I grew up around RAAF bases. My father was a helicopter pilot and as a kid, his world seemed larger than life. Stories of Vietnam, visiting the base and being held spellbound by the amazing aircraft, catching rides in the back of a Chinook, even having dad bring a Chinook to my primary school for show-and-tell (I still wonder how he justified that one… public relations maybe?).

All these memories came flooding back when I received some photo albums and boxes of memorabilia my mother had kept stored away. Photos of faces I could recognise, names that rang a bell, images that reminded me of the smell of “avgas” and the woca-woca sound of helicopter rotors. I wanted to know the stories of these men and their machines that was so much a part of my distant past. But I can’t ask my father as I lost him to cancer when I was in my early 20s, not too long after he had retired from the RAAF. This has given me a sense of urgency: What other stories have been lost, and what stories do we still have an opportunity to capture?  A feature length documentary that would honour the legacy of all who served in 9 and 12 squadrons would capture these stories and serve as an enduring reminder for generations to come. This is the motivation to do this documentary.

Both squadrons were operational during World War II, but it was the re-forming of these squadrons from the 60s and 70s that we most are most familiar. No. 9 Squadron was re-formed in 1962 and equipped with Iroquois helicopters, becoming the indispensable airlift service to the Australian Army in Vietnam. After the war the squadron, based at Amberley, continued to provide airlift tot he Australian Army, civilian search and rescue operations, and international peacekeeping operations.

No. 12 Squadron was re-formed at Amberley in 1973 and equipped with 12 Chinook helicopters in 1974. 12 Squadron was the RAAF’s big muscle in helicopter airlift capabilities and supported the Australian Army as well as a host of other duties such  as air-sea rescue, flood relief, and recovery operations.

This is the story of these RAAF helicopter squadrons and the crews who devoted themselves to serving Australia both in war and peace.

Why This Story?

The Iroquois are probably the most iconic piece of military machinery associated with the Vietnam war and for good reason – they were critical in transporting soldiers and supplies as well as providing air cover and medivac. It was a workhorse like no other and aircrews became highly adept at insertion and extraction in jungle locations. The SAS and regular army relied on these men and machines to get them in and out of difficult places exposed to ground fire. Their story needs to be told and recorded while they are still here to tell the story.

The Chinook is a unique helicopter with heavy-lift capabilities that are still required today by the Australian Defense Force. We may have seen RAAF Chinooks operate in the Vietnam war if the Australian Government could have acquired them in the mid-60s but order delays forced the Government decision to purchase more Caribous and expand the fleet of Iroquois. It wasn’t until 1974, in a re-formed 12 Squadron, would Australia have the flexible and heavy-lift capabilities of the Chinook. The squadron performed many military and non-military tasks during it’s time. In 1980 eight Chinooks were flown in formation (the image below is of the crews just after the formation flight) and earlier the same year a Chinook was flown to Malaysia to recover a downed S-61 helicopter – the longest distance a helicopter had flown at the time.

Just as with 9 Squadron we would like to preserve the legacy of this squadron and the men who flew these amazing machines by way of a well produced documentary. Many of these men have passed away, but there still remains an opportunity to record the stories of those who have survived.

Producers:
Matthew Dahlitz; Richard Hill

Director:
Matthew Dahlitz

Director of Photography:
Jachin Dahlitz

Editor:
Jachin Dahlitz

Archival Researcher:
Nigel Earnshaw

Research:

Dahlitz Media

Marie Dahlitz Green

12SQN Reunion Members 2019

9SQN Association

Allan Pickering

Nathan Sampson

Robert Redman

Paul Jackson

Christopher Mear

Susan Davis

Michael Ham

Joel Hill

Robert Medwell