I I (II .. ~/ \ '-~ .. J, ... 1, ! , , - HISTORY OF T:IC 155TH AVIATION COO:ji;: iL"ii.) 1 JANUARY 1966 - 31 DE(;:o!::JDZIl 1966 .. .~." .. .. ... ~-- ....... - ... o ~-'- --.~ -- . ,-' HISTORY OF THE 1;5T~{ AVIATION COMPANY (ANL) APO SA:':-T FRANCISCO, 96297 1 JA~mARY 1966 - 31 DECEMBER 1966 Prepared by Unit Historian and Assistant 1LT ilillis J. Heydenberk \-101 Paul G.' Coke Ap"roved by ROBERT V. ATKr'SON Haj Inf J 52D COMBAT AVIATION BATTALION APO San Franoisoo, 96318 ._ .. I () (J . '_. TABLE OF- CONTEnS _.' , _., •• ~ •• -'F"' .. ' ._-' List of Illustratinns Forward Prafo.co I. l1ission and Resources l1ission 1 Organization 1 Regioncl ~nnlysis 2 II. Significnnt Events and Or>erntions: 1966 , "";' .. " 1 January - 31 March 5 1 April - 30 June 8 1 July - 30 September 11 1 October - 31 December 15 III.Statistics 18 ItT. Appendix Linoage 19 Roster of Key Parsonnel 20 • l~ps of Significant Oner~tional Arons , (J LIST OF ILLUSTP.ATIONS I HAP: Nort".ern Cen.tM.l Flatea't!, Republic "f Viet --Nem Indicating areas involving: Operation PAUL REVERE I - IV 16 April 1966 - 31 December 1966 Miosion in sup-oort of Special Forces, IContum 23 October 1966 - 9 November 1966 II MAP: Southern Central Plateau, Republic of Viet Nam Indicating areaa involving: Sector Bupnort and various airlifts of the 23D Division ARVN Operation Ol-lEGA 12 ~Iovember 1966 - 3 Decmber 1966 ':'.,-. Maps included in initial copy only. .. .J "lh..... _ ........ _ •.• -.~-".--.~.-----------'.--.'.-. I ---~ -- -----.- () o FOR'IA.."l.D Serving as a combat su"nort a-;ia tion unit in the Remlbllc "f net 'Yam, the 155th Avia tion Com~any (Al1L), wi tl-J its supporting detach­ ments, is similar to the many other aviation units of the same size and structure. Formed originally as Company A, 1st Aviation Battalion. 1st Infantry Di,r1sion at Fort Riley, Kansas, the unit arrived at 11ung Tau, Viet Nam on l' May 1965. Bringing with them 24 J'rl-1 DIS, tlJe company I s advance party was welcomed to Ban 119 Thuot by Lt Col Delbert To;msend, late commander of the 5:ad Aviation !attalion. After much preparation and many training hours, during which the men of Company A became proficient in the new and demanding techniques of flying in a combat zone, the company was declared operational on 1 June 1965. On 20 \;ovember 1965 Company A was redesicnated as the 155th Aviation Company (AML). From the first, hcwever, the airlift platoons we"e kr.own as the IIStagecoaclJesll , while the armed platoon was called the "Falcons." Under these names, the men of this proud company have s'lread thei:r; repvtation for accomplis'lin€" t"eir mission w"ile maintaining the highest of safety standards thro"ghout Viet ),Tam. From Qt.!ang 'lge.i in the nort'l to Soc Trang in the south, from the fertile coast to t',e Cambodian border. they 'lave flown over 30,000 hours in support of the allied forces combatting the threat o£ Comrmmism in SO'·th East Asia. This history is droicated to all those men who ~'ave served with the 155th Aviation COlll)l".ny since its arrival in Viet 'Tam, wit.,. special tribute to those officers,warrant officers, and enlisted men who gave their lives in defense of their country. ---- ... __.. _._. __ ......... () , C) .' -. .- IN MEMORY 1965 PFC MICHAEL E. DAVIS 21 Oct WO JOSEPH S. :ItJYLER 21 Oct SF /5 ,IILLIAl1 .r. JOH~·TSOIl 21 Oct 1/LT HAROLD A. PREISEiIlDEiJlt1. 21 Oct 1966 WO EJTGENE vi. CASHELL 27 Hay WO .MICHAEL N. CORYELL .30 Hov FFC RICHARD E. DABNEY 27 Hay ~IO ,., AYMOHD L. FORD 29 Bar PFC GPEGQ1ry L. HILLER. 20 Dec WO PHILIP C. S:IITH 29 Har PFC JAMES WALKER .30 Nov WO lHLHER .T. WILLDIGHAM .30 Ncv S:/4 JOHN W. WOOD .30 Nov .••• that t'1ese men s"all not have died in vain. I~-~-~--~-~- -----.--~-----,--.--~ -----~~ -_._-_.--_._-.-.--_. (J PREFACE Sboe 10 All!Zllst 1966 it ",as bEO<'lO m" privUe11'9 to cOl1llll9.nd t",e 155th Aviation Company (AML). However, before that time I had the opportunitv to observe this comnany for a number of months w"lile assi.,ned to the Ban Me Thuot area. The flexihility of t'1e aviation support operations and far ranging missions impressed me. I found it evan more a ohallenge to cOl1llll9.nd t"le unit with suoh an evident display of esprite de oorps and team 'effort by offioers and enlisted lUen of the com-?any and detachments. During the :,eriod of I1Tf cODl!llllnd, this com)1!1ny has sup;:>orted ground nnd air elements of US and Republic of Viet Nam units in the Central Highlands. It has been my pleasure to.be a ,art of this hard working combat assault helioopter company. In the