Royal Australian Air Force helicopters · June 1966 – December 1971
No. 9 Squadron RAAF
- Helicopter missions
- 1919
- Contacts
- 7
- Operations
- 1
- Dead
- 1
- Australian wounded
- 0
- Enemy killed
- 0
View missions in Battle Map
Missions #
The Battle Map's records, taken from the squadron's unit history, hold 1919 of its missions, from 24 May 1966 to 11 August 1970: the tasks the history describes, not every flight (the Australian War Memorial counts 237,424 missions in all). They end in August 1970; the squadron served until December 1971. 725 casualties were evacuated, as the reports count them; helicopters were fired on from the ground on 116 missions, and hit on 20.
By the kind of mission:
| Mission | Missions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol Extraction | 409 | 21% |
| Troop Lift | 395 | 21% |
| Medevac | 323 | 17% |
| Patrol Insertion | 253 | 13% |
| Gunship | 154 | 8% |
| Other | 90 | 5% |
| Sniffer | 87 | 5% |
| Psyops | 57 | 3% |
| Combat Assault | 33 | 2% |
| Resupply | 32 | 2% |
| Accident | 17 | 1% |
| Extraction | 10 | 1% |
| Ground Fire | 10 | 1% |
| Search and Rescue | 10 | 1% |
| VIP | 10 | 1% |
| Sighting | 9 | 0% |
| Reconnaissance | 7 | 0% |
| Spray | 6 | 0% |
| Summary | 4 | 0% |
| Insertion | 3 | 0% |
The units it flew for, as the reports name them (a mission may name more than one):
| Unit | Missions |
|---|---|
| SAS | 507 |
| 6RAR | 131 |
| 8RAR | 101 |
| 5RAR | 99 |
| ARVN | 93 |
| 2RAR | 62 |
| 9RAR | 42 |
| 7RAR | 38 |
| 3RAR | 37 |
| 1ATF | 32 |
| 4RAR | 31 |
| 1RAR | 25 |
| Regional Forces | 23 |
| Hawk Flight | 12 |
| 3 Cavalry Regiment | 8 |
| US Army | 8 |
| 161 Independent Reconnaissance Flight | 7 |
| Republic of Korea forces | 5 |
| 1 Armoured Regiment | 3 |
| 1 Field Regiment | 2 |
| 105 Field Battery | 2 |
| Australian Reinforcement Unit | 2 |
| Provincial Reconnaissance Unit | 2 |
| 1 Field Squadron | 1 |
| 102 Field Battery | 1 |
| 161 Field Battery | 1 |
The operations its missions were flown in, as the reports name them:
| Operation | Dates | Missions |
|---|---|---|
| Hobart | 25 July 1966 – 26 July 1966 | 2 |
| Canberra | 5 October 1966 | 1 |
| Hayman | 5 November 1966 | 1 |
| Ingham | 17 November 1966 | 1 |
| Leeton | 3 March 1967 | 1 |
| Portsea | 21 March 1967 | 1 |
| Kenmore | 30 September 1967 – 1 October 1967 | 2 |
| Santa Fe | 29 October 1967 – 18 November 1967 | 3 |
| Forrest | 1 December 1967 | 1 |
| Coburg | 24 January 1968 – 4 May 1968 | 2 |
| Pinnaroo | 31 March 1968 – 15 April 1968 | 3 |
| Rodeo | 1 April 1968 | 1 |
| Cooktown Orchid | 2 April 1968 | 1 |
| Toan Thang 1 | 16 April 1968 – 23 April 1968 | 2 |
| Platypus | 5 August 1968 | 1 |
| Hawkesbury | 12 September 1968 | 1 |
Notable missions #
24 May 1966: Other #
First
After flying from Fairbairn to Richmond, the squadron's helicopters landed one by one on the deck of the converted aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney. They were taken below, their rotor blades were removed, and they were serviced during the voyage to Vietnam.
6 August 1967: Medevac #
Significant · For 7RAR
17 casualties evacuated. Fired on from the ground, and hit. On the allied side: 17 wounded.
A 7 RAR contact that left four Australians killed and 17 wounded brought 9 Squadron in to evacuate the casualties. The first helicopter, flown by Squadron Leader Cox, came under heavy automatic fire as it came to the hover to winch out the wounded. One bullet almost tore Cox's right boot from his foot, causing a minor flesh wound, and another partly severed his intercom lead. The helicopter was badly damaged, including a smashed winch, but was flown back to Nui Dat. Helicopters captained by Flight Lieutenants Morris, Gill, Clough and Thomson and Pilot Officer Bridges then completed the winching out of the killed and wounded through dense jungle.
27 November 1967: Medevac #
Significant · For 7RAR
19 casualties evacuated. On the allied side: 2 killed, 17 wounded.
At 6 pm four Albatross helicopters evacuated two killed and 17 wounded from a position eight miles east of Nui Dat, where part of 7 RAR had met heavy resistance while attacking an enemy camp. Flying conditions were very poor, with fog and rain throughout. The helicopters were captained by Squadron Leader Reed, Flight Lieutenant Thompson, Pilot Officer Byrnes and Flying Officer Bowers.
4 June 1969: Medevac #
Significant · For ARVN
15 casualties evacuated. Fired on from the ground. On the allied side: 4 killed, 11 wounded. Enemy: 1 killed.
