Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for 4 INF
For date 680127
4 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation MACARTHUR
Kontum Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Dak To
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Flying Cranes' Haul Dozers Into Remote Forward Bases."
Dak To (IO) - Engineers have been using a new concept to assist infantrymen and artillerymen fighting in isolated regions near here. Bulldozers are being airlifted by Ch54 "flying crane" helicopters to forward fire bases in the jungles. The dozers clear fields of fire and fire trails which extend around the fire base perimeters. The bulldozers also dig emplacements for gun batteries and level terrain for pads. The new airmobile concept was put to test in the Central Highlands during Operation MacArthur. Under direction of CPT Edward Bidorini, the Engineer Equipment Platoon of Hq. Co. 299th Eng. Bn. (Combat), 937th Eng. Group, took charge of the operation. The bulldozer could not simply be carried by chopper to the firbase. First it had to be disassembled and literally broken in half, for the "flying crane" could not lift the entire machine. It took Spec. 5 Howard Wolfe and Spec. 4 Bruce Hall five hours to break the dozer down. Then the "crane" carried the frame, blade, and tracks in one load, and the body and engine on the second trip. Then the task of reassembly awaited engineers at the jungle drop site. Spec. 4 Edward Sigley and Spec. 4 Franklin Ferguson operated the dozers at the firebase. "We greatly improved the helicopter landing pads by leveling ground slopes to flat surfaces," said Sigley. Working under the threat of enemy mortar and sniper fire, these two men were commended by 4th Inf. Div. engineers for their outstanding performance. "The airlift directly into the firebase has resulted in a 60 percent time reduction for installation of fire batteries," Bidorini said. "Gun crews formerly worked four to 10 hours digging in bunkers. Now it is completed in less than four hours."
Comments: CPT Bidorini, Edward; engineer; ;
SP5 Wolfe, Howard; engineer; ;
SP4 Hall, Bruce; engineer; ;
SP4 Sigley, Edward; engineer; ;
SP4 Ferguson, Franklin; engineer; ;
The source for this information was 6801pss.avn & paper source documents supplied by Les Hines
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023