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proper terrain. Many procedures had now become standard to the point where complex operations, that would have required detailed rehearsal and briefings, could be done as a matter of routine.

Immediately following this operation, the 173d Airborne began Operation CRIMP in a drive through the Ho Bo Woods region in Binh Duong Province in an attempt to destroy the politico-military headquarters of the Viet Cong Military Region 4. After six days of tedious fighting through bunkers and tunnels, the mission was accomplished and the headquarters was found and destroyed. An enormous quantity of enemy documents and weapons were captured. The brigade commander, General Williamson, made special mention after this action of the role played by his support battalion. "The Support Battalion makes the 173d a truly separate brigade. Its performance has been exceptionally fine and represents a major contribution to our combat power by standing behind the infantry and those who support the infantry with supplies, transportation, maintenance and medical support." The Brigade was supported throughout this operation by the 145th Aviation Battalion (Reinforced). This battalion, seldom mentioned by name, had become almost completely identified with the 173d Brigade total force.

Even the most enthusiastic protagonist of the airmobility concept would readily admit that the introduction of hundreds of complex helicopters to a combat environment brought, along with its advantages, many unavoidable headaches, not the least of which was the maintenance requirement. In 1966 the helicopter was still in its adolescence from a technical standpoint. The yet unreached goal of one hour of maintenance per hour of flight was far in the future. In reality, even the simplest machine required approximately ten hours of maintenance per hour of flight. The fact that we were willing to pay that price was mute evidence of the intrinsic worth of airmobility.

The story of airmobility must include the fantastic individual efforts of crew chiefs and mechanics who worked practically every night, all night, to enable the helicopters to fight the following day. With the geometric increase in aircraft during the U.S. Forces buildup, it is important to take a brief look at the aircraft maintenance structure.

A milestone in aviation maintenance occurred with the formal approval of the organization of the 34th General Support Group by U.S. Army, Pacific General Order Number 6, dated 17 Janu[ary]