'DETER DETECT DEFEND'
The 40th HS was initially established as the 40th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron, activated, and organized on March 21, 1968, at Udorn Airfield, Thailand. It took over from the 37th ARRS Detachment 2 and was assigned to the 3rd ARRG. The squadron operated
HH-3E’s and HH-53’s, offering cover in the border region between Vietnam and Thailand. Interestingly, the HH-3E’s earned the nickname “Nitnoy,” signifying something small in Thai.
This extract & photo comes
from Jeffrey Whitted & a huge thanks go to him for allowing me to share this.
"During the Vietnam
War he served as a combat cameraman and door gunner on HH-53 Super Jolly Green
Giant helicopters out of Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. From August 1969 to
August 1970 he was assigned to
Detachment 9 of the 601st Photo Flight and flew with the 40th Aerospace Rescue
and Recovery Squadron.
SS Columbia Eagle
On 16 March 1970, I
was on alert at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, when the 40th
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron operations center notified our pilots
that we were deploying our two helicopters to the U.S. Navy ship USS Denver in
the Gulf of Thailand.
This was in
response to a 14 March 1970 incident in which two crewmembers aboard the U.S.
flagged merchant vessel SS Columbia Eagle had seized the ship with a bomb
threat.
On 17 March 1970,
the two mutineers forced 24 crewmembers on the Columbia Eagle into two
lifeboats and set them adrift in the Gulf of Thailand.
The two mutineers
then forced the remainder of the crew to take the ship to a bay near Sihanoukville,
Cambodia, where the two mutineers requested political asylum from the Cambodian
government. This ended or mission and we returned to Udorn RTAFB on 17 March
1970.
Unfortunately, the
information on Wikipedia concerning the incident miss identifies our
helicopters as U.S. Navy CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters from bases in Vietnam.
I believe this is partially due to our officers wearing U.S. Navy uniforms (see
photo) during our short stay onboard instead of their flight suits."
Aircrew members
from two U.S. Air Force HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant helicopters pose for a
group photo on board the USS Denver off the coast of Cambodia on 17 March 1970.
Standing on the far left, I served as a combat cameraman and door gunner. (Photo
courtesy of Jeffrey Whitted)
Operation Ivory Coast & Kingpin
The squadron actively took part in the POW rescue mission at Son Tay, North Vietnam, where its personnel displayed exceptional bravery. The efforts resulted in the awarding of five Air Force Crosses, 6 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 83 Silver Stars to the dedicated crew members involved in the rescue operation.
On November 21, 1970, Operation Kingpin was initiated to rescue 61 American prisoners of war held at the Sơn Tây Prison Camp, located 23 miles west of Hanoi in North Vietnam. Despite the presence of over 12,000 North Vietnamese soldiers within a five-mile radius of the prison, the highly classified mission was executed by 56 U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and 98 airmen utilizing 28 aircraft.
The success of the mission relied on months of intelligence gathering, comprehensive mission planning, and rigorous training. Personnel were chosen from a pool of over 500 volunteers, and training took place at Duke Field in Florida, where a full-scale replica of the prison was constructed for realistic simulations, including live-fire training. Aircraft formations meticulously followed precise courses and distances, simulating the conditions of the actual mission, with both day and night flights.
Initially scheduled for October, the mission had to be postponed to November, underscoring the careful consideration and adaptability crucial to its execution.
A C-130E Combat Talon leads the assault group during a training flight at Duke Field, near Eglin AFB, Florida, between October-November 1970 (USAF Photo)
During the raid, two C-130E(I) Combat Talons, known as CHERRY 01 and CHERRY 02, served as leaders for distinct formations of aircraft. The assault group, led by a HH-3E Jolly Green Giant with the callsign BANANA 01, and five HH-53B/C Super Jolly Green Giant helicopters with callsigns APPLE 01–05, carried the Special Forces team. The second formation, a strike group, consisted of five A-1E Skyraiders with callsigns PEACH 01–05, providing close air support (CAS).
The Combat Talons played a crucial role by offering navigation and communications support for their respective groups, in addition to providing illumination over the prison during the operation.
