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Korean War Educator
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Korean War Firsts for Helicopters

The information for this section came from the USAF Rotorheads website:

  • July 25, 1950 - H-5H #49-2006 was the first helicopter lost in Korea. 1st Lt.'s Kenneth G. Blurton and John R. Halpin flew an H-5 to pick up a Navy pilot in Penseng area, which, unknown to them, was enemy occupied. Pilots landed with insufficient fuel to return. All 3 pilots escaped and evaded and were rescued on 29 July 1950, leaving the H-5 behind, which was later destroyed by Navy fighters.
  • August 05, 1950 - An H-5 from Det. F, 3rd ARS operating from Pusan, Korea, made the first recorded use of an H-5 for medical evacuation transported U. S. Army soldier Pfc. Claude C. Crest, Jr., from the Sendang-ni area to an Army hospital. "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion
  • September 04, 1950 - In the first H-5 helicopter rescue of a downed US pilot from behind enemy lines in Korea, at Hanggan-dong, Lt. Paul W. Van Boven (P) and Cpl. John Fuentes (M) saved F-51D pilot Capt. Robert E. Wayne. Air Force Magazine & "That Others May Live" by Forrest L. Marion
  • October 10, 1950 - An H-5 from the 3rd ARS crewed by 1st Lt. David C. McDanial (P) and Capt. John C. Shumate (Para-Doctor) picked up a downed British pilot, Lt. Stan W. Leonard and administered blood plasma, for the first time while a helicopter was in flight. The crew members received Silver Stars for this action. Air Force Magazine & "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • October 21-22, 1950 - H-5's of the 3rd ARS and two L-5"s, evacuated some 35 wounded paratroopers of the 187th Regimental Combat Team from a drop zone near Sukchon North Korea in the first use of a helicopter in support of an airborne operation. H-5's also evacuated seven American POW's from the area. Air Force Magazine & "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • November 05, 1950 - An H-5 of the 3rd ARS, piloted by Lt. Edward J. Kelly (TDY from the 2nd ARS), was attacked by two MiG-15's, but was not hit. This is the first air to air attack on a helicopter under combat conditions.
  • November 28, 1950 - H-5H #49-2009 crashed into a mountain about 25 miles north west of Pyongyang, Korea, in low visibility, darkness and low on fuel, returning to base after rescuing a F4U pilot from North Korea. Killed in the crash were 1st Lt. Robert B. Parker (P), Pfc. William G. Wilkerson (M) and Ens. William G. Wagner USN F4U-5P pilot. This was the first loss of USAF helicopter crew members in the Korean War. "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • March 24, 1951 - For the first time, Far East AF used a YH-19, a experimental service test under combat conditions helicopter, in Korea for the air evacuation of wounded troops. The H-19 was considerably larger and more powerful, with greater range, than the H-5's. The initial YH-19 personnel consisted of pilots Maj. Samuel B. Brown and Capt. Joseph D. Cooper and Crew Chief TSgt. Earl J. Paulsen and several mechanics. Air Force Magazine & "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • March 24-28, 1951 - For the first time, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) used an YH-19, a service test helicopter, in Korea for the air evacuation of wounded troops. Following Operation Tomahawk, the second airborne assult of the war, 3rd ARS Detachment YH-19 and H-5 helicopters evacuated 270 injured and wounded paratroopers of the 187th RCT from the Munsan-ni area twenty miles north of Seoul. Pilots and medics flew constantly during daylight, and maintenance crews worked around the clock in support of evacuations that often were conducted under heavy mortar artillery and small arms fire. "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • March 30-31, 1951 - A YH-19 was used on a "classified' mission to bring some 18 UN personnel, most likely involved the recovery of Korean guerrillas, from North Korea. This was the first use of this type helicopter in a special operations mission. "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion & "The USAF in Korea A Chronology 1950-1953" by A. Timothy Warnock.
  • September 13, 1951 - H-5G #48-555 crewed by 1st Lt. Eugene C. Kohfield (P) and Pfc. Lawrence A. Reid (M) was hit by enemy ground fire while attempting a rescue of a AT-6D Mosquito crew and crashed from about 200 feet as it was attempting to land back at its base, instantly killing Kohfield and Reid. This was the first loss of USAF helicopter crew members as a direct result of enemy fire. "That Others May Live, USAF Air Rescue in Korea" by Forrest L. Marion.
  • October 26, 1951 - Two H-5's of the 3rd ARS, one piloted by Col. John Dean, (Call sign "Pedro 02), who rescued Lt. Charles DuPont ("Pedro 09") by hoist and the other piloted by Capt. Bob Barnhill, (Call sign "Pedro 01"), who rescued 1st Lt. Vernon Wright ("Hammer") and Cpl. Gerald Fryer ("Pedro 09") by hoist, safety from the mountainside where they had hidden from Communist troops during the night. This was the first successful rescue of a downed rescue chopper crew in the Korean War. After the successful rescue the downed H-5 #48-556 was destroyed by the flight of South African Air Force F-51 fighters, call sign "Grenadier Love 01, 02, 03 & 04", that had been providing close air support coverage during this mission. Air Force Magazine & "Tails of a Helicopter Pilot" by Richard Kirkland.
  • December 27-31, 1952 - In its first recorded operations the 581st Air Resupply and Communication Wing (ARCW) flew off Cho-do and put these folks in well above Chinnampo on the mud flats. The flight of four H-19A helicopters, at Seoul, flew several experimental agent-insertion sorties into enemy territory for covert and clandestine intelligence activities including the insertion of South Korean agents behind enemy lines. Air Force Magazine & "The U.S. Air Force's First War: Korea 1950-1953 Significant Events" by A. Timothy Warnock