02-05-2022, 08:23 AM
There was a lot of chatter on the radios enroute to LZ Bronco about the status of the aircraft each was flying next to.
“Ah Two, I count six hits left side of your tail boom, all clear of the tail rotor drive shaft”.
“Roger 3 you look clean on your right”. “Click click” was heard as Sky keyed his mike in response.
Radio transmissions continued with light chatter and bantering. Life was good and this war was just something they all did together. No one had been hurt and they had not left anyone in their lift flight back in the LZ screaming on the radio as they burned to death.
Being burned to death is a very bad way to die.
Sky knew they were going to go back to the same hot LZ and once again try to get the troops stranded there out but that was in the future not now.
Unfortunately President Nixon had announced to the world via a white house statement and news briefing all troops would be out of Cambodia this very day no later than 18:30 hours. Of course the North Vietnamese heard the same thing and passed the message on to their troops in Cambodia.
I could have written that message to the NVA myself. “Stay close, no contact, wait until helicopters land and begin to load their troops. Then destroy everything. If any prisoners are taken tie them to a tree, skin them alive and make them say Uncle Ho many times as they die”.
It was just a passing thought as Sky was more interested in 915s engine and transmission instruments. He scanned them constantly either directly or out of the corner of his eyes watching for the first indication that all was not well with this assortment of moving parts he affectionately called 915. This particular lift bird and Sky had gone through many combat missions together and 915 always pulled her heart out for him and the crew bringing them back to base alive.
The flight continued on in an southeasterly direction in a loose formation more or less behind the Killer Spade yellow one. It was only a 20 minute flight back to LZ Bronco where they would land and be able to shut down their aircraft and inspect for damage.
LZ Bronco
LZ Bronco was a very small fire support base with only 5 105 Howitzers. The LZ was just inside the Vietnamese border with Cambodia and was there solely to support the troops that were now some 5 clicks inside Cambodia. There were already signs that the base was being dismantled and once the flight could get the remaining troops out of Cambodia, Bronco would cease to be anything but a memory.
Bronco's radio operator could hear the now 7 lift birds and the two Snakes (Bell AH-1 Cobra gun ships) long before he got a visual on the flight. Yellow one called on Fox Mike that the flight was inbound and requested any landing information available.
“Bronco this is, Yellow flight, LZ advisory over”.
“Yellow one this is Bronco.... suggest you guys land mostly on the west side or where ever you can find a spot...not much wind but suggest a southerly approach...uh, over”.
“Roger copy that, we are 2 miles out”.
The flight of 7 slicks split up and slowed down while looking for a spot around the small fire base to land. Landing would require some rather delicate maneuvering and close in hovering if any of the flight were going to all fit somewhere within the confines of Bronco's berm. (Berm is the perimeter and clear cut area around and in some cases inside the constantina wire of the base). The Snakes would not be landing as they were going to Bu Dop to refuel and rearm as necessary. After a little jousting and hovering Bronco ended up with three lift birds on the west side, two on the north side and 2 on the east side of the base.
Sky after landing, rolled the throttle off to flight idle and hit the countdown clock for 915s required two minute cool down of the engine. He then opened his side door and placed his booted foot in the “V” between the door and 915's fuselage; using that place as a foot rest he observed the aircraft commander (AC) of Yellow 2 walk around the side and tail of his bird looking for damage besides the bullet holes Sky had reported. Yellow Two's AC was like most old guys in the flight (old being maybe 23 years of age as it was not the age but the time in country that counted) with a long handle bar mustache, faded Nomex flight suit with a CW1 rank on his shoulders. His only personal carry weapon was an Army issue 38 revolver which was carried in a shoulder holster whose straps crisscrossed his back. It was rumored that the 38 and the yellow Cav patch would be enough to strike fear in any enemy... Sky certainly had his doubts with that saying though...
