Wikipedia

40th Helicopter Squadron

The40th Helicopter Squadronis a missile support unit of theUnited States Air Force.As the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron it was a helicopter rescue squadron of the USAF during theVietnam War.

40th Helicopter Squadron
An HH-53B of the 40th ARRS refueling from an HC-130P over North Vietnam, 1969–70
Active1968–1976; 1978–1987; 1993–present
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
RoleICBM Defense / Rescue & Recovery
Part ofAir Force Global Strike Command
Nickname(s)Pathfinders
Motto(s)Deter, Detect, and Defend (2003-present) Save (1968-1987)
ColorsBlue, Yellow, White[citation needed]
EngagementsVietnam War
Insignia
40th Helicopter Squadron emblem[note 1][1]
40th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron emblem
Aircraft flown
Multirole helicopterBoeing MH-139A Grey Wolf
Utility helicopterBell UH-1N Twin Huey

History

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Thesquadronwas activated as the40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery SquadronatUdorn Royal Thai Air Force Basein March 1968 withSikorsky HH-3swhich were nicknamed "Nitnoy." LaterSikorsky HH-53sarrived and these were nicknamed "BUFF."

In March 1968, Detachment 2 of the37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadronat Udorn RTAFB operating HH-3s and HH-53Bs, was transferred to the 40th ARRS.[2]

The 40th moved toNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Baseon 21 July 1971.

20 August 1972, the local base rescue detachments of the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group each operating 2HH-43swere transferred to the 40th ARRS, comprising:[2]: 115 

30 November 1972, with the inactivation of the37th ARRSatDanang Air Base,5 of its HH-53s were transferred to the 40th ARRS, while its two HH-43s remained at Danang as Detachment 7 of the 40th ARRS to provide base rescue duringOperation Linebacker II.[2]: 127 

Following theParis Peace Accordsall remaining US Forces were withdrawn from South Vietnam by 27 March 1973. Detachment 7 at Danang Air Base and Detachment 14 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base were inactivated during this period. Following the withdrawal from South Vietnam the 40th's force level was 11 HH-53s and 14 HH-43s.[2]: 128 

The USAF continued combat operations over Cambodia until 15 August 1973 and the 40th provided CSAR support during this period. Following the end of combat operations the 40th kept 2 HH-53s at Nakhon Phanom on 15-minute alert during daylight and 45-minute alert at night.[2]: 135 

In July 1974 Detachment 10 at Takhli was disbanded, followed in August by Detachment 3 at Ubon. On 20 February 1975, Detachment 1 at Nakhon Phanom was disbanded. At this time the 40th's force level had dropped to 8 HH-53Cs and 4 HH-43Fs.[2]: 136 

The 40th moved toKorat Royal Thai Air Force Baseon 1 October 1975. On 15 October 1975 with the inactivation of the56th ARRSits 4HC-130Ps joined the 40th.[2]: 154 

On 31 January 1976 the 40th ARRS was inactivated at Korat RTAFB.[2]: 155 

Operations and losses

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  • 30 May 1968, Jolly Green, an HH-3E was attempting to rescueColonelNorman Phillips the pilot of a downedF-105,nearSavannakhet,Laos.PararescuemanSergeantThomas A Newman descended into a hostile jungle environment to rescue the pilot. Hampered by darkness and concentrated automatic weapons fire, Newman requested the rescue helicopter to enter a nearby orbit, both for the safety of the crewmembers and to prevent the hovering aircraft from establishing their location for the unfriendly ground forces. When the HH-3 returned, he secured the injured Philips to the forest penetrator and protected him with his own body as they ascended to the helicopter. Newman was awarded theAir Force Cross.[3]
  • 25 December 1968,Jolly Green 17,an HH-3E was attempting to rescueMajorCharles R Brownlee,[4]the pilot ofPanda 01an F-105 shot down near Ban Lathama, Mahaxia District, Khammouan Province, Laos. PararescuemanAirman First ClassCharles Douglas King descended by rescue hoist to rescue the injured pilot. With the pilot attached to the hoist, the HH-3E and King were hit by enemy fire, seriously injured, King instructed the helicopter to depart. King was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross,.[5]The bodies of King and Brownlee were not recovered and both were listed as killed in action - body not recovered.[6]
  • 18 January 1969,Jolly Green 67,HH-53B,66-14430,was hit by ground fire while on aCSARmission forSandy 02,anA-1Hlost the previous day. Helicopter made an emergency landing 15 km southeast ofTchepone,Laos. The crew and the A-1 pilot were rescued byJolly Green 70.An airstrike was ordered to destroyJG-67
  • 28 January 1970,Jolly Green 71,HH-53B,66-14434,on a CSAR mission for the pilot ofSeabird 02,an F-105G, was shot down by a missile fired from aMig-21piloted byVu Ngoc Dinhof the921st Fighter Regiment.[7]The 6-man crew were all killed.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
  • 30 June 1970,Jolly Green 54,HH-53C,66-8283,was on a CSAR mission for the crew ofNail 44anOV-10A, over Savannakhet, Laos. Abandoning the first rescue attempt due to heavy fire, the pilotCaptainLeroy C Schaneberg decided to make a second rescue attempt.JG54was hit by ground fire and crashed. The 5-man crew were all killed.[14][15][16][17][18]The crash site was excavated in December 1993 and remains were identified as a group on 7 March 1995. Schaneberg was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross.[19]
HH-53B of the 40th ARRS which participated in the Son Tay Raid[note 2]

