Customer Reviews

100 Missions North: A Fighter Pilot's Story of the Vietnam War

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It seems to me as if stories about the U.S. foot soldier in Vietnam abound, but the Vietnam War was also a war Americans fought fiercely in the air. It stands to reason then that the chronicle of the F105 fighter pilot, who flew the most harrowing missions and suffered the greatest losses, is one of the more significant, albeit under-appreciated, tales worthy of telling. As such, Ken Bell's 100 Missions North is an excellent place to dig in to the subject to appreciate a unique, by-gone perspective. Bell's first-hand account of the 100 missions he flew as a Thunderchief pilot over north Vietnam in 1966-67 provides a superb, three-dimensional picture of his life at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base north of Bangkok, Thailand, one of two primary facilities for F105s during the war. Aside from the fact that Bell was a major at the time and thus missed out on the opportunity to live dorm-style in a hooch with lower-ranking officers, his story in many ways typifies the life of an F105 pilot of this era. Although his is not the only first-hand account of the F105 pilots' experience, it may be the most satisfying.

Thud Ridge, Jack Broughton's account of his tour, for instance, although essential as a piece of F105 fighter pilot history, is not a straightforward chronological account of his experiences. Instead, Broughton picks and chooses subjects for each chapter, so although there is something of a running narrative, the text skips around a bit. Not a big problem but it can be confusing unless you've been a member of a fighter wing. Therefore, I would also say Broughton seems to be writing more to a limited audience, the fellow fighter pilot as well as the military enthusiast; hence, although a good book regarding its subject, Thud Ridge is more for those already with a base knowledge of air war and squadrons.

Another top-notch book but with a broader appeal than Thud Ridge is G.I. Basel's Pak Six. Basel's book is quite an enjoyable read. He turns a nice phrase, recounts interesting stories, and is easy to follow and understand. Basel also has a good sense of humor that helps the outsider appreciate the F105 fighter pilot mentality. Why then is Pak Six not the first book to pick up on the F105 pilot experience? Length! Pak Six has about half as many pages as 100 Missions North. In spite of the fact that Basel's book was a pure pleasure to read, and I finished it in about two days, it nonetheless gets into and out of its subject too quickly. It's good to leave the reader wanting more, but I wanted much more.

It was after I read these two books that I came across 100 Missions North. Bell's book is the one I wished I'd picked up first. At 300 pages, it provides a detailed, nicely paced, chronological account of the 100 missions he flew. Although he doesn't literally account for all 100 missions, Bell presents the highlights of his most significant missions and discusses life outside the cockpit as well. Like Basel, he is easy to understand and can tell a good story, and like a seasoned writer, is not embarrassed to confess his fears and mistakes while flying missions. Likewise, he provides honest observations about the world and people around him during his tour.

For anyone interested in this side of the Vietnam War, all three books are a must, and certainly, all three offer something unique that in total present a thorough picture of what it must have been like to be there, a subject of particular interest to me since my father was there too, but he's no longer around to recount his experiences. Of the group, 100 Missions North is the most well-rounded regarding its subject and is certainly a worthy place to begin getting a grasp of life inside the cockpit while flying bombing missions into a region reputed to be the most heavily defended in the history of warfare.

Much is made of the 50% loss rate of Thud crews during Vietnam, and certainly there is plenty of information about combat losses in Ken Bell's book, but the great thing about this book is its macro description of life in a tactical fighter squadron in Vietnam in the fierce 1967-1968 time frame.

I am a long time fan of the F-105 and have read most of the books available about the F-105 and combat in SEA. This book is an interesting one as it is seen through the eyes of a Major (an experienced, mid-level officer) as opposed to Jack Broughton's classics 'Thud Ridge' and 'Going Downtown', which are written from the higher level viewpoint, and the new classic 'When Thunder Rolled', by Ed Rasimus, who went to the Thud (and Vietnam) as a Lieutenant right out of Pilot Training. As such, Bell's '100 Missions North' is right in the middle. If you have the time I would read all three authors, as in combination, you can get the best composite viewpoint.

Bell's writing is strongest in describing everyday events and life in the squadron hooches. I think there is more tactics and flying specific information in the Broughton and Rasimus books (which I love), but Bell is able to make anyone (even someone not familiar with the military, the F-105, or Vietnam) feel like they are right there.

This book should be on the bookshelf of everyone with an interest in military aviation, especially if you happen to love the F-105.

Ken Bell has done an great job of communcating both the story of those who sacrificed so much over North Vietnam and the feel of being there.

For the first time since aircraft went to war Hollywood chose to virtually ignore the drama and terror of the air war in Vietnam. There are no classic movies which will endure for future generations. We are left only with some excellent written accounts of the conflict.

Although I read and enjoyed When Thunder Rolled and a number of other books on the air war in Vietnam I would rate this at the top of the class. Bell not only tells the story but also the emotions from the highs to the lows.

