I submit this with the utmost RESPECT. However...
I'll be sure to tell that to the guys that flew in Vietnam or currently in Afghanistan. Video provides but the smallest glimpse of reality. One thing dictates all, the terrain in which you find yourself operating in and that goes for helos as well. That applies to helos as well. In the books on the Indochina War-"Hell in a Very Small Place" , "Valley of Death" -Vietnam-"Black-Horse Riders", "We Were Young and Soldiers Once" -Somalia-"Blackhawk Down" -Afganistan- "The Outpost", if you have read any of these or a combination of them I feel most people would reverse themselves on the RTB issue somewhat have a better understanding of helicopter operations in general. In the "The Outpost" are numerous accounts from the soldiers who were on the ground on on the close in air support of APACHE helos and MEDEVAC helos in getting the dead and wounded out. The book covers OPS in the Kamdesh District (COP KEATING and surrounding area.) in the Hindu Kush region of NE Afgnanistan near the Pakistani border. This is not normal operating territory for the helo where the "rebels" many times have the "higher higher ground" giving them a "look down shoot down" advantage at times against helos and most of the time against the troops in this area.
I gained a deep respect for helicopter pilots to the point of emotion, concerning the French crews that were volunteering until the high command suspended helo ops (and Air crews that continued to fly supply, reinforcements and air support as well.) into Dien Bien Phu which had at that time the largest concentration of AA since WWII Germany. Back then helos as compared to their modern brethren might as well have painted the bullseye on them but, yet they kept flying and dying to get the wounded out of there. That's what you get from a good history book or living through it yourself and seeing it. All above provide many, many first hand accounts of both main helo ops yet that's not what the above books were about but, but what the soldiers recounted in the above books about them. Think about that for a few minutes.
And to be fair I haven't forgotten about the helo ops of the British in Maylasia and Falklands or the Russians in Afghanistan under combat situations, there are histories and stories there as well.
We don't generalize about how tanks operate in the game as we have a long history of operations and wars to draw from in making them work in the game. However I don't know as I can say that fully in how we treat helos in the game because quite frankly they are tougher now in machine, crew training and tactics all of which is for a later time.
I have a video too it's the "HIND Killer" but you would't know it by watching this video
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM82Vuq3PdM
Glad I was on subs at least we got to take showers once in a while!?!
And...
Perspective can be like a bad commercial...My Dad 28yrs. in the USA/Combat in 3 wars/Eldest son in the USN/SS/You fiqure out what was priceless to him.
I salute all you "ground pounders" as I saluted him for the last time, and all those associated with supporting them in the field both in the past and present.
Regards,
Pat
