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structure, worldwide. The planners at that time felt certain that if they provided increased airmobility for most Army units it would be useful for the major contingencies that could be forecast.

Early in 1961 General Maxwell D. Taylor, who was then the Military Advisor to the President, made a situation survey visit to Southeast Asia. During his visit he felt that the lack of adequate rodents, lines of communication, and means of mobility contributed heavily to the government's problems in South Vietnam. As a result of General Taylor's recommendations, President John F. Kennedy approved a more active support program to South Vietnam to assist in the fight against the communist-directed Viet Cong. Generally, the support included the establishment of a joint headquarters for directing the program; increasing the number of U.S. advisors for the South Vietnamese armed forces; and additional support through Army Aviation, communications units, and Navy and Air Force units. This began a chain of events culminating in the arrival of the helicopter units mentioned at the beginning of this study.

The first few helicopters to arrive "in country" were based at Tan Son Nhut and provided support to all the Army of the Republic of Vietnam units they could reach. Naturally, this support was based on operational priorities—the average Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry unit saw very few helicopters in its day-to-day operations. This was, however, a period of innovation and of "trial-and-error" schooling for the U.S. pilots and crews, and also for the Viet Cong.

There is one hair-raising tale of the H-21 pilot who put down in a landing zone only to see a squad of Viet Cong step from the woods and open fire on him at point blank range. Fortunately for the pilot and crew, the Viet Cong squad leader had firmly embedded in the minds of his men the necessity to "lead" the helicopter with their fire. The amazed pilot watched the squad pour their fire into the ground 20 yards in front of him. He took off without a single hit. This kind of strange tale in a sense characterizes the early days—you might say the baling wire days—of airmobility in the Vietnam War.

Following the 57th and 8th, the 93d Transportation Company (Light Helicopter) arrived off the coast of Vietnam in January 1962. Ten miles out in the South China Sea from DaNang, the aircraft were flown off the carrier deck of the USNS Card to Da