The Korean War – The Helicopter
Historical Perspective / By Mark Albertson: Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of three articles commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. On June 25, 1950, the Army began the Korean War with only 56 helicopters.1 Yet Air Force helicopters were among the first to see action. Third Air Rescue Squadron, based in Japan, was sent packing for Korea. The original intent was to pick up downed air crews; but, evacuation of wounded quickly gained priority. By the end of August, Third Air Rescue helicopters had airlifted 83 severely wounded soldiers to field hospitals. And as...
Learn More70th Anniversary of the Korean War: A Brief Look at Army Aviation, Fixed Wing Aircraft.
Looking Back / By Mark Albertson: On June 25, 1950, the U.S. Army began the Korean War with 1,211 fixed wing aircraft.[1] Many of these were holdover L-4s and L-5s from the global conflict. Just prior to the opening guns, the Cessna 305 emerged the winner from a competition held by the Army to upgrade its cooperation aircraft. To the Army it will be known as the L-19 Bird Dog. An O-1 (L-19) Bird Dog; a derivative of the Cessna 305, replaced the L-4 Cub and Stinson L-5 as the Army Ground Forces’ cooperation aircraft. Known as the Bird Dog, it would...
Learn MoreWe Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident. . .
This month marks, as it does annually, the observance of the Nation’s founding with a document known popularly as, The Declaration of Independence. The correct title is: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.[1] Thomas Jefferson, consider final author of ‘The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.’ With regards to revolution, Jefferson once observed, ‘. . . the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. The spelling is as it appears; but, of greater significance, the implications. Thirteen autonomous...
Learn MoreWilliam Wallace Ford and the CCC
At the outset of the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency, the CCC or Civilian Conservation Corps was established, March 31, 1933. CCC was one of those alphabet-soup of government programs promulgated to get the nation out of the Great Depression that had been ravaging the global economy. CCC was to put men back to work, in an economy with a 25% unemployment rate. And for the next nine years, 1933 to 1942, some 3,000,000 men would take part in this highly successful and highly popular program. CCC workers constructing a road in Utah, November 1936 / Photo taken by a CCC...
Learn MoreEnforcing the Monroe Doctrine
The War Between the States provides an intriguing window into an aspect that is generally relegated to irrelevance: American foreign policy and Europe. For instance, one of the biggest boosters of Lincoln and the Northern states was Czarist Russia. For despite the Civil War, America was coming on as an industrialized state, hence a growing power in the Age of the Industrial Revolution. Manifest Destiny, that quest to erect a contiguous empire was proceeding unabated; as it was with Czarist Russia. St. Petersburg had been pursuing a program of Manifest Destiny on the Eurasian land mass, just as America had...
Learn MoreUtility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company
Okinawa, July 25, 1962, the first Army-operated armed helicopter company was formed; a carry-forward from Colonel Jay Vanderpool’s earlier effort, the Aerial Reconnaissance Company. The new unit became known as the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company or UTT. The name itself did not betray what the unit’s mission actually was, so as not to arouse Air Force concerns as to the Army’s intent of muscling in on USAF responsibility for tactical air support; or what it really amounted to, close air support. Because in the end, this is where it was going to go. UH-1 Huey featuring 2.75-inch rocket pods....
Learn MoreWar and Peace in the Space Age
Book Review: By Lieutenant General James M. Gavin: You were born to be free. You were also born with a responsibility to contribute to our common defense. For as long as a trace of avarice exists in the hearts of men, there will be a need for the defense of men and their established institutions. . . James M. Gavin[1] * * * * * The quote above showcases General Gavin’s understanding of human nature: He from the perspective of war; Madison from the view of political theory. Though 170 years separates their writings, the concurrence of thought must be appreciated: That...
Learn MoreA GREAT DAY for the ARMY and The 101st!
Historical Perspective / By General John R. Gutherie, Commander, USA Materiel Development and Readiness Command: Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen and members of “D” Company, 158th Aviation Battalion. This is, indeed, a great day for the Army, for American industry and for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It is also, for me, a personal and professional pleasure and honor to participate in another ceremony marking the achievement of a major milestone in the fielding of one of the “Big Five,” and to represent not one but two Chiefs of Staff of the Army who would, except for pressing duties,...
Learn MoreRapid Combat Photography, 1955
By Mark Albertson: A humble, radio-controlled, camera-equipped drone, has now been added to the photographic aerial combat potential of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The RP-71 Falconer unmanned aerial vehicle was readied at the Army Electronic Proving Ground, Fort Huachuca, Arizona. U.S. Army RP-71/SD-1/MQM-57 Falconer reconnaissance drone. Note wooden propeller and jet-assisted takeoff pods / Radio Combat Photography, 1955 courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Air Force The RP-71 has a speed of 228 miles-per-hour and a rate-of-climb of 3,060 feet-per-minute.[1] The pilotless propeller-driven aircraft features a gasoline engine; yet, defies gravity with a jet-assisted takeoff. The...
Learn More1955: Landing Atop Pikes Peak
By Mark Albertson: Jack Zimmerman, chief test pilot for Cessna, flew a Cessna CH-1 to the top of Pikes Peak. He successfully completed hovering tests at 14,110 feet prior to landing. Such was the first time an aircraft of any type set down atop the mountain. Time: 7:00 AM. Date: September 13, 1955. Cessna CH-1 helicopter; or, by the Army designation, YH-41 Seneca. Zimmerman’s hovering demonstrations were effected with a Captain Knowles from Fort Carson aboard. Then . . . . . . Zimmerman took on a second passenger and hovered atop the peak. This was followed by Major General Van...
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