Highly recommended

Just found out this book was back in print!! Now I can finally get my own copy!!!!~yay~

Having, for as long as I can remember, been interested in the Air war over N. Vietnam and the F-105 in particular. I first picked up this book from a local library while in High school.
By that time I had already read Jack Broughton's Two books on the war over Hanoi, Thud Ridge and Going Downtown, which while great books and also among the "must read" category, are written from a quite different perspective than "100 missions north".
Bell writes from the point of veiw of a mid-level officer i.e. he was a major, he had more admin responsibility than the lieutenants and captains, and less "mission time", but the opposite was true when compared to those like Broughton (who was the Vice-wing commander during Bell's tour). So we get a fairly balanced look at life inside of a Tactical Fighter Squadron.

the other reveiws here have cover most of the rest of why i liked, it so i'll let that lay.

Ken Bell has the knack of keeping his audience riveted while imparting a great deal of information. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I was brought up on WWII history so this was particularly interesting for me.

Fascinating too are the descriptions of interactions with the local people - both on the airbase and places where Gen. Bell went on R&R such as Bangkok.

Don't expect heart-searching or apologies for the war - Gen. Bell simply describes it as it was for a fighter pilot on active duty.

A great read.

It seems to me as if stories about the U.S. foot soldier in Vietnam abound, but the Vietnam War was also a war Americans fought fiercely in the air. It stands to reason then that the chronicle of the F105 fighter pilot, who flew the most harrowing missions and suffered the greatest losses, is one of the more significant, albeit under-appreciated, tales worthy of telling. As such, Ken Bells 100 Missions North is an excellent place to dig in to the subject to appreciate a unique, by-gone perspective. Bells first-hand account of the 100 missions he flew as a Thunderchief pilot over north Vietnam in 1966-67 provides a superb, three-dimensional picture of his life at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base north of Bangkok, Thailand, one of two primary facilities for F105s during the war. Aside from the fact that Bell was a major at the time and thus missed out on the opportunity to live dorm-style in a hooch with lower-ranking officers, his story in many ways typifies the life of an F105 pilot of this era. Although his is not the only first-hand account of the F105 pilots experience, it may be the most satisfying.

Thud Ridge, Jack Broughtons account of his tour, for instance, although essential as a piece of F105 fighter pilot history, is not a straightforward chronological account of his experiences. Instead, Broughton picks and chooses subjects for each chapter, so although there is something of a running narrative, the text skips around a bit. Not a big problem but it can be confusing unless youve been a member of a fighter wing. Therefore, I would also say Broughton seems to be writing more to a limited audience, the fellow fighter pilot as well as the military enthusiast; hence, although a good book regarding its subject, Thud Ridge is more for those already with a base knowledge of air war and squadrons.

Another top-notch book but with a broader appeal than Thud Ridge is G.I. Basels Pak Six. Basels book is quite an enjoyable read. He turns a nice phrase, recounts interesting stories, and is easy to follow and understand. Basel also has a good sense of humor that helps the outsider appreciate the F105 fighter pilot mentality. Why then is Pak Six not the first book to pick up on the F105 pilot experience? Just thislength. Pak Six has about half as many pages as 100 Missions North. In spite of the fact that Basels book was a pure pleasure to read, and I finished it in about two days, it nonetheless gets into and out of its subject too quickly. Its good to leave the reader wanting more, but I wanted much more.

It was after I read these two books that I came across 100 Missions North. Bells book is the one I wished Id picked up first. At 300 pages, it provides a detailed, nicely paced, chronological account of the 100 missions he flew. Although he doesnt literally account for all 100 missions, Bell presents the highlights of his most significant missions and discusses life outside the cockpit as well. Like Basel, he is easy to understand and can tell a good story, and like a seasoned writer, is not embarrassed to confess his fears and mistakes while flying missions. Likewise, he provides honest observations about the world and people around him during his tour.

For anyone interested in this side of the Vietnam War, all three books are a must, and certainly, all three offer something unique that in total present a thorough picture of what it must have been like to be there, a subject of particular interest to me since my father was there too, but hes no longer around to recount his experiences. Of the group, 100 Missions North is the most well-rounded regarding its subject and is certainly a worthy place to begin getting a grasp of life inside the cockpit while flying bombing missions into a region reputed to be the most heavily defended in the history of warfare.

Ken Bell's book describes the life of an Air Force fighter pilot during the combat of the 1960s. Many things have changed since then:
- A pilot had a 50% chance of completing a tour (100 missions over North Viet Nam) without getting shot down.
- Targets were often selected for political, not strategic, reasons. Good pilots were lost going after targets of marginal value.

One thing that has not changed is the bravery of the pilots that fly combat and the professionalism and dedication of the maintenance crews that keep the aircraft flying.

