The History of 227th for the year of 1965.

The following documents was retrieved from the National
Archives II in Washington D. C. on December 3, 1998.
It covers from July 1, 1965 through to December 31,1967.

Area of Operations Map

History of the 227th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter)

PREPARED BY

Major Thomas I McMurray
AND
Major Larry E. Scoggins

APPROVED BY

JACK CRANFORD
LT. COLONEL, ARMOR
COMMANDING

HEADQUARTERS
1ST CAVALRY DIVISION (AIRMOBILE)
APO San Francisco, 96490

NINETEEN HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE

1965

FORWARD

Early in 1963, in the sandy hills of Fort Benning, Georgia
a new concept was formally introduced to the United
States Army. This idea was conceived in the minds
of mobility-minded military leaders many years ago.
Its birth was celebrated in the rice paddies and jungles 
of the Republic of South Vietnam early in that conflict.
The concept matured into adolescence with the advent
of new and better machines and it became the duty of
the new 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion to prove to
the world that airmobility was ready to take its place
among the tired and proven tactical concepts
available to the Army.

The 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion was constituted
in  the Regular Army on 1 February 1963 and assigned 
to the 11th Air Assault Division. This was the first battalion
of its kind in the world and as it built into a full strength
unit in the next several months, it stood ready to meet the 
challenge of providing a third dimension to the United
State Army's tactics.

On 11 February 1963 the 31st Transportation Company
(Light Helicopter) was redesignated and activated as
Company B, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, and
brought to the battalion its twenty-two CH-34 helicopters.

On 15 February 1963 Company A, 227th Assault
Helicopter Battalion was activated as the second
of the battalion's units. Company A was designated
the aerial weapons armed escort company; their
UH-1b's and armament systems arriving in late
April 1963.

On 18 July 1963 Headquarters Company,
Company C and Company D, 227th Assault Helicopter
Battalion was activated and in August 1963, the battalion 
became operational. Company C received its first
UH-1D's in August, the first issued to a TOE unit
for field use. In December, Company A and Company D
exchanged designations, making Company D the 
assault escort company. The Battalion then embarked on a
long trail of sweat and tears that took two and half years
of testing the airmobile concept. The concept was proven
and the ground work laid for the forth-coming airmobile
division.

The 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion was reorganized and
redesignated 1 July 1965 as the 227th Aviation Battalion
(Assault Helicopter); concurrently relieved from assignment to
the 11th Air Assault Division and assigned to the 1st Cavalry
Division (Airmobile). The battalion had provided the "Air Assault"
to it's former division and now set out to put the "Airmobile" in
the 1st Cavalry Division.

The battalion had given up a great number of her personnel in
the preceding few months as replacements to Vietnam and, as
preparation for combat began, replacements in all grades and 
skills began to arrive from thoughout the Army. The task of 
training these new personnel and providing a combat ready 
assault helicopter battalion within a few weeks seemed
insurmountable. The old timers turned to with a real "pouvoir" 
attitude and things began to develop.

All the new personnel were soon indoctrinated and became
mission oriented and began to hear an occasional "attaboy" 
from the commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Jack Cranford. 
There was no time for mistakes or the retracing of steps.
Intense effort from everyone in the battalion and help
from wherever it could be had, paid off. When the President
of the United States announced that he was ordering
"My Airmobile Division" to South Vietnam, the 227th was
ready. Aviators were qualified in the UH-1D, everyone was
POM/POR qualified and all the battalion's equipment had been 
brought up to the peak of maintenance readiness; all while the
battalion was still accomplishing its training missions with the
infantry battalions.

The President's announcement, though no surprise, started a
new burst of activity within the battalion. There were so many 
things to be done and so little time available that again, the
requirements seemed impossible. To further complicate matters, 
filler personnel were still arriving at that late date and they had
to be trained and prepared to move. When the dust cleared and
shipment dates arrived, everything was packed in the proper
place, families had been provided for, the helicopters had been
prepared and taken to the port, inspection had been conducted,
preparation had been made for further training en route,
more inspections, and finally the "Pouvoir" Battalion was ready
to go to war. 

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