Today In History:  11 October  [1951]   --  In Operation Bumble Bee, US helicopters relieve an entire U.S. Marine Corps battalion

In Operation Bumble Bee, 12 Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters of Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) relieve an entire U.S. Marine Corps battalion on the front line in Korea, with each helicopter carrying six Marines at a time 15 miles (24 km) to the front and bringing six Marines at a time out to the rear area on the return trip. In under six hours, they transport a total of 958 Marines.

PHOTO: HRS-1s of HMR-161 flying from USS Sicily in September 1952.

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Photo Attribution:  Public Domain via Wikimedia.