CHOPPER FOUR

I'm captain Brunell Douglas my friends call me brownie what those Fells down below were calling me I could only guess but they made it pretty plain they weren't my friends my survival chances were about 100 to one against and even at those tempting odds you'd have had to look far and wide to find any takers [Music] an instrument of flight the R4 sakori helicopter today the many uses of this bursal aircraft are familiar to to us all but there was a time not so very long ago when the chopper was regarded as an amusing freak whose value as a piece of military equipment only slightly exceeded that of the pingpong paddle This is the story of one of the first practical wartime uses of the helicopter February 1945 officially the Philippines campaign had been declared closed but in a valley 50 Mi north of Manila there were 6,000 Japanese troops who apparently hadn't bothered to read ghq's director everyone it seemed had some part to play in this action everyone that is with the notable exception of Captain Brown El Douglas with the accouterments of War All About Him brownie was assigned the uninspiring task of piloting an R4 helicopter between the mainland and a liberty ship which was anchored in Manila Bay for brownie it was bad enough that he was stuck with a spectator's seat but that his Chopper should be the constant Target of jokes and jbes was downright humiliating uh don't get too close to it Captain I think it's getting ready to lay an egg no kidding could have sworn it was a Mario oh it's very funny you Comics ought to sign up for a US o tour do you have any idea how much these Contraptions cost I'd uh I'd like to get my kid one for his birthday oh why buy one Captain build it yourself all you need is an egg beater couple of rubber bands an erector set and they right brownie now for your information this aircraft is probably the biggest step forward aviation's taken since the invention of the bucket seat now if this machine is all you claim it is how come no one's been able to dream up a practical use for it well I don't know where you got that idea there plenty of uses for the R4 important uses yeah name one well yes Sergeant we just received a radio message from Colonel Town sir he wants you to deliver a package to him when you return to the ship you see just one of the many important functions of the R4 probably some critical supplies that are urgently needed at the front uh did the colonel say where I was to call for this package yes sir at the laundry sir I believe it's the Colonel's underclothes chalk up another distinguished feet for the Valiant little [Music] R4 every man has his own built-in pressure gauge I suppose certainly no one could accuse me of having a low boiling point but a person can simmer for just so long then he has to either release the accumulated steam or blow his top by the time I sat down on the Liberty ship I had my whole speech rehearsed I knew exactly what I was going to say to my co Colonel towns of course there was no way of telling what he was going to say to me brownie just because of a little razing you can do a little colonel you could comb the Islands you you couldn't find one enlisted man that can salute me with a straight face well if it's respect you want Lieutenant no sir it's not respect it's a it's a feeling that I'm doing something I'm making a contribution that's what I want that's why I'm asking you to Grant my request for transfer now I joined up to fight not to be an Airborne Taxi Driver now suppose I let you go who'd take your place I don't know maybe you could uh maybe maybe you could rotate the job I could be like k a form of disciplinary punishment you know better than that the R4 needs a trained man to the stick you and Captain Bano are the only qualified Chopper Pilots I have sir I'm not denying that the R4 may be a great Boon to post-war Aviation but out here it's about as practical as a mink coat that's where you're wrong Lieutenant I happen to be of the minority opinion that the R4 has a definite military potential it's up to us to discover it I know sir but I I want that ship kept in the air running errands transporting laundry chauffeuring VIPs any excuse to get it up there every moment that ship's in Flight we're learning something new about it one of these times you or Captain Pagano are going to return from a trip with the answer have I made myself clear oh very clear all right you uh you have your ship gassed up and ready to take off in 15 minutes I promise Colonel stemman You' give him a demonstration flight quite an interesting little Gadget you've got here Lieutenant however there's uh one thing that's puzzling me what's answer what on Earth do you use it for [Music] [Music] who's your cargo one GI just brought him in from behind our lines up north [Music] a no hurry not sir this man's dead he can't be internal