fu~ure I wish for the 155th the kind of year that it enjoye~ so successfully in 1966. Company pilots, crews and aircraft flew a maxinn.un number of combat ha:rrs wit" outstanding maintenance sup~,ort, behind them, and ha'>'6 produced on of t"e finest pnit safetv records in Viet 'Jam.. The men of each s1'l'norting unit contrib"ted to the overall ! flight reoord of t.he comryan", and made real history for t",e pll.St year. Individually, t',ey deserve special oommendation for their participation in the full year's efforts of 1966. It is a privilege to write this "raface to the 155th's unit histor'J for 1966. A unit history ,~hic'1 bagan a good many f"'qing hours and DEnOS dates ago at Fort Riley, Kansas, and which is being made daily here in Viet 'lam in the hig"9st of US Army nnd aviation traditionS'. /(dl~~tV~/:"', ' J ROBERT V. ATKIOTSON' v;J.4Sn./ Hajor, bl'antry Co.ul!8.I1uing I--'-.. '-'----~~"-----~---- -'--".----,--.--.-~- --- .-~---------.- I C) Ie) Part I MISSIon AND RESOURCES Mission The mission of' the 155th Aviation Company is to provide movement of combat troops in airmobile operations, and to provide tactical air move­ ment of combat sup~lies and equipment within the comba~ zone. Organiza tion The 155th Aviation GO-'tpany is orilfinized under TOE 1-77G and has the following units attaohe~: 165th Transportation Detachment (Cargo IleJ.ieopter Field Maintel1a'1ce) 8th Madical Detachment 20ath Signal Detachment (RADF~) (AVIONICS) 52d Aviation Battalion Security Section 212th Military Police Detacp~nt (K-9) *Air Force Detachment 10, 5th Weather Squadron • * ~Tot attached but in loTe'l.ther and flight planning support with METRO weather advisories. 1 1------------------- ···C) Region".l ;,nalysis Terrain The II Corps Tactical Zone, in ;rhich Ban Me Thuot is located and in yhic" the 155th Aviation Company renders the majority of its sup~ort, covers an area of 32,725 square miles, or 49% of the land area of South Viet Nam. Its yostern border is 342 miles lon~ and in common Yith Laos, in the norther~ .portion of Kontum Province, and Cambodia to the III Corps Tactical Zone. The eastern border is approximately 400 miles of" coastline yith the South China Sea. The area is 40 miles ;tide in the north and 342 miles yide in the south,' This area is politically divided into the ?rovinces of Kontum, Binh Dinh, Pleiku, Phu Bon and Phu Yen in the 22d Division A.~VN TMtieal Zone, and Darlac, Kllanh Hoa, Quang Duc, Tuyen Due, Ninh Tl:Iuan, Lam Dong) and Binh Thuan in the 2}d DTA. Geo- graphically, this ar.ea may be divided into three major areas. 1. The coaste.l plain is a n~.rrow strip of long, flat, often marshy terrain,not more than tyentv miles yide from the sea inland • • This area is formed b" a series of numerous river deltas interruptedI by rocky ridge lines r1:nning steeply to the sea. This area is almost entirely under cnltiV!ltion, Yith four rice crOllS a year. 2. The mo1mtain region extends from north to south almost the entire lenght of the II Corps Tactical Zone. EleV!ltions range from 3,000 to 8,000 feet, yith the eastern slopes quite steep and the western, mere gradual. Rain forests cover three quarters of this area with most of the remainder covered yith opan, diciduous groYth. Cultivntion is limited to small, cleared ~reas on relatively flat land. Flying in this area is very hazardous yith forced landing areas ~raetically non-exist- ent, ceilings freQuently very loy and Yinds unpredict~ble. 2 (J (J 3. The plateP.tu region is located west of the mountains and is oomprised of the Kontum l'lateau in the north and the Darlac Plateau in _~ the south. This region Iles altitur1:ls r"'nging from 1,000 to 3,000 feet with gently rolling hills and Ire'C]-, cpon are". Wh=<> t''''·flo1.1.in no+- under cUltivation, a thick growth, o~.grass, to a height of eight to ten feet, covers the ground. Where adeaua te dr'linage is ;'Tovided, this area 1-lill support four vega table crops yearly. .' The principal cities of this area ~re Phan Thiet, Fhan Rang, Nha Trang ~nd Qui Nhon on the coastal plain; Dalat in the mountains; and Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku and Kontum on the plateaus. The III/ljor routes of this area are: Route #1 Saigon - Danang (Coas~al Route) 'loute #11 Dalat - Phan Rang Route #14 Saigon - Ban Me Thuot - Pleiku - Kontum " .. ;. ~oute #19 Pleiku - Clui illhon Route #20 Saigon - Dalat Routo #21 Ban Me 'TImot - Nha Trang Tha republicts lMjor raU line. parallels Route #1 along its entire • J length with one spur line from Phan Rang to Dalat.