Apple 1 sitting in the USAF Museum at Dayton, Ohio. The HH-53C #68-10357 continued service with the USAF across several countries & Squadrons, including the 76th ARRS at Hickam, the 33rd ARRS in Japan, the 41st ARRS in the US before it was eventually converted to a MH-53J Pave Low & being assigned to the 20th SOS & 21st SOS. It flew in Desert Storm & Iraqi Freedom before it made its final flight on the 28 March 2008 & was transported directly to the Cold War Gallery at the National Museum of the USAF. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Son Tay Approach
CHERRY 01 and CHERRY 02 initiated take-off from Takhli, while LIME 01/02, APPLE 1-5, and BANANA 1 took off from Udorn. Simultaneously, the A-1’s departed from Nakhon Phanom. Over Laos, the helicopters engaged in refuelling with LIME 01/02. Meanwhile, aircraft from the USS Ranger, Hancock, and Oriskany launched from the Gulf of Tonkin, dropping flares in the Hanoi-Haiphong area to create a highly effective diversion during the mission.
USAF Photo
“Alpha, Alpha, Alpha”
The helicopters, A-1’s, and MC-130 proceeded to their designated orbits, targets, and holding areas. At 02:18 hrs, CHERRY 01 transmitted the execute command “Alpha, Alpha, Alpha.” Following this, CHERRY 01 deployed four illumination flares and released two battle simulators as the helicopters approached the camp.
APPLE 03 engaged the guard tower with its miniguns, and subsequently, CHERRY 01 dropped napalm markers for the A-1’s. Afterward, CHERRY 01 departed to a holding point where it would facilitate communications for departing aircraft.
USAF Photo
APPLE 3 took the lead as the helicopters approached, and at 02:19 hrs, BANANA 01 executed a crash landing within the compound, all weapons firing. Simultaneously, its Blueboy team deployed into the compound. Concurrently, APPLE 01 landed, delivering its Greenleaf Team just outside the compound. In the ensuing firefight, approximately 100-200 hostile soldiers were reported killed, with APPLE 01 providing crucial support to the troops on the ground.
BLUEBOY TEAM in the back of BANANA 01. (USAF Photo)
At 02:20 hrs, APPLE 02 and its Redwine Team executed a landing south of the camp, initiating an attack from the outside. Meanwhile, APPLE 01 experienced a brief diversion and firefight before deploying its Greenleaf Team to support the assault. CHERRY 02, arriving with PEACH flight, dropped napalm ground markers for diversion and proceeded to jam enemy radio communications while establishing a secure radio link to the Command Post at Da Nang.
Simultaneously, A-1 Skyraiders carried out bombing and strafing runs on nearby foot and vehicle bridges, aiming to impede reinforcements from reaching the prison.
USAF Photo
Once inside the prison, it became evident that there were no American POWs present. The assault forces promptly requested APPLE flight to return for troop extraction. Concurrently, the North Vietnamese activated their SAM sites, prompting FIREBIRD flight to join the fight. Approximately 36 SAMs were launched at the Thunderchiefs and HH-53’s during the extraction process.
APPLE 01 executed a landing at 02:37 hrs and lifted off with its team just 3 minutes later. Subsequently, APPLE 02 landed at 02:41 hrs and was airborne again 4 minutes later, with APPLE 03 being the last aircraft to depart at 02:48 hrs.
The entire assault, from initiation to completion, took just 26 minutes. One American soldier sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, and the crew chief of BANANA 01 suffered a broken ankle during the crash landing when struck by a falling fire extinguisher. As anticipated, BANANA 01 was destroyed.
In the withdrawal phase, one F-105G Wild Weasel (62-4436, FIREBIRD 05) was damaged by a near miss SAM. This aircraft ran out of fuel just short of its tanker rendezvous point, leading the crew to bail out over Laos. They were successfully rescued by APPLE 04 and APPLE 05 after being refueled by LIME 02.
The formation exited North Vietnam at 03:15 hrs and safely landed back at Udorn at 04:28 hrs, concluding the mission that lasted for a total of five hours.
