335th AHC home page

Unit logo and nose art of Co. A, 82nd Aviation Battalion (forerunners of the 335th AHC). This logo was seen on the upper nose of Co. A Hueys

335th "Cowboys" door logo

335th "Horsethief door logo

335th Assault Helicopter Company

"The Cowboys" 1966-1971

The 335th came into existence in September 1966 with the deactivation of Co. A 82nd Aviation Battalion. Co. A arrived in Vietnam in April 1965 to support the 173rd Airborne Brigade in III Corps. They continued the mission until the 335th Aviation Co. was formed at Bien Ho. In early 1967 the 335th was renamed the 335th Assault Helicopter Company.
In May 1967 the 335th moved to Pleiku in II Corps with the 173rd Airborne. In August 1967 they relocated to Phu Hiep (also in II Corps). From this base they supported the 173rd Airborne in its desperate fighting against the NVA and VC around Dak To that November. In December 1968 the 335th relocated to III Corps at Bear Cat. In August 1970 they moved to Dong Tam in IV Corps (the Delta). In November 1971 they stood down and returned to the US.

1st Flight Platoon "Ramrods"

2nd Flight Platoon "Mustangs"

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1965 - UH-1D "648" (Co. A 82nd Aviation Battalion) Co. A, 82nd Aviation Battalion 's Hueys were painted gloss black from mid to late 1965. They had high visibility stripes on the engine cowling and aircraft sides. The 5-digit tail number was painted in white. Co. A aircraft displayed a unit logo on the nose. They also had white-blue roof stripes. There was no other insignia on their Hueys (no "US ARMY" or danger arrows, etc.). Co. A aircraft had early style orange canvas seats.

1966 UH-1D "561" At the end of 1965, Co. A repainted their aircraft in a two-color camouflage pattern with flat black over OD. This paint scheme carried over when the 335th was activated in late 1966. The 335th added a "Cowboys" unit logo on the pilots' doors. The five-digit tail number was painted in black. The legend "US ARMY" did not appear on this camouflage scheme.

1966-67 UH-1B "Horse Thief" While not a lift platoon ship, a 335th B model Huey deserves mention. "Horse Thief" was a maintenance platoon ship. The 335th used it to recover downed aircraft, and it is considered to be the first dedicated Huey recovery aircraft in Vietnam. It was painted in a unique (for the 335th) four-color camouflage scheme with tan, black and light green over an OD base. A unique 335th logo adorned the pilots' doors with the legend "Cowboys" removed and the name "Horse Thief" added to the logo. A tail number does not appear on the photo I've seen of this aircraft.

1968-70 UH-1H "373" In 1968 the 335th moved to Bear Cat in III Corps. The 335th dropped the camouflage paint scheme after the fighting at Dak To in November 1967. According to veterans John Hoza and Doug Wilson, they had to replace so many aircraft after Dak To that they didn't have time to apply camouflage to the new replacement ships. As a result, the camouflage scheme was abandoned. This "Ramrod" platoon UH-1H appeared in OD overall color, with the usual black upper nose. The "US ARMY" legend now appears on the tail boom. The tactical insignia of the 214th Combat Aviation Battalion also appears on the tail boom. The leading edge of the tail is painted black. The rear end of the tail boom is painted yellow - yellow identified 1st platoon ships. The five-digit tail number ("16373") is painted in two colors. The first two digits are black, the last three digits are yellow. The cargo doors have been removed from this aircraft. The skid tips were also often painted yellow.

1968-70 UH-1H "572" Another "Ramrod" Huey H model like "373" pictured above from the same time period, showing a variation in markings. "572" lacks the black leading edge on the tail. It also shows only three digits on its tail number, all painted in yellow. In other respects the two aircraft markings and appearances are similar.

1969-70 UH-1H "252" A 2nd Platoon "Mustang" ship around 1969-70. 2nd platoon applied white to skid tips and tail boom rear ends to identify their ships. The aviation battalion insignia is missing from the tail boom of this aircraft. The upper tailplane surfaces on the tail boom are painted orange, but the outer tips are white. The three-digit tail number is painted in white on 2nd platoon aircraft.