227th page

229th Aviation Battalion nose art. Some early 229th hueys had ship numbers painted in yellow on the nose rather than black.

B Troop door insignia of ship "Yellow 1", 1968-69

227th Aviation Battalion

The 1st Cavalry Division served in II Corps from September 1965 to January 1968, in I Corps from Jan 1968 to October 1968, in III Corps from October 1968 to April 1971 (with some elements operating with the US Navy in IV Corps). The 1st Cav also served in the invasion of Cambodia in 1970.

The 227th was part of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) in the early 1960's and helped test helicopter air mobility tactics. In 1965 they became part of the 1st Cavalry Division when the division was activated. The 227th landed in Vietnam at Quin Nhon in September 1965, and set up camp at An Khe in II Corps. Their camp at An Khe was called Camp Radcliff. By the end of September the 227th was flying missions in support of elements of the 101st Airborne Division. In October 1967 the battalion moved to Chu Lai in I Corps

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November 1965 - A Troop, 229th Av Bn Each lift troop of the 229th displayed a large geometric symbol on the pilots' doors. A Troop's symbol was a light blue triangle. The helicopters had "high visibility" markings - yellow and red vertical stripes on the fuselage. The 229th displayed a large unit crest on the upper nose of its ships. A small 1st Cav Div logo was placed on the rear of the tail boom. The tail numbers were painted in black. I'm not certain of the first two digits of early 229th tail numbers. Andy Spencer has researched tail numbers of 229th Hueys. In 1965 A Troop Hueys had a/c numbers in the 63-08xxx and 64-13xxx ranges. I've illustrated this A Troop Huey as a/c 64-13771.

1966 - C Troop, 229th Av Bn This is a C Troop ship in 1966. Most of the high visibility markings are gone except for the red vertical stripe on the engine cowling. The yellow vertical fuselage stripes have been replaced by black stripes. The C Troop symbol - a light blue circle - is prominently displayed on the pilots' doors.

1968 - B Troop, 229th Av Bn "Yellow 1", a B Troop UH-1H from 1968-69 period. Most vertical stripes have been removed from the ship except for a black stripe on the engine cowling. The 1st Cav Div emblem has moved from the tail boom to the tail. This B Troop ship has red skid tips, both on the front and back edges. This particular B Troop aircraft had a black spade inside the B Troop symbol on the doors. There is a small yellow sign with a black numeral "1" in the bottom edge of aircraft commander's window - hence the name "Yellow 1". This identified the lead aircraft in a combat assault.