Total Force
In addition to the thirty aircraft directly involved in the raid, extensive support was provided by twelve KC-135 tankers (refuelling tracks Orange and Lemon), two EC-121T airborne early warning aircraft (Frog 01-02), two RC-135M Rivet Card/Combat Apple ELINT aircraft, and one KC-135A Combat Lightning radio relay plane (call sign Luzon). A T-39 Sabreliner, three C-130 Hercules theatre airlifters, and a standby SAR force of two HH-53s and four A-1s rounded out the USAF participants.
The Navy contributed ten A-6 Intruders and 27 A-7 Corsairs, serving in various roles, including aerial refuelling. Additionally, six F-4J Phantom and six F-8J Crusader fighters, two E-1B Tracer airborne early warning aircraft, one KA-3B Skywarrior tanker, and six EKA-3B Skywarrior tanker-ECM aircraft were part of the naval support. The 59th naval aircraft was an EP-3B "Bat Rack" Orion from the VQ-1 detachment at NAS Agana, Guam. A 60th scheduled aircraft aborted before launch from Ranger. Not included in these totals are a C-123 "Candle" flare ship and an EC-130 ABCCC aircraft, Alley Cat, which diverted from other Laotian missions to aid in search and rescue efforts. Additionally, two C-141 Starlifters staged at Udorn were designated to transport critically ill POWs.
Despite being meticulously planned and executed with complete success, the Sơn Tây raid was considered an intelligence failure because the POWs had been relocated to another prison camp, closer to Hanoi, known as "Camp Faith." Only three days after the raid on Sơn Tây, they were once again moved, this time to the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
The raid produced a patch that was given to all of the crew & originals are very difficult to come across.
LBR
In 1970, the squadron transitioned from the HH-3 to the HH-43. Following this change, in 1971, when relocating to Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand on July 28, the squadron assumed control of the LBR Detachment previously managed by the 3rd ARRG. This move resulted in the squadron gaining six detachments, each operating two HH-43’s at various bases.
DET | BASE | ACTIVE | |
FROM | TO | ||
Det. 1 | Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand | 18 Mar 1968 | 1 Jul 1971 |
Det. 3 | Ubon RTAFB, Thailand | 20 Aug 1972 | 20 Aug 1974 |
Det. 5 | Udorn RTAFB, Thailand | 20 Aug 1972 | 30 Sep 1975 |
Det. 7 | Da Nang AB, South Vietnam | 11 Dec 1972 | 10 Feb 1973 |
Det. 8 | Takhli RTAFB, Thailand | c. Dec 1972 | 31 Jan 1973 |
Det. 10 | Takhli RTAFB, Thailand | 31 Jan 1973 | 30 Jul 1974 |
Det. 12 | U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand | 20 Aug 1972 | 31 Jan 1976 |
Det. 14 | Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam | 15 Sep 1972 | 10 Feb 1973 |
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It looks like 'Pedro' is going on a journey as the crew take the cut out picture from the ops room of Udorn, Det 5.
Entrance to Det 14 at U-Tapao.
The Squadron was reassigned to the 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing (later 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing) on August 20, 1972.
On November 30, 1972, following the inactivation of the 37th ARRS at Da Nang, five HH-53s from the 37th were transferred to the 40th ARRS. Meanwhile, the two HH-43s from the 37th remained at Da Nang, functioning as Detachment 7 of the 40th ARRS to provide base rescue support during Operation Linebacker II.
Jolly Green 73
On December 27, 1972, HH-53C #66-10788 was on a mission to rescue a crew of a downed F-111A c/s Jackel 33, which had been shot down on December 22. While trying to find the crew the refuelling probe was hit by enemy fire. Unfortunately, the crew couldn't refuel and had to land short of a Lima site due to fuel starvation. There were lots of enemy activity in the area, which hampered its recovery, so the crew they were picked up and the Super Jolly Green Giant was destroyed by a A-1 Skyraider. To commemorate the rescue the crew made this patch for their rescue.
After the Paris Peace Accords, all remaining US Forces were withdrawn from South Vietnam by March 27, 1973. During this period, Detachment 7 and Detachment 14 were inactivated. Subsequent to the withdrawal from South Vietnam, the 40th's force level comprised eleven HH-53’s and fourteen HH-43’s.
