Centaur Aircraft Tail Numbers - Researching
by Michael Peake
select aircraft....AH-1G.....OH-23.....OH-6A.....UH-1C.....UH-1D.....UH-1H
updated 1 September 2024
I have not kept track of how long it has been since becoming the Centaur historian, but very early on Bruce Powell sent me a package of related material that included a collection of several hundred images of Daily Staff Journal or Duty Officer's Log pages covering the period from April 1966 to May 1970. This Daily Journal history collection of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry was created on site at the National Archives and Records Administration in 2011, and begins April 25, 1966. Despite a few gaps, this was a massive undertaking by whoever it was that took on the mission of capturing the majority of the daily record history of the organization.
The existing collection is missing the first month beginning March 25, 1966, and all records from May 1, 1967 through October 31, 1967. Even though the 25th Infantry Division did not depart for CONUS until December 1970, with a rear detachment remaining until the following March, there is also a gap of records after May 1970. We have very little in the way of Daily Journal reports for the second Centaur unit, F Troop, 4th Cavalry, that served February 1971 to February 1973.
In working on the identification of aircraft this has been a valuable asset to me but it also generated a sidebar project that involved downloading each image in a file for the given year, performing minor editing such as cropping, etc., and re-identifying the image by date, for example 1JUNE-A as the first page for that month. Over the years I have re-created the collection, eliminated duplicates and can now access a given date in a matter of seconds.
Recognizing the value of this reference, I recently contacted the National Archives to learn more about the availability of copies and was directed to a massive Vietnam reference site the Archives has "under construction." Although these records are currently unavailable online, I was able to learn what is available to researchers. The following is what NARA has in its holdings for D Troop under Cavalry Unit Records, ca. 1965–ca. 1973 at:
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1254472
Box 112: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Organizational History: 1968 to 1968;
Box 113: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel (S1) General Orders: 01/16/1965 to 12/28/1965;
Box 114: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Adjutant Command Reports: 03/26/1966 to 12/30/1969;
Box 115: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence (S2) Intelligence Summaries: 12/1/1967 to 12/31/1968;
Box 116 through Box 127: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) Daily Journal: 03/25/1966 to 11/15/1970;
Box 128: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) Operational Reports-Lessons Learned: 01/2/1967 to 12/19/1968;
Box 129: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) After Action Reports: 10/5/1966 to 04/1970;
Box 130 and 131: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) Situation Reports: 05/1966 to 05/1/1970;
Box 132 through Box 134: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) Operations Planning Files: 03/1966 to 12/1967;
Box 135 through Box 137: 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (S3) Plans Summaries: 05/16/1967 to 11/16/1970.
Under a search for F Troop, 4th Cavalry I was surprised and disappointed to discover there were only 152 days of Daily Journal records out of the two years of combat operations. The following is what NARA has in its holdings for F Troop under Cavalry Unit Records, ca. 1965–ca. 1973 at:
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1254472
Box 90: Troop F, 4th Cavalry Organizational History: 1968 to 1972;
Box 91: Troop F, 4th Cavalry Daily Journal: 08/04/1971 to 01/02/1972;
Box 92: Troop F, 4th Cavalry Operations Planning Files: 1971 to 1972.
Given the limitations of the F Troop collection it occurred to me to look into the higher command and I discovered that there is a collection of Daily Staff Journal records for the 11th Aviation Group S3 (HQ DaNang) covering the period September 1971 to June 1972. I took a gamble that there will be record of the F Troop Centaurs losing three aircraft over four days beginning April 28, 1972 in that collection.
By mail NARA charges $.80 per copy to reproduce a record with the minimal requirement of $20 purchase, so I purchased a spread of records on F Troop covering December 12, 1971 when we lost an OH-6A in Cambodia and a spread of the 11th Aviation Group records to see if the aircraft losses are mentioned. I have been forewarned that this process will take 4 to 6 weeks, and it was stressed that it is far cheaper to be on site. I will update as further information becomes availabel - Mike
updated 18Apr2022
The Military Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present does not show UH-1H 67-17201 in the listing. That is not uncommon. As stated, we have more than a few aircraft that are verified by photographs and other listings, such as incident reports, that do not appear in this reference as well. I tried running it several ways without any results. I even checked earlier years thinking it was a D-Model converted to an H-Model, but the only year that begins with a 17 series is 1966, and UH-1Ds for that year numbered from 66-16000 to 17144. That was also the last years D-Models were manufactured.
The 25th Infantry Division site also has a listing of aircraft in the inventory that generated incident reports, but 67-17201 was not listed. Turns out that this site is not all inclusive because none of our aircraft we have identified crash sites for are among the listings that I saw in scrolling through. I did find one mention of D/3/4 where Gary A. Jones had witnessed a Cobra from B/25th Aviation in a mid-air crash with a Slick. At any rate, this particular aircraft was in the attached original listing I used for a baseline when I began my work on tail numbers. That is where the data I referenced earlier came from.
According to our history for the An Duc Extraction, the four aircraft destroyed or damaged were all D-Models:
UH-1D 64-13757 was a Loss to Inventory (Destroyed)
UH-1D 65-09659 was a Loss to Inventory (Destroyed)
UH-1D 65-09663 was a Loss to Theater (Sent to CONUS Depot)
UH-1D 66-01165 was Repaired in Country (20th Trans Co)
Given this occurred in November 1968, I have to assume the conversion from D-Models to H-Models didn't occur until the following year, if even then. On examining our data on the UH-1H aircraft, it doesn't look as though new production UH-1H models were received until November 1968 and after. All 1967 models were purchased by the Army in October 1968, if our data can be trusted.
Aircraft Names without Tail Numbers
These are aircraft I hope somebody can provide even the three-digit tail numbers for:
AH-1G Cobra "Flying Dutchman"
OH-6A LOH (Loach) "Love Generation " 68-17...
UH-1 Huey “Slick” "Creeping Jesus" 69-15108
Comments concerning VHPA list of Aircraft Tail Numbers:
Mike Vaughn: The dates these helicopters entered the unit is way off. They were in D Troop when I arrived in Nov 1966 and had been in service for some time. The "Finished in Unit" data is also off.
I’ve found the data on the VHPA CD concerning aircraft is not very accurate.
Pat Eastes: Mike is correct. I don't know where this data came from, but a lot of it is wrong, at least for the B and C models. At least, it did jog my brain as to some of the tail numbers, so it isn't a total bust.
Allen "KC" Allcock: These numbers with 65- were all deros by the time I got there in “69. The last Charlie model went out just before my time, and we had the Cobras, which tail numbers began with 67 or 68 if I recall correctly. As far as the slicks go, I am pretty sure our “D” and “H” models began with nothing earlier than 67, including Stable Boy I, which was about the oldest aircraft we had.
Bob Taylor: If my memory serves me well. 520 was the replacement ship for the one we lost in December ’67 with 4 KIA’s (65-09468). It’s nickname (520) was “The Beast”, painted in red on both Pilots doors. She was in the revetment right next to 444. I think she came into the Troop around January/February ’68. She got the nickname “The Beast” because she had the strongest engine of all the C models. Photo of the Beast is at slideshow "R1-1_085".
Brian Harrison: UH1-H 16286 was transferred to the 1st VNAF after F/4 stand-down (so left behind)
Tom Meeks: I took a look at the aircraft numbers list and 552 was not listed. 552 is the Cobra that moose and I wrecked. I confirmed that when you posted pictures from Mike Galloway/Jim Filiatreault slideshow. It is picture MG-28. Also see accident report below.
Dale Dow: AH-1G 67-15552 wasn’t in the list because the US Army Goldbook (master listing of all Army aircraft) doesn’t show 552 as being assigned to D-3/4. The VHPA data base has the following:
Helicopter AH-1G 67-15552
Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15552
The Army purchased this helicopter 0368
Total flight hours at this point: 00000130
Date: 08/18/1968
Accident case number: 680818051 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: D/3/4 CAV
This was an Operational Loss caused by an accident by Accident with the mission function of Armed Helicopter (having primary weapon subsystems installed and utilized to provide direct fire support)
The station for this helicopter was Cu Chi in
Casualties = YES . . Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 0
Search and rescue operations were Not Required
costing 318707
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.
Helicopter was recovered
Crew Members:
AC W2 MEEKS TV
P O3 MARCINKOWSKI GC