Original Items: Only Ones Available. This is a relic condition right side cargo/troop carrier compartment door from a Vietnam War U.S. Army Bell UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter aka “HUEY”. The door is constructed of Aluminum and in relatively solid condition, with original paint, and markings which may, or may not, date to the Vietnam era. The door features an Ace of Spades Playing Card painted below the window panel, and the name of the Door Gunner/ Crew Chief “CPL (Corporal) J.W. Weeks". The paint is certainly old. The interesting part of this door is that there is a shrapnel or bullet hole piercing all the way through on the right side of the window, just above where the opening latch for the door should be (the latch is missing). Regardless of the period which this door dates, it makes for an incredible display piece in it’s “as found” condition.

Accompanying the door is a framed photograph of a Medevac Huey, which is circled by 10 autographs from 1st Cavalry Veterans from LZ X-Ray, the first major battle U.S. Forces were engaged in during the Vietnam War. Whether the door came from the the Huey featured in the center of the frame or not is unknown to us. Both the door and framed autographs came together when they were found at a show some time ago, so we will leave this determination up to the potential buyer.

Combined, these two pieces make for an incredible display!

LZ X-Ray:
The Battle of Ia Drang (Vietnamese: Trận Ia Đrăng, [iə̯ ɗrăŋ]; in English /ˈiːə dræŋ/) was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam, in 1965. It is notable for being the first large scale helicopter air assault and also the first use of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers in a tactical support role. Ia Drang set the blueprint for the Vietnam War with the Americans relying on air mobility, artillery fire and close air support, while the PAVN neutralized that firepower by quickly engaging American forces at very close range.

Ia Drang comprised two main engagements, centered on two helicopter landing zones (LZs), the first known as LZ X-Ray, followed by LZ Albany, farther north in the Ia Drang Valley.

LZ X-Ray involved the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment and supporting units under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, and took place November 14–16, at LZ X-Ray. Surrounded and under heavy fire from a numerically superior force, the American forces were able to drive back the North Vietnamese forces over three days, largely through the support of air power and heavy artillery bombardment, which the North Vietnamese lacked. The Americans claimed LZ X-Ray as a tactical victory, citing a 10:1 kill ratio.

The second engagement involved the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment plus supporting units under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade, and took place on November 17 at LZ Albany. When an American battalion was ambushed in close quarters, who were unable to use air and artillery support due to the close engagement of the North Vietnamese, the Americans suffered an over-50% casualty rate before being extricated. Both sides claimed victory.

The battle at LZ X-Ray was documented in the CBS special report Battle of Ia Drang Valley by Morley Safer and the critically acclaimed book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young by Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In 1994, Moore, Galloway and men who fought on both the American and North Vietnamese sides, traveled back to the remote jungle clearings where the battle took place. At the time the U.S. did not have diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The risky trip which took a year to arrange was part of an award-winning ABC News documentary, They Were Young and Brave produced by Terence Wrong. Randall Wallace depicted the battle at LZ X-Ray in the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson and Barry Pepper as Moore and Galloway, respectively.

Galloway later described Ia Drang as "the battle that convinced Ho Chi Minh he could win".

The “Huey”:
It was adopted by the US Army in 1959 as the UH-1 Iroquois. It is still in line to name the US Army helicopters after the Native American Indian tribes. This helicopter is unofficially known as the Huey. It was the first turbine-powered aircraft to serve with the US Army. It replaced Piasecki H-21 and Sikorsky CH-34 in the US Army service. Eventually than 11 000 of UH-1 series helicopters were built. In a modern form this utility helicopter continues to serve to this day.

The UH-1 was the most successful utility helicopter ever built, overtaking the Russian Mi-8/Mi-17. Improved and upgraded variants of the UH-1 remain in widespread use.

The UH-1 was the workhorse of the US Army during the Vietnam War. This transport helicopter was used for various purposes. Typical missions were transport of troops, fuel, ammunition and supplies, gunship mission, and medical evacuation mission. During that war, the UH-1 revolutionized warfare, adding a new dimension to air mobility. A new "air cavalry" concept was pioneered. It enabled soldiers to move from one firefight to another by air, leapfrogging the enemy and seizing the advantage. Even battalion-sized units were moved from one battlefield to another. However thousands of these helicopters were lost to enemy small arms fire.

