King & Country
Captain
- Joined
- May 23, 2005
- Messages
- 5,009
Hi Guys,
During the midmorning of 14 November, 1965 an aerial armada of Bell UH-1B helicopters began landing advance units of the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Battalion, 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Cavalry Regt., of the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Cavalry Division (Airmobile) at Landing Zone X-Ray in South Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley.
Waiting to attack them were soldiers from the 33[SUP]rd[/SUP] Infantry Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army. This was the beginning of the first major battle between U.S. and NVA regular forces since America had introduced large ground force units into the conflict earlier that same year.
Several books and one important Hollywood movie have featured this battle and two of the iconic American weapons that played a vital part in that story… the M16 rifle and the UH-1 “Huey” helicopter commonly called a “slick” because no guns were mounted on its sides, giving the chopper a smooth, slick surface. During this battle and the many others that followed it the ‘Huey’ became the aerial image that best captured the reality of the war and the men who fought it.
Originally the U.S. military intended to utilize the ‘Huey’ for ‘Medevac’ purposes flying out wounded soldiers to the nearest First Aid Post or Hospital. However the machine’s adaptability and the emerging air mobility doctrine gave it an expanded mission, moving troops swiftly and relatively safely into active combat zones.
The success of many early operations saw the rapid expansion of ‘Huey’ production back in the States and a wide dispersal of UH-1s to Army, Air Force, Navy and U.S. Marine units as well as ARVN (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam).
By the war’s end in 1975 more that 8,000 ‘Hueys’ had been built with over 7,000 serving in Vietnam alone where almost 3,000 were lost in action.
Earlier this week K&C received our latest batch of superb, hand-carved, hand-painted 1:30 scale “Hueys” in Marine Corps markings.
Both types of UH-1D models have had the passenger seats removed from the cabin interior to provide more ample space to place any suitable ‘Vietnam’ figures from our wide range.
We’ve also made a little video that gives you a closer, in depth look at these great-looking models that you can see here!
Most of the batch we rec’d have already been sold however we have a very small number left. So, if you might be interested please contact us directly at K&C.
See More 'Warbirds': HERE
In the meantime, all the best and… Happy Flying!
Andy
During the midmorning of 14 November, 1965 an aerial armada of Bell UH-1B helicopters began landing advance units of the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Battalion, 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Cavalry Regt., of the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Cavalry Division (Airmobile) at Landing Zone X-Ray in South Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley.
Waiting to attack them were soldiers from the 33[SUP]rd[/SUP] Infantry Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army. This was the beginning of the first major battle between U.S. and NVA regular forces since America had introduced large ground force units into the conflict earlier that same year.
Several books and one important Hollywood movie have featured this battle and two of the iconic American weapons that played a vital part in that story… the M16 rifle and the UH-1 “Huey” helicopter commonly called a “slick” because no guns were mounted on its sides, giving the chopper a smooth, slick surface. During this battle and the many others that followed it the ‘Huey’ became the aerial image that best captured the reality of the war and the men who fought it.
Originally the U.S. military intended to utilize the ‘Huey’ for ‘Medevac’ purposes flying out wounded soldiers to the nearest First Aid Post or Hospital. However the machine’s adaptability and the emerging air mobility doctrine gave it an expanded mission, moving troops swiftly and relatively safely into active combat zones.
The success of many early operations saw the rapid expansion of ‘Huey’ production back in the States and a wide dispersal of UH-1s to Army, Air Force, Navy and U.S. Marine units as well as ARVN (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam).
By the war’s end in 1975 more that 8,000 ‘Hueys’ had been built with over 7,000 serving in Vietnam alone where almost 3,000 were lost in action.
Earlier this week K&C received our latest batch of superb, hand-carved, hand-painted 1:30 scale “Hueys” in Marine Corps markings.
Both types of UH-1D models have had the passenger seats removed from the cabin interior to provide more ample space to place any suitable ‘Vietnam’ figures from our wide range.
We’ve also made a little video that gives you a closer, in depth look at these great-looking models that you can see here!
Most of the batch we rec’d have already been sold however we have a very small number left. So, if you might be interested please contact us directly at K&C.
See More 'Warbirds': HERE
In the meantime, all the best and… Happy Flying!
Andy
