SOUTH VIET NAM THE HELICOPTER WAR RUNS INTO TROUBLE THE HELICOPTER HAS 
REVOLUTIONIZED THE UGLY LITTLE ANTI-COMMUNIST WAR IN SOUTH VIET NAM . 
USING THE WHIRLYBIRDS FOR TRANSPORT, GOVERNMENT FORCES NO LONGER REMAIN IMMOBILE 
IN FIXED OUTPOSTS . THEY NOW GO WHERE THE VIET CONG 
GOES . SOMETIMES THIS IS NOT VERY HEALTHY, FOR THE RED 
GUERRILLAS HAVE DEVELOPED TACTICS TO COUNTER THE COPTERS . IN THE 
EARLY DAYS, THEY TRIED TO SHOOT THEM DOWN WITH HOMEMADE SHOTGUNS 
AND ANCIENT FRENCH RIFLES ; ONE HELICOPTER EVEN RETURNED TO BASE 
WITH AN ARROW STUCK IN ITS FUSELAGE . TODAY, WITH MORE 
PRACTICE AND AN ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF CAPTURED U.S . WEAPONS, THE 
VIET CONG GANGMEN CAN MAKE THINGS HOT FOR THE MOST SKILLED 
U.S . HELICOPTER PILOT . LAST WEEK THE VIET CONG FORCES 
PROVED THEIR PROWESS BY SHOOTING DOWN FIVE HELICOPTERS OVER RICE MARSHES 
SOUTHWEST OF SAIGON AND INFLICTING A BRUTAL DEFEAT ON THE GOVERNMENT 
FORCES . LIKE SHOOTING DUCKS . THE BATTLE BEGAN AS A 
ROUTINE / SEARCH AND CLEAR " OPERATION IN A RED-INFESTED AREA 
NEAR THE TINY HAMLET OF APBAC . THE STRIKE PLAN CALLED 
FOR TEN U.S . H-21 TROOP-CARRYING HELICOPTERS, ESCORTED BY FIVE U.S 
. ROCKET-FIRING HU-1A CHOPPERS, TO FERRY 400 GOVERNMENT TROOPS TO THE 
DROP ZONE IN WAVES OF 100 MEN EACH . THE FIRST 
THREE GROUPS LANDED WITH NO GROUND FIRE FROM THE ENEMY . 
BUT AS THE FOURTH LIFT FLUTTERED OVER THE PADDIES, THE COMMUNISTS 
LET LOOSE WITH A BLAZE OF BULLETS FROM THE WOODS AT 
THE EDGE OF THE RICE FIELD . " THE TREE LINE 
SEEMED TO EXPLODE WITH MACHINE-GUN FIRE, " SAID ONE HELICOPTER PILOT 
. " IT WAS PURE HELL . " VIRTUALLY MOTIONLESS, THE 
BANANA-SHAPED HELICOPTERS WERE HELPLESS TARGETS AT POINT-BLANK RANGE ; FIVE OF 
THE HOVERING CHOPPERS WERE SHOT DOWN, AND NINE OTHERS WERE RIDDLED 
BY ENEMY FIRE . ON THE GROUND, THE GOVERNMENT FORCES WERE 
PINNED DOWN IN THE HAIL OF FIRE . " WHEN THOSE 
POOR VIETNAMESE CAME OUT OF THE CHOPPERS, IT WAS LIKE SHOOTING 
DUCKS FOR THE VIET CONG, " SAID ONE U.S . OFFICER 
. THE STUNNED SURVIVORS BURROWED INTO THE SLIMY MUD OF THE 
PADDIES AND STAYED THERE, REFUSING TO CONTINUE THE ASSAULT . DESPERATELY 
CAPTAIN KENNETH GOOD, 32, A WEST POINTER FROM EWA BEACH, HAWAII, 
SOUGHT TO RALLY THE VIETNAMESE FOR A COUNTERATTACK, BUT HE WAS 
STITCHED THROUGH THE NECK AND CHEST BY A BURST FROM A 
VIET CONG AUTOMATIC RIFLE . THE GOVERNMENT TROOPS STAYED PUT . 
AFTER EIGHT HOURS OF CONTINUOUS BOMBARDMENT, REINFORCEMENTS BEGAN TO ARRIVE . 
