While the helicopter was essential for the US war effort the Vietnam
experience also proved the validity of the gunship concept. This
illustrated new history explores one of the hardest-worked and most
effective of the helicopter types in-theater.
Often described as the US Army's aerial jeep the UH-1 Iroquois (Huey)
was the general-purpose vehicle that provided mobility in a hostile
jungle environment which made rapid troop movement extremely challenging
by any other means. Hueys airlifted troops, evacuated casualties,
rescued downed pilots, transported cargo externally, and enabled rapid
transit of commanders in the field. Although vertical aviation had only
become a practical reality during the Korean War helicopters evolved
rapidly in the decade before Vietnam and by 1965 the US Army and US
Marines relied on them as primary combat tools. This was principally
because North Vietnam's armed forces had long experience of jungle
operations, camouflage and evasion. Generally avoiding set-piece pitched
battles they relied on rapid, frequent strikes and withdrew using routes
that were generally inaccessible to US vehicles. They commonly relied on
darkness and bad weather to make their moves, often rendering them
immune to conventional air attack. Gunship helicopters, sometimes
equipped with Firefly searchlights and early night vision light
intensifiers, were more able to track and attack the enemy. Innovative
tactics were required for this unfamiliar combat scenario and for a US
Army that was more prepared for conventional operations in a
European-type setting. One of the most valuable new initiatives was the
UH-1C Huey Hog or Frog gunship, conceived in 1960 and offering more
power and agility than the UH-1B that pioneered gunship use in combat.
Heavily armed with guns and rockets and easily transportable by air
these helicopters became available in large numbers and they became a
major problem for the insurgent forces throughout the war.
Covering fascinating details of the innovations in tactics and combat
introduced by gunship helicopters, this book offers an analysis of their
adaptability and usefulness in a variety of operations, while exploring
the insurgent forces' responses to the advent of vertical aviation.
