The 11th Aviation Battalion was a United States
Army aviation
An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing airc ...
unit that fought in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. The unit served as a test for helicopter support of ground infantry units.
History
The unit was constituted on 21 August 1965 and activated on 23 August 1965 at
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
, Ga. The Battalion was inactivated on 16 September 1987. The 11th Aviation Battalion stationed at Fliegerhorst Kaserne in
Erlensee
Erlensee is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, 5 km northeast of Hanau. It was formed in 1970 by the merger, in 1970, of the towns of Langendiebach and Rückingen. The name deduces fro ...
, Germany, was the air wing of
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...
. The 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Rucker, now carries the 11th Aviation Battalion's lineage.
Organizational structure in the Vietnam War
The organizational structure of the 11th Aviation Battalion reflected the following units in 1966/7:
*HQ and HQ Company at
Phu Loi Base Camp
Phu Loi Base Camp (also known as Darkhorse Base or Phu Loi Field) is a former U.S. Army base north of Saigon in southern Vietnam.
History
1940s-1963
Phu Loi airfield was originally established by the Japanese in the 1940s and was located appro ...
* 390th Quartermaster Detachment (PETRL) at
Long Binh Post
Long Binh Post (''Tổng kho Long Bình'') is a former U.S. Army base located in Long Bình, Đồng Nai between Biên Hòa and Saigon, Vietnam. The base functioned as a U.S. Army base, logistics center, and major command headquarters for Uni ...
[
*]116th Assault Helicopter Company This is a List of aviation companies of the United States Army from the United States Army Aviation Branch
The United States Army Aviation Branch is the administrative organization within the United States Army responsible for doctrine, manning ...
at Củ Chi Base Camp
Củ Chi Base Camp (also known as Củ Chi Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the Củ Chi District northwest of Saigon in southern Vietnam.
History
1965-70
Củ Chi Base Camp was establishe ...
[
** 283rd Signal Detachment (RL) Cu Chi][
** 392nd Transportation Detachment (KD) at Cu Chi][
** 431st Medical Detachment (OA) at Cu Chi][
* 128th Assault Helicopter Company at Phu Loi][
** 285th Signal Detachment (RL) at Phu Loi][
** 393rd Transportation Detachment (KD) at Phu Loi][
** 432nd Medical Detachment (OA) at Phu Loi][
* 162nd Assault Helicopter Company at ]Phước Vĩnh Base Camp
Phước Vĩnh Base Camp (also known as Phước Vĩnh Combat Base) is a former U.S. Army base north of Biên Hòa in southern Vietnam.
History
The base was established in mid-1965 and was located approximately 35 km north of Biên Hòa in ...
[
** 407th Transportation Detachment (KD) at Phuoc Vinh][
** 450th Signal Detachment (RL) at Phuoc Vinh][
** 758th Medical Detachment (OA) at Phuoc Vinh][
* 173rd Assault Helicopter Company at ]Lai Khê
Lai Khê (Lai Khê hamlet, Lai Hưng commune, Bến Cát, Bình Dương Province) (also known as Lai Khê Base) was a former Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and U.S. Army base, located along Highway 13 to the northwest of Saigon and abou ...
[
** 408th Transportation Detachment (KD) at Lai Khe][
** 451st Signal Detachment (RL) at Lai Khe][
** 759th Medical Detachment (OA) at Lai Khe][
* 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company at Phu Loi][
* 184th Reconnaissance Airplane Company at Phu Loi][
* 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company at Phu loi][
** 612th Transportation Detachment (AB) at Phu Loi][
* 213th Combat Assault Support Helicopter Company at Phu Loi][
** 329th Transportation Detachment (AB) at Phu Loi][
* 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company at Phu Loi][
** 400th Transportation Detachment (AB) at Phu Loi][
]
Commanders
In Vietnam
* LTC John W. Lauterbach, in command on 1 January 1966.
* LTC Joseph B. Starker
Brigadier General Joseph B. Starker (29 January 1929 – 19 July 1975) was a United States Army aviator who served in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. He commanded the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, and Combat Devel ...
; assumed command on 20 May 1966.
* LTC Leo E. Soucek; assumed command on 7 May 1967,[US Army, 11th Combat Aviation Battalion (1 August 1967)]
Operational Report - Lessons Learned (RCS-CSFOR-67) for Quarterly Period Ending 31 July 1967
Retrieved 8 May 2017. later retiring as a Brigadier General.
* LTC William A. Hobbs; assumed command on 10 November 67.
* LTC William F. Bauman; assumed command on 22 April 1968.
* LTC Robert W. Flint, in command on 31 January 1970.
In Germany
* Tommy Stiner[ETSU Army ROTC]
Tommy Stiner
Retrieved 8 May 2017.
Awards and decorations
Campaign credit
Unit decorations
References
{{reflist
Sources
*Department of the Army (29 January 1988)
Pamphlet 672–3
page 17. Accessed 8 May 2017.
Military units and formations established in 1965
Military units and formations disestablished in 1987
Military units and formations of the United States Army in the Vietnam War