The 40th Helicopter Squadron is a missile support unit. As the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron it was a helicopter rescue squadron of the USAF during the Vietnam War.
History
The squadron was activated as the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in March 1968 with HH-3s which were nicknamed "Nitnoy." Later HH-53s arrived and these were nicknamed "BUFF."
20 August 1972, the local base rescue detachments of the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group each operating 2 HH-43s were transferred to the 40th ARRS, comprising:[2]: 115
30 November 1972, with the inactivation of the 37th ARRS at Danang Air Base, 5 of its HH-53s were transferred to the 40th ARRS, while its two HH-43s remained at Danang as Detachment 7 of the 40th ARRS to provide base rescue during Operation Linebacker II.[2]: 127
Following the Paris Peace Accords all remaining US Forces were withdrawn from South Vietnam by 27 March 1973. Detachment 7 at Danang Air Base and Detachment 14 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base were inactivated during this period. Following the withdrawal from South Vietnam the 40th's force level was 11 HH-53s and 14 HH-43s.[2]: 128
The USAF continued combat operations over Cambodia until 15 August 1973 and the 40th provided CSAR support during this period. Following the end of combat operations the 40th kept 2 HH-53s at Nakhon Phanom on 15-minute alert during daylight and 45-minute alert at night.[2]: 135
In July 1974 Detachment 10 at Takhli was disbanded, followed in August by Detachment 3 at Ubon. On 20 February 1975, Detachment 1 at Nakhon Phanom was disbanded. At this time the 40th's force level had dropped to 8 HH-53Cs and 4 HH-43Fs.[2]: 136
On 31 January 1976 the 40th ARRS was inactivated at Korat RTAFB.[2]: 155
Operations and losses
30 May 1968, Jolly Green, an HH-3E was attempting to rescue Colonel Norman Phillips the pilot of a downed F-105, near Savannakhet, Laos. PararescuemanSergeant Thomas A Newman descended into a hostile jungle environment to rescue the pilot. Hampered by darkness and concentrated automatic weapons fire, Newman requested the rescue helicopter to enter a nearby orbit, both for the safety of the crewmembers and to prevent the hovering aircraft from establishing their location for the unfriendly ground forces. When the HH-3 returned, he secured the injured Philips to the forest penetrator and protected him with his own body as they ascended to the helicopter. Newman was awarded the Air Force Cross.[3]
25 December 1968, Jolly Green 17, an HH-3E was attempting to rescue Major Charles R Brownlee,[4] the pilot of Panda 01 an F-105 shot down near Ban Lathama, Mahaxia District, Khammouan Province, Laos. Pararescueman Airman First Class Charles Douglas King descended by rescue hoist to rescue the injured pilot. With the pilot attached to the hoist, the HH-3E and King were hit by enemy fire, seriously injured, King instructed the helicopter to depart. King was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross,.[5] The bodies of King and Brownlee were not recovered and both were listed as killed in action - body not recovered.[6]
18 January 1969, Jolly Green 67, HH-53B, 66-14430, was hit by ground fire while on a CSAR mission for Sandy 02, an A-1H lost the previous day. Helicopter made an emergency landing 15 km southeast of Tchepone, Laos. The crew and the A-1 pilot were rescued by Jolly Green 70. An airstrike was ordered to destroy JG-67
28 January 1970, Jolly Green 71, HH-53B, 66-14434, on a CSAR mission for the pilot of Seabird 02, an F-105G, was shot down by a missile fired from a Mig-21 piloted by Vu Ngoc Dinh of the 921st Fighter Regiment.[7] The 6-man crew were all killed.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
30 June 1970, Jolly Green 54, HH-53C, 66-8283, was on a CSAR mission for the crew of Nail 44 an OV-10A, over Savannakhet, Laos. Abandoning the first rescue attempt due to heavy fire, the pilot Captain Leroy C Schaneberg decided to make a second rescue attempt. JG54 was hit by ground fire and crashed. The 5-man crew were all killed.[14][15][16][17][18] The crash site was excavated in December 1993 and remains were identified as a group on 7 March 1995. Schaneberg was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross.[19]
HH-53B of the 40th ARRS which participated in the Son Tay Raid[note 2]
21 June 1971, Jolly Green 54, HH-53, 66–8285, was shot down over Laos while attempting to recover an AQM-34Buffalo Hunter drone. Crew were all rescued.
40th ARRS HH-53 as seen from a 21st SOS CH-53 in 1972
27 March 1972, Jolly Green 61, HH-53C, 66-10359, crashed over Stoeng Treng Province, Cambodia, about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Siem Pang District due to unknown causes. A pararescueman was lowered to the ground at the site of the crash to check for survivors, but due to the intense heat from the burning helicopter, he could not approach near enough to determine if there were crew members inside the aircraft. Some three hours later a second rescue specialist was deployed in the immediate area, who reported the wreckage was still burning, precluding close inspection. The 5-man crew were all killed in action - body not recovered.[22][23][24][25][26]
13 April 1972, Captain Bennie D Orrell pilot of a Jolly Green, rescued a downed pilot near Tchepone, Laos. Orrell was awarded the Air Force Cross.[27]
2 June 1972, Captain Dale E. Stovall[28] pilot of a Jolly Green, flew through intense hostile ground fire to complete the rescue of Captain Roger Locher, an F-4 copilot who had evaded capture for 23 days after being shot down in North Vietnam.[29] This rescue was the deepest CSAR mission into North Vietnam and took place 8 km northeast of Yên Bái Air Base, one of the most active Vietnamese People's Air Force MiG airfields. Stovall was awarded a Bronze Oak leaf cluster in lieu of a second award of Silver Star.[30] Stovall was also awarded the 1973 Jabara Award for Airmanship.
27 June 1972, Pararescueman Sergeant Charles D. McGrath was on a CSAR mission on Jolly Green 77 over North Vietnam. While penetrating dense jungle to rescue F-4 crewman, Captain Lynn A. Aikman, who had a broken leg, knee, elbow and jaw, McGrath exposed himself to intense ground fire in order to drag the incapacitated Aikman to a suitable recovery area. Seeing JG73 crippled by the hostile fire, he directed air strikes against surrounding hostile ground forces until he was able to secure CAikman and himself to the penetrator of Jolly Green 57, the backup helicopter. Rising through constant accurate ground fire, he shielded Aikman with his own body until they were successfully recovered. McGrath and the pilot Captain Dale Stovall were both awarded the Air Force Cross.[31]
27 December 1972, Jolly Green 73, HH-53C, 66-10788, on a CSAR mission for crew of Jackel 33, an F-111A downed on 22 December 1972 over North Vietnam, lost its fuel probe due to enemy ground fire and crash-landed due to fuel starvation. JG-73 was then destroyed by an A-1 Skyraider.
14 June 1973, Jolly Green 64, HH-53C, 66-10362, lost its tail rotor and crashed into the Tonle Sap, Cambodia. 3 of the crew were killed[32][33][34] and 2 were rescued.
^Aircraft, serial 68-10357, is pictured after it was converted to an MH-53M Pave Low IV. During the Son Tay raid its call sign was Apple 1. It is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
^"Callsign 'Apple 1'". National Museum of the United States Air Force. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
United States
United States Air Force
