SOUTH VIET NAM THE MAKESHIFT KILLERS INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH LAST 
WEEK FLEW THE 800 . THEY WERE SOUTH VIETNAMESE TROOPS BEING 
LIFTED BY A COMPANY OF U.S . H-21 TROOP-CARRYING HELICOPTERS TO 
CLEAN OUT A COMMUNIST-INFESTED JUNGLE HIDEOUT 175 MILES NORTHEAST OF SAIGON 
. THE REGION WAS A TANGLED, MENACING BATTLEGROUND, WHOSE NAME, LIKE 
TENNYSON'S BALACLAVA, DERIVES FROM ITS BLOODY HISTORY IN SOUTH VIET NAM'S 
UGLY GUERRILLA WAR . AS EACH FLIGHT DIPPED INTO THE TINY 
LANDING ZONE, AN ESCORT OF TWELVE ROCKETCARRYING UH 1-B ( " 
HUEY " ) CHOPPERS SPRAYED THE SCRUBBY UNDERBRUSH WITH ROCKETS AND 
MACHINE-GUN FIRE . NOT A SINGLE HOSTILE SHOT WAS RETURNED AS 
THE TROOPS HIT THE GROUND AND FANNED INTO THE JUNGLE . 
THE ABSENCE OF ENEMY OPPOSITION IN THE LANDING AREA COULD BE 
LARGELY TRACED TO VIET CONG FEAR OF THE ROCKET-CARRYING HUEYS . 
BEFORE THEIR ARRIVAL IN SOUTH VIET NAM LAST FALL, DEVASTATING COMMUNIST 
GROUND FIRE AGAINST THE LUMBERING, DEFENSELESS H-21S THREATENED TO HALT THE 
GOVERNMENT'S HELICOPTER AIRLIFT CAMPAIGN, WHICH HAD BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE OFFENSIVE 
TACTIC AGAINST THE RED GUERRILLAS . RELUCTANTLY THE TOP U.S . 
MILITARY BRASS, WHICH HAD LONG BEEN SKEPTICAL THAT A HELICOPTER COULD 
EVER BE A DEADLY OFFENSIVE WEAPON, THREW THE NEWLYARRIVED HUEYS INTO 
COMBAT . THEIR MISSION : TO ESCORT AND PROTECT THE TROOPCARRYING 
COPTERS . " THE MOST ESSENTIAL UNIT . " SO EFFECTIVE 
HAVE THE HUEYS BEEN IN COUNTERACTING VIET CONG GROUND FIRE THAT 
SOME H-21 PILOTS HAVE REFUSED TO CARRY OUT MISSIONS RATHER THAN 
FLY WITHOUT HUEY ESCORTS . SINCE LAST OCTOBER, THE HUEYS HAVE 
FLOWN 3,600 SORTIES, FIRED 1,800 ROCKETS AND 200,000 ROUNDS OF MACHINEGUN 
AMMUNITION, AND KILLED COUNTLESS HUNDREDS OF REDS . TWO ENLISTED MEN 
OF THE COMPANY (WHOSE OFFICIAL MILITARY DESIGNATION IS UTILITY TACTICAL TRANSPORT 
COMPANY) HAVE BEEN KILLED IN COMBAT, AND 19 OTHER MEMBERS OF 
THE 113-MAN UNIT HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS . 
TODAY U.S . MILITARY OFFICIALS ESTIMATE THAT, ALTHOUGH THE VIET CONG 
HAS DOUBLED ITS ANTIAIRCRAFT EFFORT IN THE PAST YEAR, THE TROOP-CARRYING 
CHOPPERS ARE SUFFERING 25 PER CENT FEWER HITS THAN BEFORE THE 
HUEYS ARRIVED ON THE VIET NAM SCENE . " THE HUEYS, 
" SAYS GENERAL PAUL HARKINS, THE CAPABLE BOSS OF THE 14,000 
U.S . ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIET NAM, " ARE THE MOST 
ESSENTIAL UNIT IN MY COMMAND . " THE IRONY OF THE 
HUEYS' SUCCESS IS THAT THEY ARE MAKESHIFT KILLERS, ORIGINALLY DESIGNED AS 
UTILITY AIRCRAFT AND PERSONNEL CARRIERS . BUT HUEY PILOTS BECAME CONVINCED 
THAT THEIR SPEEDY, MANEUVERABLE CHOPPERS WOULD BE IDEAL SUPPORT AIRCRAFT IN 
THE KIND OF GUERRILLA WAR SITUATION THAT SOUTHEAST ASIA PRESENTS . 