bleeding must it died during the flight if you'd only gotten here a few minutes sooner [Music] well I I tried Ronnie sure you did Wes you heard what the man said I just got him here a few minutes sooner well you can't blame yourself you did what you could if there was any way I could get two of them I would but everything's jungle gullies and Ravines up there as far as the eye can see not one lousy patch of ground they have to bring their wounded to you forced to cart him five sometimes 10 miles the roads are no better than goat pad no wonder half of them are dead before we can even evacuate them let me get this straight you mean to say if we could only get a plane into where they are additional lives may be saved oh forget it brownie I've taken my L5 in as close as any plane can get ship hasn't been built that can land in those gullies aren't you forgetting my Tinker [Music] toy you said we'd eventually bring you the answer Colonel all right here it is am I don't understand browny that you propose using the R4 to evacuate wounded from behind the lines I propose using the R4 to do the kind of work it was cut out for sir a situation like this was tailor made for your chopper you're bound to determine to get close to some action aren't you tell is truth C I I hadn't even looked at it from that angle H I have no objections of course Captain B was your section chief under the circumstances I think the final decision ought to be up to him you'll be flying directly over that nest of Japanese that Chapa cam make anywhere near the speed of an L5 the enemy can knock you down with a well Dame Rock not if I fly low enough by skimming the Treetops I figured to be past the Japanese before they have a chance to draw a bead brownie fight I thought you even had a chance of succeeding you know I helped unload a body today I was only a kid couldn't have been more than 19 now he didn't have to die Angie he was dead because you can't land an L5 in a gully when he want to start at 0730 hours June 12th 1945 the R4 was gassed up and stood ready to take off on history's first helicopter Mercy flight good luck Compadre [Music] Vos I still say that thing will never replace the egg beer [Music] the plan was simple enough carrying a minimum fuel load it would be possible to evacuate the wounded by tubes Captain Pagano and I would alternate runs all this was predicated of course on my ability to safely slip past 6,000 Japanese I thought by hugging the Treetops I could outrun the [ __ ] guns before they had a chance to fix me in their sights that was my big mistake the enemy had apparently heard me coming and sent word ahead head they were waiting for me without an ounce of retaliatory Armament I was a sitting [Music] du Pano had been right I hadn't a chance of getting through not a chance maybe it was true the R4 was just a useless freak had to turn out this way brownie to tell the truth I had hopes for your idea you don't think this is going to stop me do you you intend to try again uh about 10 minutes and you must be crazy I never denied it since when is sanity a prerequisite for this job w't you get it Lieutenant you look like an intelligent officer tell him tell him that it's plain suicide to go up there again it'll work if I can stay on course both ways I can just make it what'll work would somebody mind telling me what's going on oh look here aie now you can see for yourself now here are the Jabs all through this area here now up here that's where our boys are beted down now as a crow flies in order to reach them I'm forced to pass over the enemy position so suppose instead of driving up the main street I circle around through the suburbs that's just dandy except for one thing uh fuel uhhuh without extra Mage you can't possibly make a two-way stretch you'll be dry by the time you get there I thought of that too I'm I'm having the men install an auxiliary tank oh that'll be just well finished I plan to Jet Us in the extra tank when I get there but uh still cramp my style a little of course uh I'd figured on carting the wounded out two at a time of the excess fuel load I can only handle one all set stop worrying Pano something's going to happen to me see St Christopher metal well why didn't you say so [Music] [Music] [Music] as I neared my destination I made radio contact with the ground units I could hear them but I couldn't see them come along just fine Lieutenant matter of fact if you was a chicken hawk I could pick you off without roughing your feathers I give up where are you jock to the left just a wh good easy easy all right now now haul back on the Range how's this get ahead there's a highrise naked set for some scrub grass oh yeah yeah I see it soon as you clear the hump you can EAS her down only careful where you park that Gadget huh I don't mind being shot at but I sure would hate to be decapitated [Music] where's everybody else ain't nobody else here me partner the wounded they're up the lineway I were sent to fet you in [Music] rers the name Lieutenant Texas Volunteer Douglas Lieutenant Massachusetts IR regulars Northwest you said yeah you can't miss it help where all the shooting's going on shooting we've been past the name calling stage for some time now lieutenant you mean that Creek bed I know it a much but we call it home think you can squeeze in with a shoehorn maybe we know he's going to have company we' straightened up the paa [Music] [Music] your arrival couldn't have been better time Lieutenant they're all ready for you I'll have the Corman load them on the plane well they're in critical shape both of them it's imperative they have immediate surgery I can't carry two in but I was told that was before the plans had to be changed taking the route I'd intended I was a clay pigeon for the Japanese Sharpshooters I was forced to Circle up I I don't understand what does that got to do with the number of wounded you can evacuate I'm carrying an extra fuel load enough to take us back the same way I came but the added weight that the ship's too heavy to accommodate the three of us I can take one now and then come back later for the other how long will that be shaving close 3 hours without surgery both these men will be dead in 3 hours could you uh look around you lieutenant I can't perform any complex surgery it's impossible I wish I could take them both doc but that Chopper's stripped to the Bare Bones now I I'm sorry you'll just have to decide side which one I'm to take uh-uh no you don't you're not going to do that to me you're the pilot you decide you want me to decide which man lives and which one dies that's about the size of I can't do that somebody has to it's okay I'll deide I didn't know you were conscious Cheney I thought the drug I gave you would put you under it's all right doc I didn't hear nothing I should know [Music] listen you take the C before you see I can wait Cheney now listen to oh foing dark I'm feeling fine I'm coasting now honest you take the corpal [Music] first come back and pick me up don't worry I'll be at the same [Music] address sure you will Soldier [Music] what he said was talk that's all his pain is kneeing up anything it's growing worse yeah that's what I figured well have you decided have them both ready to take off in 15 minutes both but how what about the weight of the ship sergeant I understood you to say you needed all your fuel only if I Circle a Japanese going back if surely you're not going to fly over them it's the straightest route back isn't it but you may be shot down that thought has also occurred to me you better take another squint at your gas gauge partner we must have dumped half the tank already all right cut it off okay captain we're ready to load the wounded you just had some artillery artillery is heavy and also takes up space just the same you ought to have some protection maybe I can Bluff him now how you going to Bluff a man with a gun in his hand by making him think I've got a bigger one in mine Soldier hold up a minute reckon you could spare me a few of these uh these motor shell tchs sure thing partner be my guest hate come up lemons on you lieutenant but ain't there just one little thing you're overlooking what's that these ain't Texas cotton balls you know what about the extra weight dump some more gas but Lieutenant we already dump more than you can spare I can't help that still have to lighten the load some more I'll just have have to keep the fuel mixture lean and pray for a strong Tailwind hurry back I'll have some more customers for you only one at a time huh doc you and me both doc you can hold off the [ __ ] on me with six water shells they don't know I've only got six you see earlier today when I tried to fly over their lines where did my coming spread so quickly I was forced to turn back now this time I'm going to make sure I get the right kind of advanced publicity [Music] [Music] not bad for a guy wouldn't know a bomb site from a cocktail shaker you hear that Soldier I don't hear nothing now sir real quiet that's what I mean [Music] [Music] that's not me that you have to make up to fellas here's a baby who uh you owe the apology to now henceforth in referring to my egg beater you will call it sir yes [Music] master I'll be back in a moment to tell you more about Captain Douglas and the helicopter enough the story you have just seen was based on the actual experience of Captain James H Brown who is now technical adviser on our flight television series as a matter of fact in 1945 I decorated him with the air metal for The Bravery displayed in the mission you just saw because of men like him the helicopter today is recognized as one of our most useful and versatile instruments of flight [Music] la [Music] now