The Helicopter in Suez
The
Suez Campaign saw the dawn of the helicopters role as an Assault Transport
with British and French forces using their respective helicopters to transfer
troops to the landing zone. The British and French employed the Sikorsky
S-51 and S-55s, and Westland Dragonlies and Whirlwinds on CASEVAC (Casualty
Evacuation) operations, General transport, communications and liaison duties.
However,
the most significant role was used on the 6th November, when five hundred
men of No.45 Royal Marine Commando were airlifted by helicopter from the
two light fleet carriers H.M.S. Ocean and H.M.S. Theseus to land on a patch
of waste ground beside De Lesseps statue in Port Said in the first helicopter-brone
assault. The hcliopters were 8 Westland Whirlwinds of No.845 NAS, but
these were reinforced by helicopters from a joint Army and RAF trails unit which had 6 Westland Whirlwind and 6 Bristol Sycamore helicopters.
Immediately after the successful assault, the helicopters switched to the
casualty evacuation role, with one Royal Marine, injured in fighting after
landing with the first wave of troops form the carriers, being returned
as a casualty by helicopter and arriving back aboard his ship just twenty
minutes after leaving. CASEVAC operations by the helicopters also included
the first combat air rescue, in which a Royal Navy Sea Hawk pilot was rescued
from where he had landed some thirty miles inland.
The
Last action of the helicopter in the Suez campaign was involved in resupplying
the H.M.S. Theseus which was running short of vital medical supplies on
its way back to Malta after the Allied withdrawal. An RAF Shackelton drooped
supplies into the sea from just 150 feet above sea level near sea marks
dropped by the carrier. As soon as the Shackleton had passed, two Royal
Navy Whirlwind helicopters, which were already airborne, picked up the
waterproof container and had these safely aboard the ship within minutes
of the drop being made. These operations resulted in the H.M.S. Bulwark
being converted to a commando carrier in 1959-1960 to operate Helicopters
instead of fixed wing aircraft.
Please note that we have only touched the surface of the Suez invasion and will be adding more information to this site as time permits and we welcome any corrections to the above.
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