BLASTING AWAY WITH MACHINE GUNS, GOVERNMENT ARMORED CARS REPEATEDLY ATTACKED THE 
ENTRENCHED VIET CONG POSITIONS AT THE TREE LINE AND ALONG A 
CANAL BORDERING THE PADDIES ; EACH TIME THEY WERE DRIVEN BACK 
. OVERHEAD, GOVERNMENT PLANES POUNDED THE VIET CONG WITH BOMBS AND 
NAPALM, BUT THE COMMUNISTS DID NOT BREAK . " MY GOD, 
WE GOT A FIX ON ONE MACHINE-GUN POSITION AND MADE 15 
AERIAL RUNS ON IT, " SAID A U.S . ADVISER . 
" EVERY TIME WE THOUGHT WE HAD HIM, AND EVERY TIME 
THAT DAMNED GUNNER CAME RIGHT BACK UP, FIRING . " THE 
OPEN WALLET . AS DUSK FELL, THE VIET CONG SLIPPED INTO 
SAMPANS AND ESCAPED DOWN THE DARKENED CANAL WITH THEIR DEAD AND 
WOUNDED . " EVERYTHING WE DID WENT WRONG, " COMPLAINED A 
U.S . ADVISER . A BATTALION OF GOVERNMENT PARATROOPERS, ASSIGNED THE 
JOB OF BLOCKING THE REDS' ESCAPE ROUTE, WAS AIRDROPPED INTO THE 
WRONG POSITION . AND WHEN GOVERNMENT ARTILLERY AT LAST STARTED TO 
SHELL THE WOODED VIET CONG POSITIONS, THEIR ROUNDS WERE ZEROED IN 
ON THEIR OWN TROOPS, KILLED THREE OF THEIR OWN MEN . 
WORST OF ALL, THE BATTERED VIETNAMESE TROOPS SHOWED LITTLE INTEREST IN 
PURSUING THE REDS . INSTEAD, THEY SLOSHED THROUGH THE PADDYFIELDS, PICKING 
UP THEIR CASUALTIES 68 DEAD AND 100 WOUNDED AND POKING THROUGH 
THE DOWNED HELICOPTERS . ON THE CABIN FLOOR OF ONE OF 
THE CHOPPERS LAY THE WALLET OF A DEAD U.S . ADVISER 
OPEN TO A PICTURE OF HIS WIFE AND CHILD . IN 
ALL, THREE U.S . ADVISERS CAPTAIN GOOD, SERGEANT WILLIAM DEAL OF 
MAYS LANDING, N.J., AND SPECIALIST 4 DONALD BRAMAN OF RADCLIFF, KY 
. WERE KILLED IN THE AMBUSH, AND SIX MORE WOUNDED . 
THE DEAD BROUGHT TO 56 THE NUMBER OF U.S . TROOPS 
KILLED SO FAR IN SOUTH VIET NAM . PIECEMEALED TO DEATH 
. THE EXTENT OF THE GOVERNMENT DEFEAT UNDER CONDITIONS OF ITS 
OWN CHOOSING AND THE HEAVY LOSSES SUFFERED BY THE U.S . 
HELICOPTERS CAUSED HEADS TO SNAP FROM SAIGON TO WASHINGTON . UNDER 
ORDERS FROM PRESIDENT KENNEDY, THE PENTAGON BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE WAYS IN 
WHICH THE CHOPPERS CAN BE BETTER PROTECTED . IN SAIGON, U.S 
. ADVISERS ADMITTED THAT THE DAY WAS A " MISERABLE PERFORMANCE, 
" BLAMED THE DEFEAT ON A " LACK OF AGGRESSIVENESS " 
BY GOVERNMENT TROOPS . " THEY MOVED IN SLOWLY AND GAVE 
THE VIET CONG A CHANCE TO PIECEMEAL THEM TO DEATH, " 
SAID ONE AMERICAN OFFICER . STILL, U.S . ADVISERS ARE PLEASED 
WITH THE PROGRESS MADE BY GOVERNMENT TROOPS OVER THE PAST YEAR 
. " CASUALTIES ARE INEVITABLE WHEN YOU ARE FIGHTING A WAR, 
" SAID ONE . " THE VIET CONG ARE IMPROVING THEIR 
ARSENAL AND TECHNIQUES . WE'RE DOING THE SAME AND ON BALANCE 
WE'RE STILL WAY OUT AHEAD OF THEM . 