European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 r the stars and stripes task Force Pegasus tuesday january 28, 1969 by Jay Ligons a Nuernberg Bureau Vilseck Germany is Vilseck Tower. This is Bronco six Over said capt. Larry Taylor at the controls of auh1b helicopter. Taylor a Vietnam Veteran was pre paring his aircraft for Takeoff. Our purpose is to protect the unarmed ships and the troops during land ing. It s More fun to Fly the gunships be cause the unarmed troop ships Are just like a Bunch of ducks. They have to follow the Lead he pulled Back a lever and the hug machine Rose into the air headed for the Landing we were in Vietnam we would be flying much closer to the treetops he said. Like the whirl Bird buzzed just above the we would be flying much nearly 90 helicopters were in the air hovering Over the Snow covered country Side rehearsing for the airmobile Demon stration task Force Pegasus scheduled to take place feb. 1 at the seventh army training Center. Maj. Gen. George p. Seneff cd of the 3rd inf div will conduct the entire air and ground operation which will in clude some 500 troops from the Divi Sion 91 . And German helicopter Sand 96 f4 phantoms from the air Fwee. Col. Kenneth d. Mertel co of the Isth combat aviation group will direct task Force be got this operation timed to the second said Taylor. We have Topick out land Marks so we Don t Fly Over the Landing zone before our Cue. Like that tree Down there he said As the aircraft buzzed Over a Small escorted troop ships into the demonstration area. Two gunners pulled Back the doors and shot bursts from their machine guns. The automatic weapon on the Side of jammed. For when a gun jams like this in Viet Nam said Taylor the Crew chief will strap himself to the aircraft and climb on the Pylon to Check the weapon. But we Don t ask men to do that Here in Germany. It s too was part of one of several practice runs for the airmobile Demon stration. Of the 91 helicopters to be used in the exercise the ones that were brought Here from tote to tilted slates were Dis As sfemblefl., shipped and reassembled at Rheah Matt air a Sev types Are new to the european theater two Filey cobras three Lohs two flying cranes three chinooks and a 53-Man team from eight different stations make up the package from the United Huey cobras Are equipped with a mini gun nicknamed puff the magic dragon. The fire breathing weapon can fire 4,000 rounds of ammunition minute. The machine is also equipped with a 40mm grenade launcher which5tta belch out 225 rounds per minute. Phe streamlined helicopter has a for Ward Speed of i More than 225 knots an hour the flying Crane is slow but it can lift enormous Weig Tofe for