A South Vietnamese company of 2/48 Battalion, 18th Division, callsign Titan Noodle 10, contacted the Viet Cong and by 3 pm had four killed and 11 wounded. The US Army helicopter Dustoff 39 was hit by rifle grenade shrapnel during its evacuation mission. Bushrangers 71, 72 and 73 came to its help and were fired on during their first pass, but no ground fire was seen after that. Bushranger 72 was credited with one Viet Cong killed; no damage assessment was available from Titan Noodle 10.
4 July 1969: Medevac #
Significant · For 5RAR
28 casualties evacuated. On the allied side: 2 killed, 19 wounded.
At about 10 pm C Company, 5 RAR set off a mine while moving at night, killing one man and wounding several. While the rest of the company gave first aid, a second mine was detonated. Night Dustoffs 1, 2 and 3, flown by Pilot Officers Harvey, McFarlane and Tardent, responded; by the time they arrived only two members of the platoon were able to help the crews. Night Dustoff 1 carried four sitting and six lying casualties, Night Dustoff 2 three sitting, five lying and one dead, and Night Dustoff 3 one lying. In all, 19 were wounded and one killed.
21 August 1969: Combat Assault #
Significant · For 5RAR
36 casualties evacuated. Hit. On the allied side: 1 killed, 34 wounded.
A Company, 5 RAR assaulted a bunker complex of 3 Battalion, 274 Viet Cong Regiment and took casualties. Albatross 04, flown by Pilot Officer Treloar with co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Satrapa, gunner Leading Aircraftman Kerins and crewman Aircraftman Reynolds-Huntley, hovered for 15 to 20 minutes to winch up one lying and two sitting wounded under AK-47 and RPG fire. The aircraft took five hits, one round coming through the chin window and lodging in the instrument panel; the crew were unhurt, but the lying patient was wounded again in the thigh and throat. The helicopter was flown to Nui Dat and declared unserviceable, and the report called it a very fine performance by all concerned. Night Dustoff 1 (Flight Lieutenant Hazelwood) and Night Dustoff 2 (Squadron Leader Crimmins) evacuated four more casualties; Australian losses for the action were one killed and 31 wounded.
30 January 1970: Medevac #
Significant · For 8RAR
12 casualties evacuated. On the allied side: 4 killed, 8 wounded.
A mine incident left two Australians of A Company, 8 RAR killed and four wounded, all flown to Vampire. Albatross 02, flown by Pilot Officer Hobson, took the two dead and one wounded; Albatross 05, flown by Pilot Officer Leslie, took one wounded; and Albatross 01, flown by Flight Lieutenant Riley, took two wounded.
18 February 1970: Medevac #
Significant · For 8RAR
33 casualties evacuated. Fired on from the ground. On the allied side: 33 wounded.
Tanks working with 8 RAR were in a heavy contact with the enemy, and 33 wounded Australians were evacuated during the afternoon. The Bushrangers flew six hours supporting the tanks and the evacuation flights. Bushranger 72, flown by Pilot Officer Beatty, took an enemy round in the tail stinger fairing and suffered tail rotor damage, and Bushranger 73, flown by Pilot Officer Thompson, had shrapnel damage to its main rotor.
8 March 1970: Medevac #
Significant · For 6RAR
10 casualties evacuated. On the allied side: 6 killed, 4 wounded.
D Company, 6 RAR/NZ suffered several casualties, and three killed and two wounded were taken to Vampire. Albatross 01, flown by Pilot Officer Thompson, winched out two killed and two wounded, and Albatross 03, flown by Pilot Officer Main, winched out one killed. Bushrangers supported the evacuation.
11 August 1970: Gunship #
Last
Bushrangers sighted people outside the civilian access areas at the mouth of the Song Rai and south of the Long Hai hills, and informed Eagle Heights.
Year by year #
7 contacts are recorded for the unit and sub-units, from 2 December 1966 to 21 March 1971. It was the unit in contact in 4 of them, and took part in 3 led by other units.
Unit actions #
In the contacts it led, by the task the report records:
| Task | Contacts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 4 | 100% |
Helicopter support in 3 contacts led by other units: 1 ATF (1), 3 RAR (1), SASR (1).
Operations #
| Operation | Dates | Contacts | Australians killed | Enemy killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platypus | 2 August 1968 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Notable contacts #
2 December 1966: Contact #
First · Helicopter support for SASR
SAS troops were being lowered by helicopter winch, escorted by a light fire team of gunships, to check former enemy bunker systems that had been seeded with CS (tear gas) crystals. During the seventh of eight descents an enemy fired a single shot at them from 200 metres. No one was hurt.
21 March 1971: Contact #
Last · 9 Sqn RAAF in contact
A 9 Squadron RAAF helicopter resupplying 1/302 Regional Force Battalion was hit by AK-47 fire while five metres off the ground, from the south-south-west. Two Australians were wounded and the helicopter was forced to land, probably near Hoi My. An air strike afterwards killed four Viet Cong.
Roll of honour #
The squadron's dead that the records link to its missions or its contacts (1). The honour roll gives members of the Air Force no unit, so others of the squadron's dead may not be named here. Each opens their entry on the honour roll.
Duncan Glen Mcnair
Leading Aircraftman
20 July 1970
Sources #
- Tours and arm: the Australian War Memorial's record of the unit.
- Contacts: the Battle Map's records of 7 contacts, each report citing the archival source (most often the commanders' diaries, AWM95).
- The dead: the honour roll, with tours of duty from the nominal roll.
- Helicopter missions: No. 9 Squadron RAAF's unit history sheets (National Archives of Australia, A9186, 736), read into the Battle Map's records, with each report's summary written by an AI model (Claude).
- Summaries of the reports: written by an AI model (Claude) from the reports, and reviewed.