VNAF UH-34 Kingbee

https://sogsite.com/219thkingbee/

I would love to see a 1/35th H34 or Kingbee
gary

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yeah I’d love to see those as well especially a UH-34 KingBee as i have been reading about those guys in the MACV-SOG Books

have you read John Plaster’s book titled SOG? I’ve met several of the guys in that book and know one of them very well. SOG guys flew thru our base camp once or twice a week headed west over the fence. My base camp was kind of a lay over point till a freshly refueled slick showed up.
gary

yep finished that one about a month ago, very interesting read.

he did interviews with Steve Keever all thru the book, and he’s the guy I know. I got the invite to a SOG reunion once, and that was interesting.
gary

there is a similar book to john plasters book but it deals with CCS more than CCN i can’t remember it’s name or author but I can look it up for you Garu if you are interested.

when you get the time please do that
gary

@Gary_Totty here you go mate, it’s a bit expensive but it’s on my hit list.

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You can always build your own. All the conversion parts and kit are available.

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you know you don’t really hear a lot about SOG teams in Cambodia, but they were there. I once asked Keever about Cambodia, and he said he’d been in there a few times, but always ended up as a dry hole. (to quote him).
gary

Gary from what i have heard the vegetation there was less dense so it wasn’t as was easy for the communists to hide but this was only based on hearing two stories from the CCS guys.

Yep, me too. Real soft spot for these.

Steve was looking for POW camps in Cambodia. The vegetation on the border varies a great deal. you get up towards Kam Duc and start thinking triple canopy in some areas. Just depended on the area you were stuck in. Myself; I’m just glad they didn’t send me to the delta. Never cared for mud and never was a great swimmer.
glt

@Gary_Totty funny you should mention Kham Duc camp here is another book for you which is also on my hit list.

I left a small hill top at roughly four in the afternoon. As we lifted off green tracers seemed to come from everywhere, and shot the slick up real good. Worst hit was in the gas tank, and we were loosing fuel but also not real fast. They were trying to make it to a refuel point, and were shedding weight as fast as they could. They ended up dropping us off at Kam Duc SF Camp (never heard of the place as it was way south of my normal A.O.) There was no sign of life there, but a bunch of empty buildings (so they looked). The helo crew said they’d be back to get us before dark. We were not on the ground thirty seconds when we heard the “chunk” of rounds being dropped in the mortar tubes! Must have been fifty rounds headed our way and we were stuck out next to a sand bag wall. Directly this guy showed up behind the flash wall of a large bunker complex and yell at us to make our way to him. I crawled at about 100 kilometers per hour while pissing my pants. Top stands up and walked over there (about a hundred fifty feet), and we followed him with our bellies hugging the ground. The guy got us inside and welcomed us to Kam Duc! He then points to a couple bomb fuse containers to take a dump in as it could be done out there. Right before dusk a chopper rolls in with gun fire coming from the east. Never stops, but just moves on. That was our ride, so we found out! Next day they try about three or four times to fetch us out of that place. All the while we must be getting 350 to 400 mortar rounds and a few 122 rockets every day. Guess this was the norm for Kam Duc. Right before dusk their “Capo” says to follow him to a berm he pointed out. Everybody clears the bunker at the same time. We get there and he says to watch this valley out front and the west side of it. At about six thirty five the whole place lights up with explosions. He gets on the radio and says your five minutes late! Good job! Later there was another B52 strike to the east (4500 yards out maybe). Guy jumps and yells “doctor feel good” to the neighbors. This was my first B52 strike. Third day goes by with several attempts to get us out of there. We get a probe about ten that night, and perhaps go eight or ten of them. Two ours later we are getting 82mm rounds like a machine gun. The guys say to get ready as there’s another ground attack starting up. I goto the flash wall with three belts, and maybe get two or three. Then crawl up to this berm where they have dug in. They come again, and have no idea what took place it was so frantic. I know I got down to about fifty rounds, so I shot quite a bit. They pop illumination from their four duce and I see bodies all over the place. Tell Top that I think we’re simply gonna get it here. They tell us that this camp goes thru people like a fire sale at Maceys. Day four is the same crap done over. Day five a Chinook rolls thru and about ten guys jump out of the back ramp we get it, and go home. Top looks at me as says that’s one tough place!

Later on they closed Kam Duc, and even later the 196th Infantry used it as a staging area for a series of attempted sweeps. I never went near the place again
gary

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i heard that when they closed the camp charlie moved in, on helicopter crew flying close to it took fire and also noticed tank tracks on the ground. seems charlie was using it as an armour staging point for “the big push”.

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I don’t doubt that! Place wasn’t far from the Ho Chi Mein Trail
gary

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hi folks,

does anyone know what colour the internal seats were on the South Vietnamese UH-34?

i have seen them in green but some modellers have them painted red. I’m trying to find out what colour they were when the south vietnamese squadron called “Kingbees” flew them 8n support of SOG Operations.

I would assume the seats were red fabric. Red was the earlier color for all helo seats in Vietnam. Later in the conflict, the color was changed to green.

about three days ago, I got access to a parked H34 that’s maybe five minutes north of me!! I’ve seen it from a distance, and it’s an ugly two red and white.
gary