragement; and to the many air and ground crew who shared the Vietnam experience with me. iii Wallaby Crew L-R: Blue Campbell, IanPedrina Baldwin, Stew Bonett, Jeff iv INTRODUCTION The story you are about to read was written nearly 30 years ago. Many of the thoughts and feelings expressed were taken from personal letters and the diary of a young Air Force officer and pilot a little unsure of what to make of the strange world around him. In offering the book for publication now, I resisted the temptation to rewrite it completely, feeling that it would become a different story. For better or worse, the words stand. Vietnam, once shunned by the West, is now well on the road to recovery. Its next generation will, hopefully, have a promising future. Vietnam and its people suffered more than many imagine. Years after the war was over, many Vietnamese waged another war against the elements, pirates and starvation to reach a country that once held out such promise. Some Australians were sympathetic and generous. Others wanted to ship them home to an unknown fate. I hope this book helps all Australians understand why they deserved our help. The sources of information for the book were my personal diary, personal letters to family members, my flying logbook and a collection of photographic slides. My personal sources were augmented by large slices of memory, except in the Ba To story, where squadron engineering officer Wally Solomons filled in a lot of holes for me. Sadly, Wally has since passed away. The material presented is, to the best of my recollection, accurate in content, if not in sequence. However, I apologise in advance for any lapses in memory, or omissions, which readers may identify. I also apologise for any offence that may be taken at anything in this book, as none is intended. Jeff Pedrina v vi CONTENTS Acknowledgements iii Introduction v List of Photographs ix Abbreviations and Glossary xi Map of South Vietnam showing US Military Region or Corps Boundaries xviii Map of South Vietnam showing Main Bases and VFR Routes xix PROLOGUE 1 CHAPTER 1 – 364 DAYS TO GO 7 CHAPTER 2 – DOWN THE DELTA 21 CHAPTER 3 – NORTH BOUND 31 CHAPTER 4 – THE ELUSIVE BUDDHA 41 CHAPTER 5 – VUNG TAU AND LIFE IN THE VILLA ANNA 53 CHAPTER 6 – CRASH AT BA TO 65 CHAPTER 7 – BEATING THE MONSOON 79 CHAPTER 8 – LEADING A CHARMED LIFE 91 CHAPTER 9 – FLYING WITH A JINX 103 CHAPTER 10 – PLEIKU AND THE TRAIL 109 CHAPTER 11 – A DAY OFF FOR CHRISTMAS 117 CHAPTER 12 – BOMBS AND BULLETS 129 CHAPTER 13 – WINNING THE HEARTS AND MINDS 137 CHAPTER 14 – SHORT-TIME JITTERS 155 EPILOGUE – XINH LOI, VIETNAM 167 vii viii LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Subject Page The Delta 7 The Sydney Bar 14 The Villa Anna 16 Washing Clothes at the Villa Anna 17 Charlie Ramp 22 Bac Lieu 28 Kids at Song Mao 34 Dak Pek Airfield 44 Fuel Cells at Plei Me 46 Cow at Nha Trang 50 No 35 Squadron Headquarters 53 View from the Front of Villa Anna 57 Ba To from the Air 65 Tien Phuoc Airstrip 68 Tien Phuoc Special Forces Camp 69 Crash Repairs at Ba To 71 Tra Bong 75 Resupply, Chu Dron 84 Big Guns, Chu Dron 85 Vung Tau Market 95 Dak Seang 97 Front Beach 99 Pleiku Ramp 110 Loading Caskets at Tan Son Nhut 119 Reinforcements at Dat Do 120 Duc Xuyen Village 141 Suspension Bridge at Duc Xuyen 142 Vietnamese Boy with Grandfather 143 ix LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Subject Page Team Leader, Mang Buk 146 Montagnard Platoon 147 VC Prisoners 148 Result of Ground Fire 157 Dalat 161 Wallaby Crew 171 x ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY I, II, III, IV The four Military Regions into which South Vietnam Corps was divided during the Vietnam War. (See map page xviii) 1ATF 1st Australian Task Force – based in Phuoc Tuy Province. 6 RAR 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment 5 RAR 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment No 2 Squadron RAAF tactical bomber squadron, based at Phan Rang, operating Canberra aircraft. No 9 Squadron RAAF helicopter squadron, based at Vung Tau, operating Bell Iroquois UH-1 helicopters. No 35 Squadron RAAF tactical transport squadron, based at Vung Tau, operating DHC-4 Caribou aircraft. A-1 Skyraider Douglas piston-engined ex-USAF ground attack aircraft used by the VNAF. AGL Above Ground Level Air America Mixed-fleet airline, supposedly set up and run by the CIA. Amah Domestic servant in Malaysia Ao dai Vietnamese national dress (female) made of cotton or silk, with close-fitting bodice and split long skirt worn over long white pants. ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) B-52 US Military designation for the Boeing Stratofortress strategic bomber aircraft, used in Vietnam for carpet- bombing with high explosive iron bombs. xi B-57 US Military designation for the Martin bomber aircraft, used in Vietnam for tactical bombing duties. This aircraft was derived from the English Electric Canberra bomber operated in Vietnam by the RAAF. C-123 US Military designation for the Fairchild Provider transport aircraft; a mid-sized aircraft which could operate into shorter strips than the larger C-130. C-130 US Military designation for the Lockheed Hercules transport aircraft; the largest such aircraft that operated regularly in South Vietnam. C-141 US Military designation for the Lockheed Starlifter strategic transport aircraft, used to transport cargo and personnel into Vietnam from the USA. CV-2 US Army and USAF designations for the De Havilland or Canada DHC-4 Caribou tactical transport aircraft; a C-7A smaller aircraft capable of short field operations. It was operated in Vietnam by the RAAF and, until 1 January 1967, by the US Army. After that date the US Army aircraft were transferred to the USAF. C-46 US Military designation for the Curtiss Commando twin-engined World War II vintage transport aircraft. C-47 US Military designation for the Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft, modified for use in Vietnam for Psychological Warfare duties, or fitted with sideways- firing Gatling guns for offensive operations. CIA Central Intelligence Agency – the intelligence arm of the US Government. Chinook Twin-rotor heavy helicopter operated by the US Army. Chopper Helicopter xii Circuit A rectangular area around a runway used by aircraft making a visual approach to extend undercarriage and flaps, and progressively reduce speed prior to landing. There is usually a downwind leg parallel to the runway, a base leg at right angles, and a final leg aligned with the runway centreline. CO Commanding Officer Diem President Ngo Dinh Diem, first President of the Republic of South Vietnam. Digger Australian soldier DFC Distinguished Flying Cross – awarded to officers and warrant officers for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operations against the enemy. DFM Distinguished Flying Medal – awarded to non- commissioned officers and other ranks for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operations against the enemy. DME Distance Measuring Equipment – a ground-based radio navigation aid. DMZ Demilitarized Zone – area between North and South Vietnam before reunification. DOD Department of Defense (US Duty Pilot Squadron pilot given the job for the day of ferrying aircrews to and from the base, filling out flight plans and distributing the flying program. Exhaust The version of the Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engine augmentor fitted to the Caribou aircraft routed engine exhaust tubes gases to the front of the engine, thence over the top of the engine through stainless steel tubes to slipstream. This gave a measurable amount of extra thrust, as well as giving the Caribou engine a distinctive ‘crackling’ sound. xiii F-100 US Military designation for the North American Super Sabre, fighter aircraft operated by the USAF. F-102 US Military designation for the Convair Delta Dart fighter aircraft operated by the USAF.
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