The UH-1 is operated by a crew of 3, including pilot, co-pilot and crew-chief/door gunner. The UH-1D could carry 10 passengers or 6 stretchers. It had internal payload capacity of around 1 500 kg.

The UH-1 could be armed with one or two door-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns. The Huey was the first helicopter to see a widespread use as a gunship. At the time it was the most suitable helicopter for this role. The UH-1 was outfitted with machine guns, grenade launcher and even pods with 70 mm unguided rockets and four side-mounted guns. It was used for ground attack and armed escort role. The UH-1s also flew hunter-killer teams with observation helicopters, such as OH-58A Kiowa and OH-6 Cayuse.

This helicopter has a straightforward design. The original UH-1A had a single Avco Lycoming T-53 turboshaft engine, developing 960 shp. However soon more powerful engines became standard. Later models even had two engines. Both rotors had two blades. This helicopter has simple, but tough, landing skits, rather than complex retractable undercarriage.

Since its introduction the original UH-1 has been constantly improved and upgraded. There were numerous variants of this helicopter, including specialized machines. It remains an important type. Major variants are listed below.

Variants:
UH-1A was initial production model. Originally it was designated as HU-1A, but re-designated UH-1A in 1962. It was powered by a 960 shp engine. Only 182 of these helicopters were built.

UH-1B was an upgraded version with various external and rotor improvements. Originally it was designated as UH-1B, but re-designated UH-1B in 1962. A total of 1014 were built, plus 4 prototypes.

UH-1C is a dedicated gunship version, which evolved from the UH-1B. It had improved and more powerful engine developing 1100 shp, larger rotor blades and modified rotor head for better performance. A total of 767 were built.

UH-1D. The Bell Model 205 was developed from the previous Model 204. It was a long-fuselage version with greater lifting capacity. Also it had a larger loading door. This helicopter was specially designed as a troop carrier. It first flew in 1961 and was adopted in 1963. The UH-1D began to arrive in Vietnam in 1965. A total of 2008 of these helicopters were built. Eventually many were upgraded to the UH-1H standard.

AH-1 Cobra is the first dedicated attack helicopter. Its company designation is Model 209. It is also unofficially called as Huey Cobra. It was specially designed as an armed escort for troop carrying helicopters to meet a US Army requirement. Eventually this machine was a turning point in the development of helicopter technology and its application. It first flew in 1965. Deliveries commenced to the US Army in 1968. Even though little in the appearance of the Cobra shows off its roots. Engine and transmission were borrowed from UH-1D. The Cobra has a narrow fuselage and was specially designed to be as small target as possible to enemy ground fire.

UH-1E was a version of the UH-1C for the US Marine Corps. This helicopter was fitted with different avioncs and equipment. A total of 192 were built.

UH-1F was a version of the UH-1C for the US Air Force. It was powered by General Electric T58-GE-3 engine, developing 1 325 shp. A total of 120 were built.

UH-1H was an improved US Army version, fitted with a Lycoming T53-L-13 engine, developing 1 400 shp. The utility helicopter was first flown in 1961. It was adopted as the UH-1H in 1966. It was the most numerous version of the UH-1. Bell built 3 573 UH-1Hs for US forces and a further 1 317 were exported.

UH-1J is an improved Japanese version of the UH-1H. It is powered by Allison T53-L-703 engine, developing 1 800 shp. This helicopter also has a vibration-reduction system, infrared countermeasures, improved cockpit and some other improvements. It was license-produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries.

UH-1N. The twin-engined Bell Model 212 was a significant development of the Model 205. It was powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada T400-CP-400 engines. The Bell Model 212 was adopted as the UH-1N. This helicopter is also called the Twin Huey. It was also license-produced by the Agusta-Bell. Deliveries commenced in 1970. This helicopter remains in widespread military service, most significantly with the US Marine Corps, to which the first machine was delivered in 1971. The US Air Force still uses the UH-1N fleet to protect intercontinental ballistic missiles and transport the US government and security forces. In addition, Bell and Agusta-Bell produce the Model 412 and AB 412 respectively, based on the Model 212, but with a four-bladed main rotor as standard. This aircraft has also found many military customers.

UH-1P was an UH-1F variant for the US Air Force special operations use. This helicopter was used solely by the USAF 20th Special Operations Squadron, known as Green Hornets.