The First
The first helicopter used in combat was in Burma during WWII. It was used in the rescue of an Air Commando liaison pilot who crashed in the jungles of Burma behind Japanese lines in 1945. The helicopter was the YR-4B, which 100 were made by Sikorsky. The YR-4 had limited capability, underpowered, a great experiment, which would improve through the years and later became a workhorse both in the military and in civilian life. If you have any comments, stories or websites on helicopters in war please email me at aircommando1@earthlink.net.