Vietnam

The Helicopter War

 Lesson Objectives

• Describe the tactical and geographic considerations that

supported the introduction of airmobile operations in Vietnam.

• Understand the technical and logistic advantages and limitations

of the helicopter in war.

• Describe and analyze the role of helicopters in the American

execution of the Vietnam War.
 Major Issues
The Helicopter War

What is the “air mobility concept” of the US Army?

• Why was it originally developed?

Why was the helicopter particularly valuable in Southeast Asia?

• In what ways were helicopters used?

What were some of the operational and logistic concerns of the

use of helicopters in Southeast Asia?

Generally describe the use of helicopters in the Battle of Ia

Drang Valley (November 1965)
 The Helicopter War

"What would we do [in Vietnam] without helicopters? We

would be fighting a different war, for a smaller area, at a
greater cost, with less effectiveness.

We might as well-have asked:

'What would General Patton have done without his tanks?'"

General William Westmoreland

Quoted by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USA
Airmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13
 The Helicopter War

... the growth of the airmobile concept did not take place in the framework of guerrilla
warfare. It was conceived out of the necessity to disperse on the modern battlefield under the
threat of nuclear weapons and still retain the ability to mass quickly for decisive actions, then
disperse again. The actualities of Vietnam have since obscured these origins and have led many
people to the assumption that airmobility was designed for and limited to counter-guerrilla
contingencies. The very nature of the terrain in Vietnam with its jungles and mountains has led
many to connect helicopter operations to this type of terrain. Indeed, the opposite is true.
Airmobility worked in Vietnam in spite of the tremendous problems of working in the jungles and
the mountains of an undeveloped country. The helicopter overcame the obstacles of limited
landing zones, primitive road nets, restricted observation, and high density altitudes as no other
vehicle could. But, in the open countryside of Europe or a desert in the Middle East, the airmobile
force has far greater flexibility and many more options than even the armored forces of Rommel
in North Africa. Vietnam represented only a fraction of the possibilities for airmobile tactics.

"Conclusions"
Airmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13
Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USA
Vietnam Studies series, CMH Pub 90-4
Washington: Department of the Army, 1989
 The Helicopter War

The average infantryman in the South Pacific

during World War II saw about 40 days of
combat in four years. The average
infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of
combat in one year thanks to the mobility of
the helicopter.
 The Helicopter War

The problem in Vietnam is terrain — jungles,

mountains, rivers. Maneuver's a nightmare. That's
why we came up with a plan to use helicopters.
Leap in and out of battle.

Dialogue from the movie “We Were Soldiers” (2002)

Source
 Helicopters in Vietnam
Early

H-21 Shawnee H-34 Choctaw

 Helicopters in Vietnam
Medium Helicopters

CH-3
CH-46 Sea Knight
 Helicopters in Vietnam
Heavy Helicopters

CH-47 Chinook CH-53 Sea Stallion

Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Troop Transport
Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Medical Evacuation (MedEvac)

Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Long Range Patrol (LRP) Extraction

Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Aircraft Recovery
Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Rescue
Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Cargo Hauler
Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Bomber
Helicopters in Vietnam
Uses

Mine Sweeping
 The Helicopter War

"What would we do [in Vietnam] without helicopters? We

would be fighting a different war, for a smaller area, at a
greater cost, with less effectiveness.

We might as well-have asked:

'What would General Patton have done without his tanks?'"

General William Westmoreland

Quoted by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USA
Airmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13
 The Helicopter War

Why did the U.S. Army adopt the Airmobile* doctrine?

• Concept not specifically developed for Vietnam
• Conceived to move forces around an atomic battlefield
• Ideally suited for Southeast Asia

* using helicopters to move forces around the battlefield

 The Helicopter War

The problem in Vietnam is terrain — jungles,

mountains, rivers. Maneuver's a nightmare. That's
why we came up with a plan to use helicopters.
Leap in and out of battle.

Dialogue from the movie “We Were Soldiers” (2002)

Source
Helicopters in Vietnam

Where do you land them?

 Super Bombs

REQUIREMENT: Large explosive to quickly clear Landing Zones (LZs)

SOLUTION: Post-WWII large conventional bombs from storage

B-36 Peacemaker

M121 15K lb. Bomb

M121 Warhead
CH-54 Helicopter with 15K Bomb
 Super Bombs
BLU-82 Bombs

Innovate!
What do you do when you run out of M121’s?
BLU-82 Bombs
 BLU-82 Bomb Employment

Instant Landing Zone!

BLU-82 Bomb

UGA Students?
 Reality
Popular Culture

“Daisy
BLU-82 BombCutter
w/ Daisy Cutter Fuse
Bomb”
The Helicopter War
Battlefield Mobility

Ia Drang Valley - 27:36

Battle of Ia Drang Valley

Video (27:36)
End