Operators beyond the United States, United Kingdom and Italy proved plentiful and included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela among others (see variants section for full listing).
During the Korean War, the H-13 was utilized in various battlefield roles. Its size made them air-transportable in the hold of a Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" lifter. Some 56 H-13s were available at the beginning of the war in 1950, this stock made up primarily of YH-13A and H-13B models. The initial group to arrive in Korea was the 2nd Helicopter Detachment during November of 1950.
While the aircraft is primarily remembered for its MEDEVAC service through M.A.S.H. ("Mobile Army Surgical Hospital"), the type proved equally valuable in reconnaissance, wire-laying, mission liaison, general service and pilot training roles. Controls were relatively simple and the instrument panel compact while the transparent canopy offered excellent vision out of the cockpit for both crew. As a trainer, it was the stepping stone for pilots entering the H-19 "Chickasaw" piloting program. It also served as a training platform for Transportation Corps prior to their arrival in Korea and for Apollo astronauts to experience auto-rotation sink rates.
Of course the moving of wounded played a crucial role to Army/Air Force operations across the Peninsula where an H-13 could carry a pair of medical litters over the unforgiving Korean terrain to provide faster assistance to the wounded - speedier than any all-terrain vehicle could over miles of uneven, rocky land. Over time, modifications were added to patient areas such as heat and protection from the elements to provide some comfort thousands of feet in the air. Blood replacement could even be handled by way of a plasma bottle holder fitted to the inside of the crew cabin. H-13s provided such a valuable service in the war that they were dubbed "Angles of Mercy". Indeed, a single H-13 pilot was credited with moving some 922 personnel through 545 sorties in a term lasting 14 months.
In 1952, the H-13 took part in a pair of large-scale resupply operations. The first one lasted seven days and involved just a single H-13 hauling some 20,000lbs to awaiting combat engineers atop a mountain. In the second, lengthier, 10-day operation, several H-13s hauled 17,000lbs of goods and reinforcements to allied infantry elements 800 yards behind enemy lines, also atop a mountain.
While typically unarmed, some Army H-13S models were outfitted with skid-mounted air-to-surface rockets and could additionally mount a pair of 0.30 caliber machine guns. Anti-tank missiles were photographed on at least one H-13, the missiles held outboard along wide spanning structural appendages. H-13 operations could also benefit from accompanying Bell UH-1 "gunships" better armed to provide covering fire and support in enemy-controlled areas.
The H-13 persevered into the Cold War years and saw extended service in the Vietnam War. At the start of the conflict, there were 861 H-13s in service. December of 1961 saw the arrival of the 8th and 57th Transportation Companies at Saigon and these were made up of OH-13E and CH-21 models. Operations continued into 1962 primarily in an observation role. H-13s were eventually superseded in the US Army inventory by the more modern Bell OH-58 "Kiowa" series of 1969.
While no longer in widespread use, some H-13 and related models still serve in an active role with militaries and civilian parties of the world.
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