Note: The following annual supplement was too poor in quality to scan and was retyped verbatim from the xeroxed copy obtained at the National Archives. The only thing missing here is the signature of Maj Kahalekulu, which is on the original, and two or three words (where I’ve inserted "unreadable" in their place). Some formatting is altered (such as spacing in lists) due to my lack of html editing knowledge, and I’ve also taken the liberty of inserting the words "((page begins))" or similar words to indicate the top of a new page in the document. -- Dave Chandler
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ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT
HISTORY OF THE
21ST RECONNAISSANCE AIRPLANE COMPANY
212TH COMBAT SUPPORT AVIATION BATTALION
1 January 1968 - 31 December 1968
Prepared by
1LT THEODORE D. SHEYDA
UNIT HISTORICAL OFFICER
APPROVED BY:
BENJAMIN I. KAHALEKULU
MAJ FA
Commanding
Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam APO 96374
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DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company
"Black Aces"
APO 96374
1 March 1969
CHAPTER I
HERALDRY
The 21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company has no predecessor units according to the words of the Adjutant Generals Office.1
The 21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company constituted as the 21st Aviation Company (Surveillance Airplane Light) on 27 February 1958 in the Regular Army, was activated on 24 March 1958 at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The 21st was attached to the 2nd Battalion Group, 31st Infantry and had the mission of providing support for the Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker. It was inactivated there on 25 September 1965. The company was activated again on 1 January 1967 at Fort Lewis, Washington.2
The 21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company does not fall under the category of units listed in PARA 14-18A, AR 670-5, dated 23 Sep 66, and is not authorized a distinctive unit crest.
CHAPTER II
UNIT BACKGROUND
The year began with the 21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company preparing to move from its base at Tay Ninh, in III Corps Tactical Zone in the Republic of Vietnam, where it had been located since its arrival in-country in mid-1967, to its new home in Chu Lai, in Southern I Corps.
On the morning of the 8th of January 1968, the company had its missions suspended in the III Corps area and was told to be fully packed and ready for loading aboard Air Force C-130 aircraft on the morning of the 9th. The three flight platoon leaders and the maintenance technicians were dispatched to Chu Lai that afternoon upon notification of the move, to coordinate mission assignments, maintenance support and training programs.
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1 Ltr, DA ADAH-A, dtd 30 Jan 69, Subj: Hist., Insignia, and Guidon for the 21st Aviation Company
2 Ltr, DA, OCMH, dtd 6 Feb 67, Subj: Unit History
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The planes of the first and third platoons were flown to I Corps by the pilots on the 9th of January. The first platoon under the command of Captain Kenneth Bardot was deployed to DaNang to work with the 1st Marine Division and the I Corps ARVN Forces, as well as the ROK Marines in that area. The third platoon was based in Quang Ngai City, about twenty-five miles southwest of Chu Lai.
The remainder of the company’s equipment was loaded in CONEX containers and shipped to Chu Lai, arriving on the evening of the 9th of January. Facilities had been provided to the company by the Americal Division and the 16th Combat Aviation Group along the beach of the south China Sea. Barracks for personnel and mess hall and orderly room were the only buildings in the area, but construction was started immediately on more billeting and working areas. Due to the loss of several CONEX containers during shipment the company was handicapped; however, support and equipment were provided by the 74th Seabees and the 335th Maintenance Battalion, and the company began to function normally.
Because of the hard work and dedication by both crew and pilots, as well as the rest of the members of the company, the first and third platoons were flying operational missions in the Da Nang and Quang Ngai areas respectively on the afternoon of 11 January 1968. With the arrival of the second platoon on 8 February, the move was complete and the "Black Aces" set out to repeat the fine performance they had rendered in III Corps.
CHAPTER III
UNIT COMBAT OPERATIONS
During the period 11 January 1968 through 18 May 1968, despite a lower mission commitment due to adverse weather conditions in I Corps, the company compiled an impressive combat record. This was in addition to learning new methods of flying and reconnaissance due to the terrain.