[20]

  • 21 November 1970, 5 of the squadron's HH-53s took part inOperation Ivory Coast,the raid on theSon TayPOW camp.[21]
  • 21 June 1971,Jolly Green 54,HH-53,66–8285,was shot down over Laos while attempting to recover anAQM-34Buffalo Hunterdrone. Crew were all rescued.
40th ARRS HH-53 as seen from a21st SOSCH-53 in 1972
  • 27 March 1972,Jolly Green 61,HH-53C,66-10359,crashed over Stoeng Treng Province, Cambodia, about 10 miles (16 km) southeast ofSiem Pang Districtdue to unknown causes. A pararescueman was lowered to the ground at the site of the crash to check for survivors, but due to the intense heat from the burning helicopter, he could not approach near enough to determine if there were crew members inside the aircraft. Some three hours later a second rescue specialist was deployed in the immediate area, who reported the wreckage was still burning, precluding close inspection. The 5-man crew were all killed in action - body not recovered.[22][23][24][25][26]
  • 13 April 1972, Captain Bennie D Orrell pilot of a Jolly Green, rescued a downed pilot near Tchepone, Laos. Orrell was awarded the Air Force Cross.[27]
  • 2 June 1972, CaptainDale E. Stovall[28]pilot of a Jolly Green, flew through intense hostile ground fire to complete the rescue of CaptainRoger Locher,an F-4 copilot who had evaded capture for 23 days after being shot down in North Vietnam.[29]This rescue was the deepest CSAR mission into North Vietnam and took place 8 km northeast ofYên Bái Air Base,one of the most activeVietnamese People's Air ForceMiG airfields. Stovall was awarded a BronzeOak leaf clusterin lieu of a second award ofSilver Star.[30]Stovall was also awarded the 1973Jabara Awardfor Airmanship.
  • 27 June 1972, Pararescueman Sergeant Charles D. McGrath was on a CSAR mission onJolly Green 77over North Vietnam. While penetrating dense jungle to rescueF-4crewman, Captain Lynn A. Aikman, who had a broken leg, knee, elbow and jaw, McGrath exposed himself to intense ground fire in order to drag the incapacitated Aikman to a suitable recovery area. SeeingJG73crippled by the hostile fire, he directed air strikes against surrounding hostile ground forces until he was able to secure CAikman and himself to the penetrator ofJolly Green 57,the backup helicopter. Rising through constant accurate ground fire, he shielded Aikman with his own body until they were successfully recovered. McGrath and the pilot Captain Dale Stovall were both awarded the Air Force Cross.[31]
  • 27 December 1972,Jolly Green 73,HH-53C,69-5788,on a CSAR mission for crew ofJackel 33,anF-111A downed on 22 December 1972 over North Vietnam, lost its fuel probe due to enemy ground fire and crash-landed due to fuel starvation.JG-73was then destroyed by anA-7D Corsair.
  • 14 June 1973,Jolly Green 64,HH-53C,66-10362,lost its tail rotor and crashed into theTonle Sap,Cambodia. 3 of the crew were killed[32][33][34]and 2 were rescued.
  • 12 April 1975 the squadron supportedOperation Eagle Pull,the evacuation ofPhnom Penh,Cambodia.[35]
  • 29–30 April 1975, 2 of the squadron's HH-53s operating fromUSSMidwaytook part inOperation Frequent Wind,the evacuation ofSaigon.[35]: 186 
  • 15 May 1975, 7 of the squadron's HH-53s participated in the recapture of theSS Mayaguez.[35]: 239 

Lineage

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  • Constituted as the40th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron,activated and organized on 21 March 1968
Inactivated on 31 January 1976
Activated on 1 July 1978
Inactivated on 31 December 1987
  • Redesignated40th Rescue Flighton 1 April 1993
Activated on 1 May 1993
  • Redesignated40th Helicopter Flighton 1 May 1998
  • Redesignated40th Helicopter Squadronon 11 October 2005[1]

