JensOle
SOH-CM-2023
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o>Hi,</o>
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A secret and little known part of the helicopter war over <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Vietnam</st1lace></st1:country-region> was the use of the UH-1F/P Huey helicopters by the USAF. Small numbers of the easily recognised camouflage painted Foxtrot and Papa short cabin Huey’s were used to support clandestine/special operations over South East Asia (both Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), by the 20th Special Operations Squadron. <o></o>
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This included insertion/extraction and close air support for small Special Forces teams. For the later task they flew heavily armed gunship UH-1P’s with both rocket pods and cabin mounted GAU-2 miniguns. The squadron was called the “Green Hornets” and fittingly they used the "hornet" radio callsign. <o></o>
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20<SUP>th</SUP> SOS pilot Capt. James Fleming earned the Medal of Honor for the rescue of the 7 man strong SOG recon team “Chisel” in the Central Highland region of <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South Vietnam</st1:country-region></st1lace>, near the Cambodian border, in 1968. Fleming managed to extract the team from a very hot (and confined) LZ, the enemy was only meters from charging both team Chisel and the helicopter itself. Two gunship P’s, of which one was shot down, provided heavy covering fire from both miniguns and rockets during the extraction.<o></o>
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The 20<SUP>th</SUP> SOS is still in the secret world of special operations today, flying the new CV-22 Osprey.<o></o>
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I have painted the Nemeth UH-1C as “P” gunship 65-7929 as it looked in the late 1960's. The Air Force short cabin Huey was sort of a Frankenstein creature with the small cabin of the UH-1B, the GE engine from the large CH-3 (as the USAF had a large stock of engines for..) and the longer tailboom from the UH-1D. The most recognized feature was the engine exhaust which is on the right side and not in the back of the engine. But this I think the C is a good stand in for the Papa gunship and the Huey certainly looks interesting painted in the SEA camouflage scheme.<o></o>
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UH-1F 64-15492 which was the one flown by Fleming on the mission he earned the MoH is also coming (it is wrongly marked as “7945” in the pics, the nose number will also be changed to only the last 3 digits.
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Regards
Jens-Ole
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fficeffice" /><o>Hi,</o><o
> </o>A secret and little known part of the helicopter war over <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Vietnam</st1lace></st1:country-region> was the use of the UH-1F/P Huey helicopters by the USAF. Small numbers of the easily recognised camouflage painted Foxtrot and Papa short cabin Huey’s were used to support clandestine/special operations over South East Asia (both Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), by the 20th Special Operations Squadron. <o></o><o
> </o>This included insertion/extraction and close air support for small Special Forces teams. For the later task they flew heavily armed gunship UH-1P’s with both rocket pods and cabin mounted GAU-2 miniguns. The squadron was called the “Green Hornets” and fittingly they used the "hornet" radio callsign. <o
></o><o
> </o>20<SUP>th</SUP> SOS pilot Capt. James Fleming earned the Medal of Honor for the rescue of the 7 man strong SOG recon team “Chisel” in the Central Highland region of <st1
lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South Vietnam</st1:country-region></st1lace>, near the Cambodian border, in 1968. Fleming managed to extract the team from a very hot (and confined) LZ, the enemy was only meters from charging both team Chisel and the helicopter itself. Two gunship P’s, of which one was shot down, provided heavy covering fire from both miniguns and rockets during the extraction.<o></o><o
> </o>The 20<SUP>th</SUP> SOS is still in the secret world of special operations today, flying the new CV-22 Osprey.<o
></o><o
> </o>I have painted the Nemeth UH-1C as “P” gunship 65-7929 as it looked in the late 1960's. The Air Force short cabin Huey was sort of a Frankenstein creature with the small cabin of the UH-1B, the GE engine from the large CH-3 (as the USAF had a large stock of engines for..) and the longer tailboom from the UH-1D. The most recognized feature was the engine exhaust which is on the right side and not in the back of the engine. But this I think the C is a good stand in for the Papa gunship and the Huey certainly looks interesting painted in the SEA camouflage scheme.<o
></o><o
> </o>UH-1F 64-15492 which was the one flown by Fleming on the mission he earned the MoH is also coming (it is wrongly marked as “7945” in the pics, the nose number will also be changed to only the last 3 digits.
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Regards
Jens-Ole
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