The USAF continued combat operations over Cambodia until August 15, 1973, and during this period, the 40th provided Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) support. After the cessation of combat operations, the Squadron maintained two HH-53’s at Nakhon Phanom on 15-minute alert during daylight and a 45-minute alert at night.
In July 1974, Detachment 10 at Takhli was disbanded, and in August, Detachment 3 at Ubon followed suit. On February 20, 1975, Detachment 1 at Nakhon Phanom was also disbanded. By this time, the 40th's force level had decreased to eight HH-53Cs and four HH-43F’s.
A 40th ARRS patch as it has the nickname "NIT", this one however is SUPER NIT as it's a HH-3 Jolly Green Giant with the night scope. You can tell its a HH-3 as the tail rotor has 5 blades, as opposed to the HH-53 only having 4 blades.
This information comes from Tom Green Sr. who flew in SEA. A huge thanks to him for the first hand account of starlight scope mission
'whenever I flew night recce in the 21SOS on our CH-53s, we carried the starlight scope secured in the open door. Normally carried an SP at the scope since we were mostly doing perimeter recce there on NKP. We would often be sent over to the river and fly along it looking for suspected sampans that were thought to have bad guys in them coming across from Laos. If we spotted any, the Thai river patrol was contacted and they would investigate further. A couple times we were sent a little further north, inland when needed for the same reason. Two sorties each night. The times varied by night and were as briefed by TUOC (Tactical Unit Operations Center). Crew was 2 Pilots and 2 FEs. This patch depicts the CH-3 nit-noy (Thai for small) as shown by 5 tail rotor blades. When I got there we still had a few CH-3s before they phased out. I don't recall a similar patch for the CH-53.'
Operation Eagle Pull
On April 12, 1975, the squadron played a vital role in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of the embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Squadron inserted a Combat Control Team (CCT) with two HH-53’s to ensure the safe and controlled landings and departures of Marine helicopters at the embassy's landing zone (LZ). The evacuation commenced at 07:43 hrs, and the embassy closed at 09:45 hrs. By 10:50, the LZ came under attack with rockets and mortars. Despite the danger, 590 people were successfully evacuated, and the pair of HH-53’s effectively extracted the CCT at 11:15 hrs.
Throughout the operation, the Jollies from the Squadron orbited at a safe distance while USMC CH-53’s transported the embassy staff, with support from an HC-130 from the 56th ARRS. Additionally, three HH-53’s maintained a precautionary search and rescue orbit just north of Phnom Penh in case any participating aircraft encountered trouble. As the Jolly Greens headed back, the lead aircraft sustained a hit from a 12.7 millimetre (0.50 in) machine gun round in the tail rotor. Despite severe vibrations, the helicopter safely returned to Ubon AB in Thailand.
These patches were made for the PJ’s of the 40th ARRS & the 21st SOS, from Vientiane, Laos in late March, 1975, as the capital city of Laos fell to the Khmer Rouge Communists.
Eagle Pull command group & men of the 40th ARRS celebrate the successful completion of the operation. (USMC Historical Collection)
Frequent Wind
On April 29 and 30, 1975, the Squadron's HH-53s played a crucial role in Operation Frequent Wind, operating from the USS Midway. This evacuation, undertaken in the final days of the Vietnam War, facilitated the safe transport of over 50,000 people. Initially intended as a fixed-wing evacuation of the Defence Attaché's office, the plan shifted to helicopters due to hostile artillery and rocket fire closing the air base at Tan Son Nhut.
The decision to evacuate the entire U.S. presence via helicopter under Operation Frequent Wind was made on the late morning of April 29, 1975, Saigon time. The urgency of the situation required a rapid response, and the deteriorating conditions at the Defence Attaché location led to the Embassy becoming a major evacuation site during this operation.
The evacuation of the Defence Attaché people proceeded smoothly, with relatively light casualties. Two USMC Embassy Security Guards were killed in a ground fire attack, and two USMC CH-46 SAR helicopter aircrews were presumed dead following a crash at sea. A total of 122 evacuation helicopter sorties were conducted from the US Defence Attaché compound, and an additional 72 sorties from the US Embassy.
The evacuation efforts, which successfully extracted 7,806 US citizens and foreign nationals from these locations, were supported by a substantial air effort from the Air Force and Navy. This effort included 444 USAF/USMC helicopter sorties, 204 TACAIR sorties, 24 AH-1J (Cobra) combat escort sorties, 8 AC-130 gunship sorties, 5 EC-130 (ABCCC) sorties, 44 KC-135 tanker sorties, and 2 HC-130 search and rescue support sorties.
The 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, part of the III MEF, played a vital role in Operation Frequent Wind, successfully extracting over 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon, Vietnam, by helicopter. Additionally, Marine detachments from III MEF provided security for U.S. ships involved in transporting Vietnamese refugees to Guam.
HH-53C’s from the 40th ARRS sit on the deck of the USS Midway. Commissioned 8 days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War & served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship in San Diego.
Mayaguez/Koh Tang Incident
The Mayaguez incident took place in the Gulf of Thailand in May 1975. A detailed account is in the 21st SOS history so I won’t repeat it here again, just list the callsigns & crews assigned to the aircraft & mission.
This patch belonged to SSgt. Martin Jablonski who was a flight mechanic on Jolly Green 42. All the crew that took part in the rescue received a patch.
The HC-130 replaced the HH-43 detachments, here a Squadron Hercules is seen refuelling a HH-53B. (USAF Photo)
The Squadron relocated to Korat RTAFB, Thailand, on September 15, 1975, losing the HH-43’s but gaining the services of the HC-130’s. Subsequently, on October 15, 1975, with the inactivation of the 56th ARRS, its four HC-130Ps joined the Squadron. However, this union was short-lived as the United States was in the process of withdrawing from Southeast Asia. On January 31, 1976, the 40th ARRS was inactivated.
Range Support
The 40th ARRS was reactivated on July 1, 1978, at Hill AFB, assigned to the 39th ARRW. For the next 10 years, the squadron's primary mission was to provide transportation and support for Hill's bombing ranges using UH-1’s. However, the unit was inactivated in 1987.
During its time at Hill, the Squadron had several detachments across the United States. These detachments included:
DET | BASE | ACTIVE | |
FROM | TO | ||
Det. 1 | Homestead AFB, FL | 8 Jan 1981 | 1 Oct 1985 |
Det. 4 | Hill AFB, UT | 1 Jul 1978 | 31 Dec 1987 |
Det. 5 | Edwards AFB, CA | 1 Jul 1978 | 31 Dec 1987 |
Det. 6 | Holloman AFB, NM | 1 Jul 1978 | 31 Dec 1987 |
Det. 10 | MacDill AFB, FL | 8 Jan 1981 | 31 Mar 1981 |
Det. 18 | Plattsburgh AFB, NY | 8 Jan 1981 | 30 Nov 1987 |
Det. 22 | Mountain Home AFB, ID | 1 Jul 1978 | 30 Nov 1987 |
Det. 24 | Fairchild AFB, WA | 1 Jul 1978 | 30 Nov 1987 |
This patch has been identified as a det from the 37th ARRS, however, there was no det 24 at Fairchild with the 37th, just the 40th.
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A UH-1 from the Squadron in light grey colours rather than the SEA camouflage that the Squadron had been used to. (USAF Photo)
The 40th ARRS was redesignated as the 40th Rescue Flight on April 1, 1993, and activated on May 1, 1993, flying UH-1’s from Malmstrom AFB. It was assigned to the 341st Operations Group, providing support for the USAF strategic intercontinental missiles. Subsequently, it was redesignated as the 40th Helicopter Flight on May 1, 1998, and further as the 40th Helicopter Squadron on October 11, 2005.
A stunning photo shows how remote some USAF stations are & this is very close to the Canadian border. A UH-1 sits on one of the two helipads at Malstrom in a stunning, but cold view.
The symbol that brought together the Jolly Green Giant brotherhood, the green feet. This is a template used by the 40th ARRS to tag anything that presented itself as a 'target'. It didn't matter how big or small it was, everything was in the crews sights, & it didn't matter on who owned it, from buildings, to aircraft, VIP carpets, anything. The feet are even used as tattoos on the crews!
(Photo reproduced by kind permission of Mike Boehme)
If you have any additional information about this patch please contact me & I´ll get back to you.
Thanks👣
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