VERTICAL ASSAULT

[Music] nuclear weapons have changed the ancient art of amphibious Warfare because a concentration of assault vessels would provide a lucrative Target for an atomic bomb forces must be dispersed to obtain this dispersal and a later massing of attacking troops the United States Marine Corps is employing the helicopter in a concept called vertical envelopment this film was taken during a vertical envelopment cleaning exercise here sakori HR 2s and hus helicopters blown by Marine aircraft group 26 leave the Marine Corps Air facility at New River North Carolina they will go aboard the USS buxer an aircraft carrier the helicopters will carry Marines and supplies from ship to shore bypassing areas that normally would be fortified and deploying well Inland the boxa Rendevous with its copters first to come aboard is the hus a light transport helicopter this versatile aircraft carries 12 troops or 8 lit on a normal Mission it also is flown by the Navy the Army the Coast Guard and Commercial [Music] operators the boxer is the flagship for the task group conducting the exercise participating are amphibious Squadron 10 the Navy's first fast amphibious Squadron and the eighth provisional Marine Brigade The group's destination the island of yase east of Puerto Rico next comes the Sikorski hr2 the free world's largest production helicopter powered by two reciprocating engines and can carry as many as 36 troops or a variety of vehicles in 1956 in HR 2s with Marine major Roy Anderson at the controls set a helicopter world speed record of 162 mph with the helicopters aboard a red signal light closes down flight operations for the day and the Marine pilots go below the deck Crews secure the aircraft for the night rotor blades and tail pylons are folded and tie down gear is pull [Music] [Applause] taught elevators rapidly lower helicopters to the hanger deck where they can be stowed and maintained the boxer was originally built to carry fixed Wing airplanes now it has been converted to an interim helicopter carrier another indication of the changing face of warfare the second day out is set aside for Carrier refresher Landings with the boxer steaming on its course the pilots shoot Landings to various sections of the flight deck 10 Landings and takeoffs are required every 6 months for a pilot to retain his carrier qualification setting down on a moving platform requires a different technique from that used ashore the pilot must take into account the wind and the relative motion of the carrier and the helicopter he also has to be alert to the heavy air traffic and and busy deck [Music] activity the bustling flat top has its traffic cups too they are the landing signal men wearing the bright yellow sweatshirts and helmets Pilots land and take off on their signals and the split-second timing of the flight deck operation hinges on the deaf motions of their hands and arms a total of 800 Landings are logged during the day as the pilots touch down and then climb back into pattern a milestone in the ship's history is recorded when major Joe Green comes in for the 11,000 helicopter landing on the boxer the major receives the congratulations of commodore Herman J cley task group commander and Captain EB Parker Jr captain of the boxer the helicopter performs another daily service for the speeding task group it provides a physical link between the ships of the group by delivering mail and official papers and transporting [Music] Personnel where Landings cannot be made the helicopter holds a position over the ship and the maale pouches are raised and lowered with pinpoint accuracy it's air mail all the way a morale booster for every Marine and sailor waiting for a letter from [Music] home back on the boxer leathernecks work on their gear in preparation for tomorrow's Landing all is in Readiness as the Setting Sun brings down the shade on a productive day eay the day the fast Landing force will go ashore dawn's early for the staff and the control center aboard the boxer long before the troops are awake there is a final Gathering and collating of information on the weather on the exercise and on the island of yakis in the ready room the pilots who will fly the mission get a last briefing major Frederick a Vernon executive officer of HMR 264 and and Colonel Edwin O Reed commanding officer outlin the lift questions are asked and answered as every man is prepared for his assignment over the island of Yas meanwhile Pathfinder troops Parachute from an HR 2s helicopter these are Marine reconnaissance Specialists trained to jump into enemy territory they Recon the area gather intelligence of the enemy's capability Mark The Landing zones and direct the helicopters into landing positions on the boxer the rising sun lights up a deck alive with men and machines deck handlers receive final instructions and the long hours of training begin to bear fruit every man each a vital Cog in the well- drilled team of the