F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War

F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782006524
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
An illustrated combat history of the 'last of the gunfighters', due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannons. The F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous fighter in the US Navy at the start of America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict in 1964 – some 482 F-8C/D/Es equipped 17 frontline units. It enjoyed great success against North Vietnamese Mig-17s and Mig-21s during the Rolling Thunder campaign of 1965-68, officially downing 18 jets, which represented 53 per cent of all Mig claims lodged by Navy squadrons during this period. This book explores the history of this fighter and its pilots during the Vietnam War, alongside an array of contemporary photographs.

F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War

F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782006524
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
An illustrated combat history of the 'last of the gunfighters', due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannons. The F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous fighter in the US Navy at the start of America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict in 1964 – some 482 F-8C/D/Es equipped 17 frontline units. It enjoyed great success against North Vietnamese Mig-17s and Mig-21s during the Rolling Thunder campaign of 1965-68, officially downing 18 jets, which represented 53 per cent of all Mig claims lodged by Navy squadrons during this period. This book explores the history of this fighter and its pilots during the Vietnam War, alongside an array of contemporary photographs.

F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War

F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782007164
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
An illustrated combat history of the 'last of the gunfighters', due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannons. The F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous fighter in the US Navy at the start of America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict in 1964 – some 482 F-8C/D/Es equipped 17 frontline units. It enjoyed great success against North Vietnamese Mig-17s and Mig-21s during the Rolling Thunder campaign of 1965-68, officially downing 18 jets, which represented 53 per cent of all Mig claims lodged by Navy squadrons during this period. This book explores the history of this fighter and its pilots during the Vietnam War, alongside an array of contemporary photographs.

RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam

RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782006532
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
The second instalment of the history of this photo-bird aircraft type, featuring illustrations throughout. Although the Crusader was built first and foremost as a Navy interceptor, as has often been the tradition with US fighters, a photo-reconnaissance variant was also produced by Vought. The photo-bird's first operational test came in the autumn of 1962 when its overflights of Cuba alerted the world to the likely presence of medium-range ballistic missiles on the Caribbean island. The recce Crusader's next action came during the long years of the Vietnam War. This volume is the second of two in the Combat Aircraft series devoted to the Crusader, the first title (again by Peter Mersky) having covered the F-8 fighter variants, and their MiG-killing exploits, during the Vietnam War.

US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War 1963–1973

US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War 1963–1973 PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782006540
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Featuring many first-hand accounts from the pilots who flew one of the greatest attack aircraft ever built, an insightful account of some of the most thrilling aerial combats that took place during Vietnam. The Skyhawk was involved in Vietnam from the very beginning, including the first offensive operations in 1963 into Laos, and the Pierce Arrow operations immediately following the Tonkin Gulf Incident of August 1964. Navy and Marine Corps A-4s quickly established a presence in south-east Asia participating in thousands of sorties against the entrenched communist forces in the South and the heavily defended targets in North Vietnam. A-4 pilots also struck targets along the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail, working with ground-based and airborne forward air controllers to interdict the flood of supplies to communist forces in the south. Alongside stunning illustrations, the author traces the history of this plane and its exploits.

MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War

MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: István Toperczer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782006877
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 163

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Book Description
Having honed their piloting skills on the subsonic MiG-17 and transonic MiG-19, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) received their first examples of the legendary MiG-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile equipped MiG-21 proved a deadly opponent for the USAF, Navy and Marine Corps crews striking at targets deep into communist territory. Most of the VPAF's 12+ aces scored their bulk of their kills in the MiG-21, which was then the best fighter produced by Russia's premier fast jet manufacturer, Mikoyan Gurevich. Well over 200 MiG-21s were supplied to the VPAF, and the numerous models and the schemes they wore are chronicled in great detail in this unique volume.

US Navy F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War 1964-68

US Navy F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War 1964-68 PDF Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472814533
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 99

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Book Description
The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous post-war fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its naval origins and the immense contribution made to the US war effort in Vietnam by its original carrier-based versions began its legend. This title examines the unique aspects of the Phantom that made it so crucial to US Navy pilots during the Vietnam War – its massive engine power, long range, speed, the most powerful airborne search and fire-control radar installed in a fighter at the time, and of course its versatility as a ground attack and air-to-air platform. Packed with first hand accounts, unique profile artwork and rare photographs this is the history of one of the most important aircraft to be stationed on carriers off Southeast Asia during the war.