ON THEIR OWN, COMPANY PERSONNEL OUTFITTED THEIR HUEYS WITH 16 HOMEMADE 
ROCKET MOUNTS AND FOUR MACHINE-GUN BRACKETS, PESTERED DUBIOUS BRASS FOR MONTHS 
TO LET THEM TRY OUT THEIR IDEAS IN ACTION . THE 
HUEYS' EFFECTIVENESS IS MAINLY THE RESULT OF THEIR ABILITY TO CHUG 
RIGHT ALONG IN THE SAME FORMATION WITH THE H-21S . UNLIKE 
FIXED-WING FIGHTER BOMBERS, WHICH FLY TOO HIGH AND TOO FAST TO 
PICK OUT SPECIFIC TARGETS AND SOMETIMES DROP NAPALM ON INNOCENT CIVILIANS, 
THE SLOWCRUISING HUEYS CAN SPOT GROUND FIRE IN THE LANDING ZONE 
AND MOVE IN TO NEUTRALIZE IT WITH DISCRIMINATING FIRE THAT SPARES 
NONCOMBATANTS . " IF WE KILL ONE WOMAN OR A CHILD 
ON A MISSION AND 90 VIET CONG, " SAYS ONE HUEY 
PILOT, " THEN THAT MISSION IS A FAILURE . " PSYCHOLOGICAL 
EFFECT . AS A PREVIOUSLY UNTRIED COMBAT INNOVATION, THE HUEYS CAN 
AFFORD TO EXPERIMENT IN HELIBORNE ASSAULT TACTICS, ARE PROVIDING THE ARMY 
WITH INVALUABLE OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN NEW DOCTRINES OF GUERRILLA WARFARE . 
" WE'RE WRITING THE BOOK OF TACTICS OURSELVES, " SAYS MAJOR 
IVAN SLAVICH, 35, COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE U.T.T . COMPANY . 
IN COMBAT, THE HUEYS USUALLY FLY A CIRCULAR " DAISY CHAIN 
" PATTERN SO THAT EACH SHIP IS ALWAYS COVERED BY THE 
CHOPPER IMMEDIATELY BEHIND IT . " OUR MACHINE GUNS HAVE MORE 
ACTUAL KILLING POWER, " SAYS SLAVICH . " BUT OUR ROCKETS 
SEEM TO HAVE A MUCH GREATER PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT ON THE VIET 
CONG . / THE MAKESHIFT KILLERS WITH THEIR MANEUVERABILITY, THE HUEYS 
CAN SLIDE BACK AND FORTH JUST A FEW FEET OVER THE 
SUN-SCORCHED RICE FIELDS, SORTING OUT THEIR TARGETS LIKE COWBOYS CUTTING STEERS 
FROM A HERD . ON ONE RECENT MISSION, THE DESPERATE REDS 
TRIED TO LOB HAND GRENADES INTO THE OPEN SIDE DOORS OF 
THE LOW-CIRCLING CHOPPERS . WHEN TWO HUEYS TRIED TO BOX IN 
AND CAPTURE A FLEEING RED GUERRILLA, HE SUDDENLY WHEELED AND HEADED 
STRAIGHT FOR THEM, A HAND GRENADE IN EACH HAND . A 
BURST OF GUNFIRE FROM THE CHOPPERS CUT HIM DOWN ; BOTH 
GRENADES EXPLODED BENEATH HIS BODY . FROM THE DOOR OF A 
GRASS HUT, A GUERRILLA BLAZED AWAY AT A HOVERING HUEY, MISSED 
ITS COPILOT BY ONLY A FEW INCHES . THE HUEY'S WINGMAN 
PLANTED A ROCKET SMACK IN THE DOORWAY OF THE HUT AND 
BLEW IT TO PIECES . SCARED PRINCESS . THE CHOPPER PILOTS 
CREDIT SLAVICH FOR THE OUTSTANDING SUCCESS OF THE HUEYS, CALL THEIR 
OUTFIT " SLAVICH'S PEOPLE . " SON OF A RETIRED SAN 
FRANCISCO DEMOCRATIC WARD POLITICIAN, SLAVICH SERVED AS A MARINE CORPS ENLISTED 
MAN AFTER WORLD WAR II, BECAME AN ARMY OFFICER AFTER GRADUATION 
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO IN 1951 . HE WON 
A COMBAT INFANTRYMAN'S BADGE IN KOREA, BECAME A PILOT IN 1955, 
TOOK COMMAND OF THE U.T.T . COMPANY LAST NOVEMBER . SLAVICH 
RUNS AN EASYGOING OUTFIT AT HIS BASE AT THE EDGE OF 
SAIGON AIRPORT . LIKE TOURISTS, SOME PILOTS TOTE CAMERAS ON MISSIONS, 
AND SLAVICH HIMSELF USED TO TAKE HIS GERMAN SHEPHERD, PRINCESS, ALONG 
ON SORTIES UNTIL THE PUP BECAME SO SHELL-SHY THAT SHE NEARLY 
JUMPED OUT OF THE CHOPPER WHEN THE ROCKETS WERE FIRED . 
