| Katum was a forward firebase about 55 nautical miles northwest of
Bien Hoa and on the 3 mile buffer zone boundry of Cambodia. We spent literally days
shuttling from Bien Hoa to Katum carrying 105 mm howitzer projectiles. The mess in
the background was the result of enemy mortar rounds hitting the POL storage area just
prior to our arrival on this trip. The howitzer projectiles were in wooden crates
and were "speed-offloaded". The aircraft was pulled into the parking area
shown above and the props were put in reverse to start the aircraft backing. On a
signal from the flight mechanic, the props were placed into the forward regime and
advanced to METO power to arrest the rearward motion and get the aircraft moving forward
again. As the direction of motion changed, the flight mechanic released the pallet
locks and the load cascaded out the rear of the aircraft. We just left the power up
and rolled right back onto the runway, just visible in the background, to return to Bien
Hoa for another load. |