The Delta Region in III Corps was divided into two distinct areas, flat marshlands and wooded areas. The only high terrain of any significance was a few formations in the Tay Ninh area. Rice paddies and rubber plantations abounded everywhere.
Upon their arrival in I Corps, the "Black Ace" pilots saw an area with very little flat lands. Only a narrow coastal plain reminded them of the Delta. To the west, towering mountains with dense triple-canopy vegetation confronted them. New techniques of flying to cope with the terrain had to be learned and developed. Some help was provided by the pilots of the 219th, 184th, and 220th Reconnaissance Airplane Companies as well as the men of the 212th Combat Support
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Aviation Battalion, the parent unit of the 21st RAC. The pilots were eager to learn, and quickly adapted themselves to their new environment.
Visual combat surveillance and target acquisition to supported units through organic aircraft was the mission of the "Black Aces". Units supported included the Americal Division, the 11th Marine Regiment, and the 2nd ARVN Division. About 60% of all missions flown were artillery adjustment, forward air control, or combat observation, as opposed to visual reconnaissance which had been most common in III Corps. The increased productiveness of the company’s aircraft in terms of damage to the enemy during the first five months in I Corps is indicated below:
CONF
ENEMY KIA 142 437
STRUCTURES (DEST) 971 (DAM) 1533
(unreadable - SANPANS?) 96 121
POW’s DETAINED 6
The first platoon, with seven aircraft located at the Marble Mountain Air Facility near Da Nang, provided reconnaissance and close air support, in conjunction with Marine fighter aircraft, to the 1st Marine Division and the I Corps ARVN and ROK Marine forces. In support of the successful USMC Operations WORTH, JASPER SQUARE, ROCK, and BALLARD VALLEY, as well as the ARVN sweep of Go Noi Island, the first platoon completed 97 combat artillery missions and the 191 air strikes directed at enemy emplacements, personnel, and storage areas. Bomb damage assessment of these missions and the four ARVN and ROK Marine operations in the vicinity of Hoi An showed the following accomplishments:
117 Bunkers Damaged or Destroyed
1145 Structures Damaged or Destroyed
4 Bridges Destroyed
68 Enemy Killed by Air
112 Probable KIA
As a result of the 21st heroic actions during this period 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 1 Purple Heart were awarded to members of the platoon.
The second platoon was the last to leave III Corps, having remained in Tay Ninh until 6 February 1968 in support of OPERATION YELLOWSTONE in the Delta region.
Upon their arrival in Chu Lai, the second platoon was given the mission of providing direct support to the Americal Division, working very closely with Division Artillery. The daily reconnaissance missions were instrumental in the success of the counter-mortar and counter-rocket programs. The high percentage of observed artillery fire successfully completed was largely due to the support provided
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by the 0-1 aircraft.
Almost immediately upon their arrival the second platoon was put to work with the 11th and 198th, Infantry Brigades of the Americal Division providing visual reconnaissance during the Duc Pho and the Chu Lai TAOR clearing operations. Pilots and observers worked together as a team, the missions having been planned in advance and crew members briefed beforehand. However, the bility of the platoon to respond to a contingency was proven in April when the Special Forces Camp at Kham Duc, near the Laotian border, was over-run and all personnel had to be evacuated. During the three-day operation the aircraft and pilots provided the primary means of communication between the beleaguered camp and Americal Division Headquarters. Much of this radio-relay was flown at night under minimum weather conditions. For their actions, the members of the platoon received several letters of commendation and appreciation.
The third platoon spent the first half of the hear in Quang Ngai City under the operational control of Advisory Team 2 and in support of the 2nd ARVN Division. As a result of the extensive visual reconnaissance program conducted by the third platoon frequently aided ground troop advisors in locating hostile forces and advising them on the most advantageous routes of advance. As a direct result of the high degree of proficiency attained in the employment or artillery and armed helicopter teams, numerous enemy troops, structures, and sampans were destroyed and hostile lines of communications and supply were interdicted. The employment of artillery and helicopter gun teams in support of friendly units in contact was frequently the determining factor in turning the tide of battle.