THE PILOTS HAVE A JARGON OF THEIR OWN . THEY " 
ZAP " THE VIET CONG ON A GOOD DAY, CALL SAIGON 
" THE VILLE, " EXPRESS FERVENT APPROVAL OF EVERYTHING FROM A 
GIRL TO A CHOPPER WITH THE WORD " OUTSTANDIN' . " 
TOP-RANKING VISITORS OFTEN HITCH RIDES ON THEIR FLIGHTS TO GET IN 
A FEW PERSONAL LICKS AT THE VIET CONG . BRIGADIER GENERAL 
JOSEPH STILWELL JR., SON OF " VINEGAR JOE, " FREQUENTLY RIDES 
SHOTGUN IN SLAVICH'S OWN CHOPPER . ONCE, WITH STILWELL ABOARD, SLAVICH 
HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A RED-INFESTED AREA . 
" I WAS SCARED TO DEATH, " SAID SLAVICH . GLAD 
THE VIET CONG DIDN'T COME ALONG, BECAUSE I KNOW DAMN WELL 
THAT GENERAL STILWELL WOULD HAVE MADE US FIGHT FOR THE MACHINE 
INSTEAD OF LETTING US RUN . " / PUCKER UP & 
PRAY . " DEADLY AS THE HUEYS ARE, THEY HAVE THEIR 
FAULTS . AS BOTH DOORS MUST BE KEPT WIDE OPEN TO 
GIVE THE AUTOMATIC RIFLE-TOTING SIDE GUNNERS COMPLETE VISIBILITY, THE BLAST OF 
THE ROCKETS CREATES AN EAR-SHATTERING DIN IN THE COPTER'S CABIN . 
EVEN WORSE, THE HUEYS ARE VIRTUALLY UNARMORED, AND ENEMY FLAK CUTS 
THROUGH THEM EASILY . ALL FOUR CREWMEN NOT ONLY WEAR FLAK 
VESTS BUT ALSO SIT ON A PILE OF VESTS TO PROTECT 
PRIVATE PARTS . " WHEN AN ENEMY IS SHOOTING AT YOU 
AT THAT LOW ALTITUDE, IT'S THE MOST HOPELESS FEELING IN THE 
WORLD, " SAYS ONE PILOT . " THERE'S NOTHING TO DO 
BUT PUCKER UP AND PRAY . " BUT BECAUSE OF THE 
HUEYS' PERFORMANCE, THE ARMY IS NOW ENCOURAGING THE DESIGN OF A 
MUCH BETTER, ARMORED, ATTACK HELICOPTER, WHICH MIGHT ACHIEVE SPEEDS OF 175 
KNOTS AND EMPLOY HEAVIER MACHINE GUNS AND PERMANENTLY INSTALLED TURRETS FOR 
THE LETHAL ROCKETS . FROM MAJOR SLAVICH COMES THE RATIONALE FOR 
SUCH AN AIRCRAFT . / WE CAN STAY IN THE SAME 
ENVIRONMENT AS THE HELICOPTERS WE ARE PROTECTING, " HE SAID . 
" WE CAN WORK IN CLOSE, WE CAN WORK IN UNLIMITED 
VISIBILITY, WE CAN VARY OUR AIRSPEED FROM 100 KNOTS TO ZERO 
. WE CAN SEEK AND FIND A HOSTILE MENACE TO HELICOPTERS 
BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE . / 