meritorious unit citation information
for 271 ASHC
307 CAB
361 TC DET

For date 681119


271 ASHC was a US Army unit
307 CAB was a US Army unit
361 TC DET was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Phong Binh Province, IV Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Can Tho
Description: In Jan 1969 the 307th CAB recommended the INNKEEPERS for a Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC) for the period 1 Mar to 19 Nov. The supporting documentation provides a good summary of their activities. The INNKEEPERS taught IV Corps ARVN artillery units the techniques for artillery assaults which were conducted simultaneously with the Huey infantry assaults. During the MUC period, they conducted 191 successful artillery assaults. Two CH-47s can place as many troops in an LZ as twelve UH-1Hs. The principal advantages are that the CH-47s can deposit the troop in a smaller area resulting in better unit integrity with reduced refueling time compared to a flight of Hueys. Initially the Vietnamese Air Mission Commander only used the CH-47s for extractions but then began to use them after the second Huey lift was on the ground. Their first recorded initial CA was on Nui Co To. Resuppling the numerous ARVN outposts was always a logistics challenge. The CH-47 could carry double the payload of a Caribou with about the same flying speed. Prior to the arrival of the INNKEEPERS, airdrops were used when Hueys, boats, or trucks were not available or could not be used. Their monthly average was 6,411,600 lbs. The Navy radar site on Con Son Island was built with over 800,000 lbs. of materials moved by the 271st in a four day operation. The SF camps at Thanh Tri and My Dien II were also built from large volumes of materials transported by the CH-47s. During the MUC period, the 271st recovered 276 aircraft, giving them a monthly rate of over 31. The 271st designated one aircraft daily as the IV Corps recovery ship. This also reduced the number and time the ground troops had to provide security. The 271st helped introduce CS and Napalm drop techniques in IV Corps which was used to force enemy units from their fortifications and hiding places into the open areas where they can be engaged with supporting arms. They maintained a CS standby aircraft which, after initial notification, was loaded with heavy duty rollers and about 20 barrels of CS. They were usually off the ground within 20 minutes after receiving the alert. Normal tactics were to drop a smoke pot to aid in determining wind effect, fly the CH-47 at 50 knots at 2,500 AGL, use a 30 second time fuse to insure a ground burst with only two or three seconds delay after impact. This puts a barrel about every 100 meters as one exits the aircraft every four seconds. The CS standby aircraft can also drop Napalm. The 50 foot flare lanyard is used to extract the safety pin from the fuse after the drum exits the aircraft. Average monthly statistics during the MUC period: Availability and utilization: 78.2 % OR, 8.0% NORS, 13.8% NORM, and 70.7 HR/AC/NO. Operations: 2,464 sorties, 3,205 cargo tons, 13,120 troops or passengers, 1,125 hours, and 32 aircraft recoveries. The recommended was signed by LTC Billy E. Rutherford, the CO of the 307th. Material supplied by VHPA member Greg Roche in May, 1997.
Comments: LTC Rutherford, Billy E.; 307th CAB CO; ; MAJ Roche, Gregory F. Jr.; 271st ASHC CO; ;

The source for this information was 307th CAB recommendation dated 20 Jan 69


Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023