A2-382 & A2-383 "BUSHRANGER" gunships
Edit: The livery colour has been changed since the photoes were taken to match the olive drab more closely.
Edit: minor change to duplicated stencil

A2-382
Formerly US Army 67-17184.
Delivered 05/02/68 to 9 Sqn in Vietnam.
First Sortie in Vietnam on 14/02/68, Crew; Rider, Wells, Neatherway and Robinson.
Ditched at Long Hai Beach 06/70 after being hit by small arms fire.
Spent overnight in water and the tailboom was severed.
Wreck recovered by US Chinook and written off
Various items from the airframe were removed and kept as momento's by various members of 9 Sqn before the fuselage returned to Australia.
When returned to Australia, it went to 5 Sqn at Fairbairn.
Following that, it came under AMTDU's care at Richmond for various load training, including for medivac training for 3 Hospital.
Following that, it was taken to Williamtown for para training by PTF. Visiting 9 Sqn (and probably 5 Sqn as well) crews used it to brief the troops before boarding the active aircraft.
From Williamtown it seems that it ended up back at 5 Sqn Fairbairn.
The port section of the fuselage is used at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook as part of the Vietnam Display.
The starboard section is at the RAAF Base Townsville museum
Novemebr 2019 the starboard section has been relocated to 2 RAR Historical Collection to be redisplayed.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1156751

A2-383
Formerly US Army 67-17185.
06/02/68 to 9 Sqn in Vietnam.
First Sortie in Vietnam on 14/02/1968, Crew; Thompson, Trease, Williams and McKinnon.
Operated as UH-1H Bushranger in Vietnam.
On 15/03/71 the co-pilot, Pilot Officer Ronald William Betts was killed by one of some twenty hits the aircraft suffered in an action north of Xuyen Moc.
Pilot was Dave Freedman who survived.
To Amberley 09/11/71.
Collided with A2-915 28/07/72 in PNG.
To 3AD 28/08/72.
Written off 30/03/74.

Please do not reproduce any part of the files without permission.