Assignments

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Detachments

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  • Detachment 1, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand: 18 March 1968 – 1 July 1971
Detachment 1,Homestead Air Force Base,Florida: 8 January 1981 – 1 October 1985
  • Detachment 3, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 – 20 August 1974
  • Detachment 4, Hill Air Force Base, Utah: 1 July 1978 – 31 December 1987
  • Detachment 5, Udorn RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 – 30 September 1975
  • Detachment 5,Edwards Air Force Base,California: 1 July 1978 – 31 December 1987
  • Detachment 6Holloman Air Force Base,New Mexico: 1 July 1978 – 31 December 1987
  • Detachment 7 Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam: 11 December 1972 – 10 February 1973
  • Detachment 8 Takhli RTAFB, Thailand: c. Dec 1972 – 31 January 1973
  • Detachment 10 Takhli RTAFB, Thailand: 31 January 1973 – 30 July 1974
  • Detachment 10MacDill Air Force Base,Florida: 8 January 1981 – 31 March 1981
  • Detachment 12 U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 – 31 January 1976
  • Detachment 14Tan Son Nhut Air Base,South Vietnam: 15 September 1972 – 10 February 1973
  • Detachment 18Plattsburgh Air Force Base,New York: 8 January 1981 – 30 November 1987
  • Detachment 22Mountain Home Air Force Base,Idaho: 1 July 1978 – 30 November 1987
  • Detachment 24Fairchild Air Force Base,Washington: 1 July 1978 – 30 November 1987[1]

Stations

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Aircraft

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References

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Notes

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Explanatory notes
  1. ^Approved 10 July 2003.
  2. ^Aircraft, serial 68-10357, is pictured after it was converted to an MH-53M Pave Low IV. During the Son Tay raid its call sign was Apple 1. It is on display at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force
Citations
  1. ^abcdeRobertson, Patsy (26 April 2011)."Factsheet 40 Helicopter Squadron (AFGSC)".Air Force Historical Research Agency.Retrieved3 April2015.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  2. ^abcdefghTilford, Earl (1980).Search and Rescue in Southeast Asia 1961–1975(PDF).Office of Air Force History. p. 81.ISBN9781410222640.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  3. ^"SGT Thomas A Newman, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  4. ^"COL Charles R Brownlee".The Virtual Wall.
  5. ^"A1C Charles King, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  6. ^"CMS Charles Douglas King".The Virtual Wall.
  7. ^"Vietnamese Air-to-Air Victories, Part 2".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2013.Retrieved10 February2010.
  8. ^"MAJ Holly G Bell".The Virtual Wall.
  9. ^"Capt Leonard C Leeser".The Virtual Wall.
  10. ^"Ssgt William C Shinn".The Virtual Wall.
  11. ^"SMS William D Pruett".The Virtual Wall.
  12. ^"Msgt William C Sutton".The Virtual Wall.
  13. ^"Ssgt Gregory L Anderson".The Virtual Wall.
  14. ^"Capt Leroy C Schaneberg".The Virtual Wall.
  15. ^"MAJ John W Goeglein".The Virtual Wall.
  16. ^"SSGT Marvin E Bell".The Virtual Wall.
  17. ^"MSGT Paul L Jenkins".The Virtual Wall.
  18. ^"SSGT Michael F Dean".The Virtual Wall.
  19. ^"Capt Leroy Schaneberg Air Force Cross".Military Times Hall of valor.
  20. ^"Callsign 'Apple 1'".National Museum of the United States Air Force. 6 March 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2015.Retrieved3 April2015.
  21. ^"COL Warner Britton, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  22. ^"CAPT David E Pannabecker".The Virtual Wall.
  23. ^"CAPT Richard E Dreher".The Virtual Wall.
  24. ^"SGT James Manor".The Virtual Wall.
  25. ^"SGT Raymond J Crow".The Virtual Wall.
  26. ^"A1C Raymond A Wagner".The Virtual Wall.
  27. ^"CAPT Bennie D Orrell, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  28. ^"Biography: Brigadier General Dale E Stovall".U.S. Air Force website.
  29. ^"Valor: A good thought to sleep on".Air Force Magazine.
  30. ^"CAPT Dale Stovall, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  31. ^"SGT Charles McGrath, Air Force Cross".Military Times.
  32. ^"CAPT Gilbert A Rovito".The Virtual Wall.
  33. ^"1LT Francis E Meador".The Virtual Wall.
  34. ^"MSGT David V McLeod".The Virtual Wall.
  35. ^abcDunham, George R (1990).U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973–1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series).Marine Corps Association. p.115.ISBN978-0-16-026455-9.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  36. ^"Malmstrom Air Force Base welcomes new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter".
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