President Diem’s overthrow and assassination at the beginning of November caused a temporary halt to SHUFLY operations. These and other actions caused the Marines to develop procedures to perform quick engine changes, “QECs,” in the field. The ensuing recovery operation lasted 3 days and required the insertion of Marine and ARVN security forces numbering over 150 men. Soon afterwards, the squadron lost 2 aircraft while on a SAR mission and 10 aircrew were killed. During August, HMM-261 conducted a major retrograde operation lifting 1300 ARVN from LZs near the Laotian border to Thuong Duc, SW of Da Nang. HMM-261 relieved HMM-162 on 8 Jun, continuing the building of combat experience in the helicopter community. On 27 Apr, a year after the arrival of Marine helicopters into Vietnam, the first loss occurred of an aircraft that was not recovered, and directly attributed to enemy action. in Da Nang regularly escorted the Marine H-34s. Army UH-1B gunships from the US Army 68th Aviation Co. This also caused the loss rate to climb, with many instances of aircraft being hit and crewmembers wounded. This was the first recorded instance of a Marine helicopter providing close air support in actual combat.Īpril 1963 saw the tempo of operations pick up with the advent of clear weather. On 13 Mar, three H-34s from HMM-162 delivered suppressive fire on the enemy during an ARVN troop lift. The area would be revisited many times in the next 10 years. HMM-162 conducted a major lift of 300 ARVN into three LZs 15 miles west of Da Nang. With squadron rotations continuing three times a year for the next two years, half of the Marine Corps’ squadrons received invaluable combat experience prior to the large-scale deployments that started in 1965. The HUS-1 became the UH-34D, the OE-1 the O-1B, the R4D the C-117, the HR2S-1 (deuce) the CH-37C and the GV-1 became the KC-130. of Defense changed the official designations of all military aircraft in November. The first fatalities in Marine helicopters occurred 6 Oct 62, when a HUS-1 crashed due to mechanical failure, killing 7 of the 8 aboard. This squadron provided the majority of the helicopter support in I Corps. In response to a MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam) request for more capable aircraft and instrument-qualified pilots in mountainous I Corps, SHUFLY and HMM-163 moved north to Da Nang on 15 Sep, thus setting the stage for the Marine buildup to follow in the next 3 years. In September, three HUS-1s were hit by small arms fire, and a crew chief was wounded, becoming the first Marine helicopter aircrew casualty of the war. HMM-163 suffered their first battle damage 18 days later.
M-60 machine guns on a helicopter occurred in August, inside the cargo hatch of an HUS-1. The policy of rotating squadrons into Vietnam every four months commenced 1 Aug when HMM-163 relieved HMM-362. The first joint USMC, US Army, VNAF assault mission took place in July. An Eagle Flight employed 4 troop-loaded HUS-1s orbiting a tactical area to engage escaping VC. The EAGLE FLIGHT tactic, developed by HMM-362, was first employed on 18 Jun. Two days following that, HMM-362 suffered the first combat damage to an HUS-1 during OPERATION NIGHTINGALE when a bullet pierced an oil line in its engine compartment.ĭuring May, HMM-362 flew its first night medevac. The first helicopter-borne assault with ARVN troops was conducted 6 days later. HMM-362 (reinf) included 24 recently overhauled HUS-1 helicopters, a detachment of 3 OE-1s from VMO-2, one R4D, and 50 additional maintenance personnel. HMM-261 returned to the USS PRINCETON as the SLF squadron. HMM-362 (reinf), assisted by HMM-261, both from the amphibious assault ship USS PRINCETON (LPH-5), was ashore by mid-afternoon and ready to accept missions the following day. OPERATION SHUFLY was initiated with the deployment of HMM-362 into Soc Trang.
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