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Page 8
Flying Eyes for the Guns
In this unconventional war-where the enemy works in small bands and then hides r strikes with a massive force and then suddenly vanishes-the age of the helicopter has materialized. But the mobility of the artillery, needed to kill the Viet Cong, is limited. The big guns are often miles away and out of sight of the foe. Combining the effectiveness of the guns and helicopters, the 25th Division Artillery aviation section provides a means of spotting the enemy and acts as eyes for the big guns of Cu Chi.
By Spec 5 Wayne Brendt and PFC Andy Jensen
From February 1967 “Tropic Lightning Ambush”
After a routine patrolling and registration firing, the OH-23 Helicopter and its two occupants were ready to call it a day. Then the observer noticed four people, widely separated, in an area where people are not supposed to be. He called for clearance to fire on them while the pilot circled the enemy.
Within two minutes, confirmation was relayed back and two artillery rounds were fired. The high explosive rounds landed near two of the Viet Cong, causing all four to scatter. As additional rounds were called for and fell into the area, the pilot noticed something directly below. Standing in the middle of the swiftly flowing stream were at least 20 Viet Cong.
The observer figured the VC heard and saw the helicopter as it passed over several times. They moved slightly downstream after each pass and froze in place when the chopper drew near. The ship flew directly away from the group as the artillery observer quickly called a fire mission.
Thirty-five seconds after the round left two 105mm howitzers of Battery B, 7th Battalion, 11th Artillery, they landed along the sides of the stream. Instead of splitting up as the first group did, they stayed together and moved down the stream under a large tree.
This was an unusual break. The tree made a perfect target for the guns. Two shells hit the tree, sending wood and steel flying everywhere. “I stopped the fire then,” the observer explained, “and we took a quick look. I could see three bodies there and we saw the rest of them take off again along the stream.”
Six more shells were fired every 50 meters along the stream. The rounds tore up the bank and four more Viet Cong lay dead and bits of clothing were scattered all over.
It starts in the operations room as the phone is answered (see above) and the in-
formation is taken down. Once it is passed to the section commander, a pilot and
observer, minutes later, are getting a quick but thorough briefing. (see below)
The mission was completed and marked another successful coordinated mission between artillery guns at Cu Chi and the aviation section of the 25th Division Artillery.
Artillery aviators are known as the “flying eyes” of the division's mighty artillery guns. Equipped with eight OH-23 Helicopters and staffed by eight pilots, and 15 enlisted men, their mission is to fly over enemy targets and call in fire from the guns which sometimes are many miles away. The pilots also fly routine missions over suspected VC locations, taking pictures and looking for signs of enemy presence in the area.
But all to often the job of the aviation section is not routine. Most instances of their successes were based on their speedy reaction to a call for help, rather than just happening to spot enemy while on a routine flight. Frequently there is an emergency that sends the pilot and the ground crew team scrambling. Perhaps it is a unit who needs “eyes” from the sky in a hurry. No matter what the situation is, the aviation section is sure to get the call.
It all begins in the section's operations room. As soon as the phone rings, the “panic button” is pushed and the operations center comes to life. The information is speeded to the operations officer and section commander who immediately calls a pilot for a briefing.
In a matter of minutes, the pilot is in the briefing room, loaded down with all his equipment. He quickly writes the data in a notebook and gets the map location. The briefing is quick but thorough. Not more than ten minutes since the phone rang, the pilot is in a dead run for his ship.
In a matter of minutes the aircraft is off the ground and headed for the area. He establishes contact with the firing batteries and operations room back in Cu Chi, thus setting up communications between the forward “eyes” and the waiting guns. Once the aviator has found the location, he performs the mission as “middleman”. He remains in the area, calling in the exact target location. The distant guns respond with a carefully calculated aim. The call for rounds comes next and the observer quietly waits the long seconds for the rounds to hit. As the predetermined number of shells pour into the site, the ship watches carefully for enemy movement. His eyes enable the artillery guns to follow, harass and beat the enemy no matter where he hides.
But the day is not over for the pilots of artillery aviation. Another call and then another will come in and they will be in the air for many more hours.
Maintenance of the OH-23 choppers becomes as difficult as the pilot's daily missions. The mechanics work all day on the grounded ships and, when the other aircraft return from missions, they often work far into the night to prepare the helicopters for the next day. The life of the pilot and success of the mission also depend on the thorough care of the mechanics. It is up to them to make sure the ships are as safe as man can make them.
Not always do the pilots find the enemy. Many times they will be called into action to fly a routine mission and find nothing. But it is those times when they do spot VC activity and artillery blasts in to the area that makes the job worthwhile. With these “flying eyes” in continual pursuit, the Viet Cong can find no safe place to hide.
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Left, the pilot completes his briefing and heads for his OH-23 Helicopter. Ten minutes after the phone rang, the pilot (Right) is in a dead run for his ship
Following a correct battle sighting, artillerymen of the 7th Battalion, 11th Artillery load a round into a105mm howitzer. At left a man awaits the call for fire.
Point man anxiously waits for instructions
The end result-flying eyes Payoff!