Ken Bell documents all this in an excellent manner. You get the feeling that the F-105 is a two-seater with you in the back seat. He is honest about the problems that he encountered, and how he dealt with them.

Ken Bell's story of a tour flying F105 Thunderchiefs in Viet Nam is a masterpiece of the technique of making things dramatic by being understated.
Although, like a number of military writers, he tends to put exclamation points after quoting an order from somebody, none of his own writing hits you in the head. Not in any one sentence. It's the accumulation that is gripping.
Bell, although an experienced fighter pilot, had had no command time and no combat time when he was ordered to Southeast Asia. So while we don't hear much about his problems just keeping the aircraft aloft, we do see him feeling his way through demanding staff jobs in addition to his flying.
This contrasts with Jack Broughton's book, "Thud Ridge" where Broughton is immediately immersed in the problems of command--he'd had earlier command slots--along with the flying.
Very shortly after arriving, Bell was put in charge of standards and evaluation, a job in addition to his flying. It appears that most pilots had such additional taskings. Stan/eval meant keeping the pilots and their flying up to Air Force scratch, modified for local conditions. This had Bell monitoring and evaluating others, sometimes during combat missions, and some of them his seniors. Later, he was put in charge of developing and selling technical and operational modifications to the higher ups. Obviously, his seniors had confidence in him.
The book gives us, as do Coonts' fictional story of Viet Nam flying, and Broughton's books, one each of various missions. We get to see how it all goes.
Bell sets out the immense effort it took to put some bombs in Pak Six. A dozen and a half tankers, a squadron or two of F4s for Mig Cap, SAR on standby, electronic warfare aircraft, recce either before or after. If it works out right, a couple of dozen Thuds put two or three tons of bombs apiece on a target.
Which brings up a point. Some of these major efforts of a major industrial and military power were devoted to a ferry landing site. A ferry landing site!? You could bomb one of those for generations, and until you changed the course of the river by the accumulation of bomb craters, nothing useful would happen.
Lose guys for a ferry landing site?
Or a steel mill. A generating plant?
This was not Germany or Japan during WW II where they were making their own stuff and the manufacturing assets could be destroyed.
Bell only hints at what Broughton explains in outraged detail. Some or most of the targeting decisions were made by non-military geeks playing war games back in the White House.
While we were pissing away men's lives on ferry landing sites, the important targets, Haiphong Harbor, the Hanoi-Haiphong transportation axis, the railroad up to China, were all left alone. It would seem that the propensity to leave a good target alone was directly proportional to its use to the enemy, to the prospects of victory, and the number of American lives which would probably be saved.
Broughton, having a bigger picture as a commander, got sufficiently outraged about such things in "Thud Ridge" as to make that part of his book, and all of his later book, "Going Downtown, The Air War against Washington and Hanoi".
Another point that Bell makes, not meaning to, I expect, is the incredible complexity of flying combat.
He speaks of landing just behind his lead. Lead reminds him to pop his drag chute immediately and to tell him when the chute is working so lead can pop his. If lead goes first and decelerates quickly, number two runs into him. So Two pops the chute first and tells lead who then pops his. There are a million little ways to screw up and get somebody killed. And you have to be watching all the time. It puts one in mind of Kipling's poem about the extremely young naval officers of WW I, referring to the "drowsy second's lack of thought that costs a dozen dead."
Great book to learn about the war in Southeast Asia and the men who flew in it.
And it also gives us, inadvertently, an insight into fighting a guerilla war with conventional tactics. You end up losing guys to bomb a ferry landing site.

This is not the type of book I usually read (War stories). It was recommended by a friend. It sat in a stack of unread books for a few weeks. I finally started to read. I was mesmerized, I could not put it down!!!! I felt as if I was right there with the author! It is a good mixture of what the war was like for this pilot, his revelry, his mind set. I have read it twice, it flows easy, and sets on the mind well. Read It!!

Gen Bell writes it and you feel like you are there with him during the events he writes about. It is similar to G.I. Basel's Pak Six ( another must read). I've also read both of Col Broughton's Books and they are also "must reads" as well, but 100 Missions is a personal view of his experiences. I remembered the name Ken Bell from hearing about a mission he flew together with Col Broughton (and about ran of of fuel if I remember right), so knew that I had to buy this book. I am not quite done with the book and could easily read it non-stop, but want to savor it because it is that good. You get some interesting read ins to some of the personell that were at Takhli. I know I had an opinion of Col Scott ( not a positive one) and it will be interesting to read more about Maj Bell's thoughts of him in the book.
Though a Major when the book begins basically, he had no combat experience; wen to Nellis AFB for the fighter weapons school and then to SEA. His writing shows what goes on in his mind, his fears and doubts about the future and also the excitement of seeing combat. He tells about his mistakes and what he learns as he flys into RP6A and becomes a real weapon for the U.S. Air Force.