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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0467.PDF
22 February 1952 209 HELICOPTER ASSAULT Possibilities of Landing Troops in Strength on Hostile Territory: Lessons of U.S. Marine Corps Exercises Most of the experience on which Lt.-Col. McCutcheon's opinions were based was obtained with Piasecki HW-1 helicopters at the U.S. Marine Corps School at Quantico, Virginia. This school is engaged upon the development of the helicopter inva sion technique, in which it has employed the U.S.S. "Patau" as a helicopter-carrier. This photograph shows an HRP-1 being brought up in the lift with rotor blades folded, while at the foot of the page the carrier is seen with eight HRPs ranged on her flight deck. ANALYSIS of the results of exercises held last year by A\ the U.S. Marine Corps, utilizing Piasecki HRP heli-x •*• copters and CVE escort carriers of the U.S. Navy, has suggested new and important possibilities for the helicopter in active warfare. During these exercises, basic techniques were worked out that should be applicable on a very large scale to much greater numbers of helicopters and carriers. The operation of numerous rotary-wing aircraft from carriers presented some peculiar problems, but, even so, they were thought to be less complex than those encountered in present carrier- borne jet-fighter practice. Reviewing the results of the exercises in a lecture to the S.A.E., Lt-Col. K. B. McCutcheon, U.S. Marine Corps, said that it had been found quite practicable to embark a complete invading force—on a small scale—in a single car rier, this including pilots, mechanics, and assault troops. The Piasecki aircraft used were equipped with folding rotor blades, and could be housed in the ship's hangars until required. In preparation for an assault, the aircraft were brought up to the flight deck and ranged as closely as their numbers required, while the pilots and troops were being briefed. The operation was under the control of the carrier's air officer in the island superstructure, who was assisted by the retention of the coloured-helmet scheme used for the ready identification of flight-deck personnel. In early exercises, the helicopters had been launched from both bow and stern of the carrier, leaving the major deck area clear for manual ranging; it had since been found that the assault aircraft could be launched from anywhere on the deck, and the pro cedure was at present rather flexible. The exercises had shown that actual launching could be performed while all the ships were under way, and in a dis persed formation—a feature which represented a distinct advantage over the use of waterborne landing craft. Once airborne, the force could proceed to the landing area either in close formation, or by individual routes to give a dispersed assault. Even when the operation was restricted by the slow cruising speeds of the HRPs (60 to 100 m.p.h.) it had been found possible to land an in vading force over a space of 40 miles by helicopter in the time which a water-borne army would take to cover 8000 yd. A further advantage, said Lt- Col. McCutcheon, was the fact that the landing need not neces sarily be made on the enemy beach, but could take place at any distance inland. This area would previously have been sub jected to bombardment from the air, and from the sea if possible, while the actual landing would be screened by a number of methods, including low-flying to take natural advantage of the local terrain, and the use of air-laid smoke-screens. The actual landing would be made under the cover of fighters and attack aircraft. The helicopters could alight anywhere that an invading army could want to be placed, while preserving the tactical formation that the force would wish to assume upon going into action. With larger aircraft, shortly to enter service, whole regiments could be transported intact, and placed behind natural cover in any desired situation. One of the first calls from a landed force was usually for artillery. The best practice had been found to be the landing of the gun crew in advance of their piece so that they could direct the helicopter pilot to the precise location in which they wanted the weapon placed. The use of a sling hoist enabled the pilot to release the gun quickly and accurately, so that it could go into action at once. This "flying crane" technique could be applied to almost any kind of war material; even in thickly-wooded country, the helicopter's powers of hovering permitted the accurate lowering of supplies by crane. Helicopters retained certain of the advantages of water- borne landing craft, which had been lost upon the introduc tion of gliders and parachutes as means of delivering invading armies. They were essentially two-way vehicles, and could carry, not only the army, but anything they might require to sustain them in combat. After putting down the first assault force, they could return to their carrier and bring in rein forcements, ammunition, and many other requirements, while on the return journeys, they could evacuate wounded direct to a base hospital or ship—there was, in fact, no need for a helicopter ever to be empty. As regards landing the aircraft back on the carrier, Lt-Col. McCutcheon said that no trouble had been experienced, the helicopters having been found more amenable to carrier work than fixed-wing aircraft. In conclusion, he mentioned that no special training or indoctrination had been found neces sary for helicopter-borne troops. "In fact," he said, "we only use two words of command : Get in! . . . Get out!"
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