As the Yellow 2 AC bent down you could see his silver Aircraft Commander's chain swing away from his body, The chain was of tightly woven Chrome metal with a silver sheen and was fastened to the center zipper of the flight suit. The other end was fastened to a little booklet called the S.O.I. Or standard operating procedures booklet which was carried in the left breast pocket of the flight suit. Other times there was a super secret Whiz wheel (that is what we called it, but the Army had a very long detail name for the P.O.S) that was affixed to the chain to decode and send coded messages over a radio frequency.
It had been determined by S2 of the great American military Puzzle Palace that the First Carvery was giving away to many secrets over VHF, UHF, and the FM radios to the enemy. So, S2, in their great wisdom, decided the lift birds would use different call signs each mission. So instead of saying, “One we are heading to Bu Dop” you would say, after consulting the whiz wheel. “ Two kilo alpha, this is Zulu Bravo tango, I set 8 delta”. * 8 Delta * was the key setting for one's whiz wheel which had to be set to for decoding. “ Roger 8 Delta set” would hopefully be One's reply. Then you could send your long drawn out message as a code. The Whiz wheels were changed everyday and the old ones from the prior day were burned. No one used this nonsense as we had briefings before a mission or we just played follow the leader to a landing like good little sky soldiers. Single ship missions you did not talk much to the ground troops except to tell them to pop smoke and here I come !
Our two Snakes today were Delta 21 and Delta 23 who were trying to protect the slicks. They had not been any help with the hot LZ because no one could locate the friendlies who were afraid to pop smoke and give away their positions...... so the Snakes made fake gun runs while the lift birds got shot up.
Back to LZ Bronco
Sky was just sat there waiting for 915s two minute cool down as a North Vietnamese mortar tube made a final adjustment and let fly their airborne bombs. As fast as the NVA loaders could drop the mortars into the mortar tube the weapon or weapons belched forth their large explosive shells. It surely took a few seconds for the first three rounds to complete the great lobbing arc through the air; probably around the time Yellow 2s Aircraft commander was squatting down to check the underside of his aircraft's tail boom was when the mortar shells had been fired. The first round hit an estimated 40 feet to the left of Yellow 2s bird and the next two rounds impacted on Bronco, so not so close to the birds as the first round.
“Ah Two, I count six hits left side of your tail boom, all clear of the tail rotor drive shaft”.
“Roger 3 you look clean on your right”. “Click click” was heard as Sky keyed his mike in response.
Radio transmissions continued with light chatter and bantering. Life was good and this war was just something they all did together. No one had been hurt and they had not left anyone in their lift flight back in the LZ screaming on the radio as they burned to death.
Being burned to death is a very bad way to die.
Sky knew they were going to go back to the same hot LZ and once again try to get the troops stranded there out but that was in the future not now.
Unfortunately President Nixon had announced to the world via a white house statement and news briefing all troops would be out of Cambodia this very day no later than 18:30 hours. Of course the North Vietnamese heard the same thing and passed the message on to their troops in Cambodia.
I could have written that message to the NVA myself. “Stay close, no contact, wait until helicopters land and begin to load their troops. Then destroy everything. If any prisoners are taken tie them to a tree, skin them alive and make them say Uncle Ho many times as they die”.
It was just a passing thought as Sky was more interested in 915s engine and transmission instruments. He scanned them constantly either directly or out of the corner of his eyes watching for the first indication that all was not well with this assortment of moving parts he affectionately called 915. This particular lift bird and Sky had gone through many combat missions together and 915 always pulled her heart out for him and the crew bringing them back to base alive.
The flight continued on in an southeasterly direction in a loose formation more or less behind the Killer Spade yellow one. It was only a 20 minute flight back to LZ Bronco where they would land and be able to shut down their aircraft and inspect for damage.
LZ Bronco
LZ Bronco was a very small fire support base with only 5 105 Howitzers. The LZ was just inside the Vietnamese border with Cambodia and was there solely to support the troops that were now some 5 clicks inside Cambodia. There were already signs that the base was being dismantled and once the flight could get the remaining troops out of Cambodia, Bronco would cease to be anything but a memory.
Bronco's radio operator could hear the now 7 lift birds and the two Snakes (Bell AH-1 Cobra gun ships) long before he got a visual on the flight. Yellow one called on Fox Mike that the flight was inbound and requested any landing information available.
“Bronco this is, Yellow flight, LZ advisory over”.
“Yellow one this is Bronco.... suggest you guys land mostly on the west side or where ever you can find a spot...not much wind but suggest a southerly approach...uh, over”.
“Roger copy that, we are 2 miles out”.
The flight of 7 slicks split up and slowed down while looking for a spot around the small fire base to land. Landing would require some rather delicate maneuvering and close in hovering if any of the flight were going to all fit somewhere within the confines of Bronco's berm. (Berm is the perimeter and clear cut area around and in some cases inside the constantina wire of the base). The Snakes would not be landing as they were going to Bu Dop to refuel and rearm as necessary. After a little jousting and hovering Bronco ended up with three lift birds on the west side, two on the north side and 2 on the east side of the base.
Sky after landing, rolled the throttle off to flight idle and hit the countdown clock for 915s required two minute cool down of the engine. He then opened his side door and placed his booted foot in the “V” between the door and 915's fuselage; using that place as a foot rest he observed the aircraft commander (AC) of Yellow 2 walk around the side and tail of his bird looking for damage besides the bullet holes Sky had reported. Yellow Two's AC was like most old guys in the flight (old being maybe 23 years of age as it was not the age but the time in country that counted) with a long handle bar mustache, faded Nomex flight suit with a CW1 rank on his shoulders. His only personal carry weapon was an Army issue 38 revolver which was carried in a shoulder holster whose straps crisscrossed his back. It was rumored that the 38 and the yellow Cav patch would be enough to strike fear in any enemy... Sky certainly had his doubts with that saying though...
As the Yellow 2 AC bent down you could see his silver Aircraft Commander's chain swing away from his body, The chain was of tightly woven Chrome metal with a silver sheen and was fastened to the center zipper of the flight suit. The other end was fastened to a little booklet called the S.O.I. Or standard operating procedures booklet which was carried in the left breast pocket of the flight suit. Other times there was a super secret Whiz wheel (that is what we called it, but the Army had a very long detail name for the P.O.S) that was affixed to the chain to decode and send coded messages over a radio frequency.
It had been determined by S2 of the great American military Puzzle Palace that the First Carvery was giving away to many secrets over VHF, UHF, and the FM radios to the enemy. So, S2, in their great wisdom, decided the lift birds would use different call signs each mission. So instead of saying, “One we are heading to Bu Dop” you would say, after consulting the whiz wheel. “ Two kilo alpha, this is Zulu Bravo tango, I set 8 delta”. * 8 Delta * was the key setting for one's whiz wheel which had to be set to for decoding. “ Roger 8 Delta set” would hopefully be One's reply. Then you could send your long drawn out message as a code. The Whiz wheels were changed everyday and the old ones from the prior day were burned. No one used this nonsense as we had briefings before a mission or we just played follow the leader to a landing like good little sky soldiers. Single ship missions you did not talk much to the ground troops except to tell them to pop smoke and here I come !
Our two Snakes today were Delta 21 and Delta 23 who were trying to protect the slicks. They had not been any help with the hot LZ because no one could locate the friendlies who were afraid to pop smoke and give away their positions...... so the Snakes made fake gun runs while the lift birds got shot up.
Back to LZ Bronco
Sky was just sat there waiting for 915s two minute cool down as a North Vietnamese mortar tube made a final adjustment and let fly their airborne bombs. As fast as the NVA loaders could drop the mortars into the mortar tube the weapon or weapons belched forth their large explosive shells. It surely took a few seconds for the first three rounds to complete the great lobbing arc through the air; probably around the time Yellow 2s Aircraft commander was squatting down to check the underside of his aircraft's tail boom was when the mortar shells had been fired. The first round hit an estimated 40 feet to the left of Yellow 2s bird and the next two rounds impacted on Bronco, so not so close to the birds as the first round.