Combat Damage

I flew an H46 back to Marble w/ 28 hits and one engine out.

It looks like this one has more, though.

George A. (Shorty) Davis Jr. came back to Ky Ha with 178 incoming holes in his bird. The maricle (sp?) was that not one person on board was hit.

Charlie had set claymores in the trees and the bird set some off going into the zone as well as taking some small arms fire.

Shorty quite flying saying he had used up 6 of his lives on that one and went into the tool room.

I can't say I blame him. Shorty is now living just outside Tulsa and is in pretty fragile health.

Roth

I agree 178 is the most I ever knew of, thank GOD they all lived!

H-34 Ambush

Around April 1969 an H-34 from H&MS-36 was approaching an LZ to pick up two wounded Marines when NVA popped from spider holes and opened up on the helicopter. The grunts dispatched them immediately but not before a few clips were emptied into the plane. Here's a list of hits as memory serves:

A round took out the elbow on the aux hydraulic pump.
One rocker cover was shot off.
Two jugs were hit.
A round creased the metal cover over the wire bundle next to the pilot's right leg. Shrapnel into the wires knocked out some of the instruments.
Numerous hits went through the lower armor and continued into the oil cooler.
The outer skin on the port side aft of the gunner position was sprayed. Obviously the NVA never hunted ducks.
The hatches over the transmission had received hits that, due to the angle, peeled back strips of skin like opening a coffee can.
All the fuel tanks were perforated.
A round entered the aircraft at what looked like a flat trajectory and penetrated the back of the crewchief's ICS box. When the box was opened, the round fell out.

After all this there was only one injury. A round came up through a clamshell door, between two jugs, through the lower cockpit bulkhead, made a neat "V" shaped crease in the co-pilot cyclic and then hit the co-pilot in the fat of his left thigh. If the cyclic had been displaced, we would have had a new soprano.

The plane continued on for another 15 minutes with no oil, few instuments, 7 jugs, one hydraulic system and 4 live Marines.

Wayne Stafford

About April/May 70 we were flying a two day pacifier mission in Arizona Territory. Saddler was copilot and Cpl Fisher was crewing. Had already lost two birds to small arms fire the day before and the grunts were getting ready to wrap up the operation. Had just finished embarking a load of Marines for extraction and was lifting out of the zone when an NVA with suicidal tendancies popped out of the bush and tossed a grenade in our direction. Being the fast thinking Lt I was at the time I turned my head away from the grenade and held what I had with the controls. Facing Saddler I saw him struggling to get his 38 out of the holster and was truely concerned he would actually get it out and try to shoot the NVA, and probably my nose as he would have had to shoot him through my window. I think Fisher got the NVA, but the grenade ended up going off in the cargo area of the aircraft. Amazingly, there were only two wounded, but we ended up losing an engine and had a hole in the hydralic system. Managed to get the aircraft back to MMAF and shut her down about the time pressure went to zero. Metal shop started at the nose painting the holes white but quit without getting past the cockpit since the entire fuselage was like a sieve and maintenance determined they couldn't patch all the holes and guarantee the integrity of the fix. Sent the bird to Japan for "reskinning". Swear the darn thing whistled as we flew.

Arizona Territory

Bob,
I have seen helos shot down in front of me, and taken several rounds all around me, in the Arizona Territory, but you take the cake on that story (I am attaching a photo of the Arizona Territory that I took).

Great picture Sergeant Major, I can even pick out some memorable areas!
Semper Fi
Q

Old 23

George,

I think I may have a picture of that particular bird. I flew on a 46 in Korea 78'. The tail code was as follows: YR 154807.
I can't make out the Squadron but it has the numbers 023 on the side of the fuselage. Could it be the same A/C?

Your story....

That's it Bob; that's the best story I've heard for a while!
Could it have been used as a pasta strainer?

Glad you are OK..

S/F,

Moon

Probably would have lost the Pasta Moon!
Bob

Tom

It is #23

please share your photo with us.

YR-23

Sorry George -

FNG mistake - -

I tried to attach the photos on this thread but ended up creating a new one - please check my most recent post titled Old 23 to see the pictures.

Semper Fi

Tom

Flew Phrogs, but never in RVN. Had .50 cal. in the cockpit in RVN, Hueys. I think this lines input is out of place. Who's honor is greater than mine? We all did great.
Lanny