Crusader!

Crusader! PDF Author: Paul T. Gillcrist
Publisher: Schiffer Pub Limited
ISBN: 9780887407666
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Once known as the "Last of the Gunfighters", the Vought F-8 Crusader has since become a legend in the histories of the U.S. and French navies, as well as a scourge in the skies over North Vietnam in the late 1960s! CRUSADER! is a vital oral history of one of the most controversial fighter planes in carrier aviation. A key to the authenticity of this story are the author's personal interviews with sixteen of the seventeen living Crusader pilots who became MiG killers in the Vietnam air war. His analysis of their aerial engagements over North Vietnam from 1965 to 1973 contains some startling surprises, as well as a validation of many of the tactical lessons learned from World War II and Korea. CRUSADER! also contains personal accounts by F-8 speed record holders such as U.S. Marine Corps Major (now Senator) John Glenn and Captains Bob Dose and "Duke" Windsor. Other aviation records held by the Crusader, (not so enviable) are told, in anecdotal form, for the first time by the author, an F-8 driver and participant in some of them! Colorful, and sometimes humorous, accounts of events involving the F-8 and "Crusader Drivers" abound in this chronicle of carrier aviation covering the three decades when this remarkable airplane was an important element of the U.S. Navy's carrier strike forces. Rear Admiral Paul T. Gillcrist commanded a fleet Crusader squadron, then a carrier air wing and finally, as a flag officer, became wing commander for all Pacific Fleet fighter squadrons. During his fleet squadron command he completed three carrier deployments to the Tonkin Gulf and flew 167 combat missions in the Crusader for which he was awarded seventeen combat decorations. The author of FEET WET, Reflections of a Carrier Pilot (1990) and TOMCAT, The Grumman F-14 Story (1994), Admiral Gillcrist is well qualified to write the story of the Crusader!

A-3 Skywarrior Units of the Vietnam War

A-3 Skywarrior Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: Rick Morgan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472805666
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, though something of a cult favourite, remains a largely unremarked classic of naval aviation. Built for nuclear weapon delivery, the A-3 made its name in Vietnam as a conventional bomber, tanker and Electronic Warfare platform. It was the largest aircraft ever regularly operated from the decks of aircraft carriers, earning it the fleet-wide nickname 'Whale'. It excelled in every mission area assigned to it and operated in the US Navy for more than four decades, from 1956 through to 1991. Fully illustrated to depict the incredible array of paint schemes and its awesome size, this volume focuses on the type's Vietnam service, which saw the aircraft briefly used as a bomber over both North and South Vietnam from March 1965, before the Skywarrior proved far more valuable as a multi-role tanker (KA-3B) and tanker/tactical jammer (EKA-3B). The title includes details on all of these operations as well as more clandestine reconnaissance missions, and provides information about the men that flew them.

US Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War

US Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War PDF Author: Peter Mersky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005374
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Arriving on station with the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in early December 1967, the first Corsair II squadron became operational immediately and sustained its first combat loss three weeks later. This book tells how the A-7 soon proved its worth supporting ground operations in South Vietnam. As it continued to serve in the ground support role, the navy swiftly introduced the A-7E which soon ran into difficulties with supply lines - perhaps on account of what many perceived to have been a rushed introduction to service. Once these teething problems were resolved, the A-7E became the primary air-to-ground aircraft of the fleet.

Naval Air War

Naval Air War PDF Author: U. S. Department Navy
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781539775898
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description
Naval Air War: The Rolling Thunder Campaign is the sixth monograph in the series The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War. It covers aircraft carrier activity during one of the longest sustained aerial bombing campaigns in history. And it would be a failure. The U.S. Navy proved essential to the conduct of Rolling Thunder and by capitalizing on the inherent flexibility and mobility of naval forces, the Seventh Fleet operated with impunity for three years off the coast of North Vietnam. The success with which the Navy executed the later Operation Linebacker campaign against North Vietnam in 1972 revealed how much the service had learned from and exploited the Rolling Thunder experience of 1965-1968.