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15th
Aviation Group |
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| Group History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 15th Aviation Group DUI |
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| (Source: Yearbook of the 15th Aviation Group (Cbt), "Flying Mustangs," 1969-1970, submitted by Hanno Englaender, Germany) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ORGANIZATION (1967): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (1) US Army Flight Operations Facility, Europe (2) USAREUR Aviation Safety and Standardization Detachment - originally based at the Schleissheim AAF near Munich; moved to Gablingen in 1967 (?) |
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If you have more
information on the history or organization of the 15th Aviation Gp,
please contact me . |
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| (Source: Email from Larry Traffis) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was stationed at Schwaebisch Hall during 1969 – 1971. Is there any specific information archived during that timeframe for the Personnel Office. CWO Harry Herbst, MSGT Arnie Lange, CPT Walker and staff of the personnel office at Schwaebish Hall. |
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 Fixed-Wing Platoon, 60th Avn Co, hangar at Stuttgart AAF, mid-1960s (Paul Cleary) |
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| 60th Aviation Company (Army) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: STARS & STRIPES, Dec 20, 1963) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 60th Aviation Company was activated on Dec 1, 1961 and was under the 7th Army Aviation Gp at the time of this article. Maj Thomas C. Wilkins is the unit CO. The mission of the 60th Avn Co is to provide 7th Army HQ staff and subordinate units with aviation support. Most of the flights of the unit are requested by 7th Army HQ staff section. Pilots of the unit fly between 700-1000 hours a month. The 60th uses helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in performing its mission. Aircraft include  UH-1B HUEY turbine-powered helicoptersOV-1A MOHAWK fixed-wing planes one U-8 SEMINOLE fixed-wing plane. (The U-8 is used by the 7th Army CG and other 7th Army generals for business trips.) |
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| (Source: Email from Paul Cleary, D 3/8 Cav, 1964-1966) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Above photo shows the hangar used by the fixed-wing platoon of the 60th Avn Company. The 60th Avn went on to become the leaders in the Army for night vision flight. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 122nd Aviation Company (Aerial Surveillance) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 OV-1B MOHAWK of the 122nd Aviation Company (AS) at Hanau AAF, 1971 |
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 OV-1B MOHAWK, taxiing at Rhein-Main Air Base, 1969 |
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| See "Border Aerial Surveillance" on the Overview Page, Army Aviation section, for some information on the 122nd Avn Co's role in providing aerial surveillance along the West German border to East Germany and Czechoslovakia during the 1960s. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trucks of the 122nd Avn Co lined up in front of the hangar during an alert in 1967 (Jim Stanley) |
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 A BIRD DOG parked in front of one of the Fliegerhorst hangars (Jim Stanley) |
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 Group photo of the Tech Supply crew (Jim Stanley) |
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 Mr. Anderson in flight suit; men of the 122nd playing volleyball inside the hangar (Jim Stanley) |
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| 1967 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source:Email from James R. Stanley) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I served in the 122nd Avn Co at Hanau from February 1967 to February 1969 before going to the 225th Avn Co at Phu-Hyp, Vietnam. The 122 Aviation Company flew the Czech border. I have several pictures of the post (Fliegerhorst Kaserne), barracks and hangar with the Mohawk OV-1B aircraft (MOHAWKS). In 1967 or 1968, our company commander took a MOHAWK to a depot. It is said that the aircraft ran out of fuel. He ended up ejecting at night into the side of a mountain with the Technical Observer (TO) who was a friend of mine. Both were killed. The next commander in line ordered a search and rescue mission and after about a week they recovered the ejection seats and 2 helmets worn by the CO and TO. I stored them in Tech Supply. Our hangar was the first one, beside the power plant that made steam for the whole kaserne, the opposite end away from the tower. In 2016, when we were there, the hangar was gone. REQUEST: I was hoping that someone could help me find an old friend of mine. He was discharged over in Europe I think that was in 1946 or 47 and stayed in Langendiebach, Hanau Army Airfield. He lived on base as a civilian, with a wife from Austria, and had adopted her daughter Linda and son Tommy. When I went to Nam in January 1969 I lost track of him and his family about June 69. He also went to Nam for 6 months before me. He worked on radios for the 122AVN CO and 3rd Armor. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. |
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 122nd CO and visiting officers inspect the unit during the June 1967 alert (Jim Stanley) |
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 Jim enjoys a smoke in front of the unit's barracks (Jim Stanley) |
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 122nd Avn Co hangar at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, Hanau, 1968 (Dominick Pelliccio, FB) |
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| 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: STARS & STRIPES, June 2, 1969) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 122nd Aviation Company (Aerial Surveillance) The 122nd Avn Co (AS) is the Army's only aerial surveillance unit in Europe and comes under the operational control of the DCS, Intelligence (Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence) at HQ USAREUR. Maj Clydie J. Crawford is the CO of the unit that is stationed at Fliegerhorst AAF near Hanau. With 17 officer pilots and 142 enlisted men, the company is equipped with the OV-1B MOHAWK twin turbojet airplane. Its mission is to keep watch on Warsaw Pact troop movements and activities along the East German border. Using visual and photographic means, as well as side-looking radar (SLAR), the plane can detect even the slightest movement of vehicles including in the rain or at the dark of night. Because of the long-range capabilities of the SLAR radar, the Mohawk can operate at a safe distance from the border and still see deep into East bloc territory. All missions are flown with a single pilot and an enlisted technical observer. The SLAR provides a permanent film record. Aircraft position, date, time, and other intelligence data are recorded directly onto the film edge as well as being transmitted to a ground station. The ground data link terminal is housed in a shelter mounted on a ¾-ton truck. The power supply is mounted on a trailer. The terminal receives, displays and records radar pictures and data-annotation information that is transmitted from the SLAR while in flight. Other components of the surveillance system that are on the ground are the portable tactical imagery interpretation facility and the portable film processing laboratory darkroom. The 122nd Avn Co (AS) is supported in its intelligence gathering mission by the 30th Trans Co (AAM) - performing technical supply and higher echelon maintenance - as well as by the Avionics Platoon of the 245th Trans Co (Acft GS) - providing electronics and signal equipment support. |
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| 351st Aviation Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 351st Aviation Company Patch (after transition to UH-1) |
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| 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from George Reese) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Since I got to the 351st before the CWO -- I ended up leaving first, before other Hueys replaced the H-34s. So it seems that once the 351st transitioned to the Huey -- they also came up with a unit patch. I have hundreds of Army Aviation photos that some of your viewers might like to see. The site is www.flyarmyair.com. |
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| 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Larry A. Magnello, 351st Avn Co) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After I left the 1st Air Cav Division in Vietnam at
end of 1970, I was sent to 351st Avn Co located at
Wertheim, southern Germany. Our main base was out of
Schweinfurt, Germany. They
never said much to us about the structure of the unit.
I flew once to Schweinfurt base but don't know the
battalion. I was the flight medic there and worked with the Flight surgeon there who black mailed the pilots in order to let them fly their helicopters or he would flunk them on the flight physicals. We had just Hueys there and one spotter airplane. We lost one huey on medivac and it crashed into the mountain at night during rain and they all died including a medic sergeant Rayburn who had a silver star and 3 purple hearts. Was a nice place and unit sitting on a mountain across the valley was a castle. Best part of my army tour of duty. |
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