During the Tet Offensive in the month of February, the third platoon, although newly arrived in the I Corps area, played a major role in thwarting a determined Viet Cong attack on the cities of Quang Ngai and Tam Ky. Through their efforts, the 2nd ARVN Division was kept informed of enemy troop dispositions. This vital knowledge made possible the elimination of over 1200 Viet Cong and NVA troops in that area during this period.
The third platoon also worked successfully with the Air Force, assembling intelligence pertinent to air strikes, operational coverage and night missions in the Quang Ngai area.
Many of the missions flown by the Third Platoon, were two ship missions deep into the mountainous country to the west of Chu Lai. They continued to operate out of Quang Ngai until the end of September, when enemy activity in the surrounding areas deemed it unsafe. On the 3rd of October, the third platoon moved to Chu Lai and joined
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the second platoon on the (unreadable) the South China Sea.
The 21st RAC lost two aircraft during 1968, but suffered no pilots killed and only 1 injured. On 27 September 1968, 1LT Urban Reinhart was injured when his aircraft crashed in a rice paddy south west of An Hoa after being hit by enemy automatic weapons fire. He was evacuated back to the United States with multiple lacerations.
Although the planes and men of the 21st RAC were subject to hostile fire almost daily and received hits on several occasions, they were not hampered in completing their mission, a feat that can be looked upon with great pride and sense of accomplishment.
CHAPTER IV
COMMAND AND CONTROL
The unit commanders and their periods of assignment are as follows:
Major George W. Moses 073 576 1 Jan 68 - 15 Jun 68
Major George F. Prater OF 117 427 17 Jun 68 - 31 Dec 68
Executive Officers for this same period were:
Major Charles H. Jacobsen 05 502 690 4 Jan 68 - 18 Mar 68
Major George F. Prater OF 117 427 19 Mar 68 - 16 Jun 68
Major Charles H. Jacobsen 05 502 690 17 Jun 68 - 31 Dec 68
CHAPTER X
EQUIPMENT AND INSTALLATIONS
a) Airplane Observation Light 0-1G 24 each
b) Truck 1/4 ton 7 each
c) Truck 3/4 ton 9 each
d) Truck 2 1/2 ton 5 each
e) Truck 2 1/2 ton tanker 3 each
f) Truck Tractor Trailer 5 ton 2 each
g) Shop Set A/C Maintenance A-1 & A-2 1 each
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h) Radio Set AN/VRC-46 3 each
i) Radio Set AN/VRC-47 5 each
j) Radio Set AN/RVC-49 1 each
When the 21st Reconnaissance Airplane Company arrived in Chu Lai in late January, only a minimum number of billets and working facilities were available. With the help of the 74th Seabees located at Chu Lai, the officers and men of the unit constructed additional barracks, a day room for the enlisted personnel, and officers lounge, an operations office and other facilities. Many individuals worked long hours on special projects such as the revetments for the aircraft on the flight line, bunkers for company defense and storage areas. The crew chiefs for the second and third platoons constructed their own billets near the flight line, and as a matter of convenience and ease of access to the airplanes.
Much of the work done in the company area was on a self-help basis with materials obtained whenever and wherever possible
CHAPTER VI
REFLECTIONS
The following number of awards have been presented to members of the 21st RAC for Service, Achievement, Valor and Heroism during 1968:
Dinstinguished Flying Cross ......................11
Bronze Star..................................................9
Army Commendation Medal with V............7
Army Commendation Medal.......................39
Air Medal with V.........................................5
Oak Leaf Clusters to Air Medal..................386
Air Medal...................................................58
Purple Heart................................................4
In accordance with the present USARV awards policy, recommendations for Oak Leaf Clusters for Air Medals are consolidated and submitted at the end of the aviator’s or crew-members tour.
The 21st RAC suffered only one member killed during 1968. On the morning of 29 September, SFC Alejandro Bagosol, Platoon Sergeant of the third platoon, RA 29 040 803, was killed by hostile fire while driving from the military compound in Quang Ngai City to the airfield where the platoon headquarters was located. It was this incident that caused the third platoon to leave its base in Quang Ngai and operate out of the company’s headquarters at Chu Lai.
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