copter carrier moves about his assignment with confidence and dispatch similar preparations also are going forward aboard the task group carriers which have Navy and Marine fixed wi airplanes the airplanes will support the vertical assault attacking objectives and flying cover for the [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] helicopters a crew chief monitors the spreading of the huge HR 2s blades an operation which is entirely automatic holding of the blades enables the ctiv to be stored aboard ship or in hangers [Music] [Applause] [Music] ashore amphibious Landings have always been a specialty of the United States Marines from the American Revolution through Korea They carried out more than 280 such operations with the acquisition of helicopters their Landing forces have unprecedented speed and flexibility jeeps and pre-loaded trailers are brought up to the flight deck they are driven right into the cabin of the HR 2s to be airlifted ashore the HR 2s has officially lifted more than 13,000 lb to an altitude of 6,500 [Music] boarding time arrives for the assault troops up from below and on the double come the Marines the teams are paced by purple clad combat cargo leaders who run them across the busy deck to their designated helicopters [Applause] [Applause] [Music] the rotors are turned up the troops are buckled in their seats the duck hands pull out the tie downs the car area is headed into the wind and the green light flashes the lift is on the helicopter born troops are not subject to the vagaries of Beach conditions hydrography and Shore defenses instead of slugging their way across heavily fortified Beaches they bypass the enemy strong points and rely on speed and surprise to land in relatively undefended areas they can set down far inland getting well behind the enemy widely dispersed objectives as far as 100 m from the carrier can be seized for the Marine there is no climbing down Landing Nets no long hours of waiting in assault boats tossed about on Heavy Seas no worry about tide or shs or mines there is no beach holding the helicopter eye view of the countryside gives the troops a rare visual appreciation of the terrain they will be operating on the Marines disembark in good shape and are ready to go to work the units are organizationally intact and able to operate immediately as a team they have come ashore 10 times as fast as would have been possible by assault boat or amphibious vehicle a veteran Marine staff NCO summed up the general approval of the vertical assault concept by remarking I've made a lot of Landings but this is the first one I've made without getting my tail wet now come the hr2 s's with their jeeps and trailers the clamshell doors are opened and the Jeeps fueled and ready for service roll out to give the Marines both mobility and supplies all of the equipment used by the assault troops is helicopter transportable such things as fuel cells water purification units ammunition and rations are all packaged or containerized to be carried by helicopter [Music] round and round goes the unique Sky Train shuttling back and forth between the carrier and the landing site the buildup mushrooms with every turn of a rotor blade helicopters returning to the carrier do double duty by transporting the sick the wounded the injured and even prisoners of war the fast moving combat troops are dropped with only enough supplies to meet their immediate needs additional Provisions are delived delivered later while the Marine can never be divorced from his pack it has been lightened by the knowledge that he can be resupplied quickly from its earliest days the helicopter has been a natural Skyhook people with logistic problems have automatically hung cargo on copters in Korea Marines carried a wide variety of supplies on external slings in the years since the technique has been further perfected now bulky cargo which cannot be fitted into the cabin easily is moved fast and efficiently as an external load the landing exercise over the Workhorse Copus return to the boxer the vertical assault has been a success the Marines and navy teamed up to transfer troops and equipment with clocklike Precision compared with the beach assaults of World War II the vertical envelopment concept seems radical it represents no departure from sound military precepts however its fundamental feature is that of dispersal coupled with the ability to concentrate rapidly to fight it is evolutionary rather than revolutionary it meets the requirements of both nuclear and nonnuclear Warfare the development of the helicopter becomes as important in advanced to Tactical Mobility as the atomic nuclear discoveries were to Firepower the United States Marine Corps the nation's force in Readiness thus keeps Pace with The Changing Times by utilizing new tools new ideas and New Concepts the core will continue to meet its security responsibilities today tomorrow or any time a challenge is raised a [Applause]