Air Commando One : Heinie Aderholt And America's Secret Air Wars [Hardcover]

Warren A. Trest (Author)

Book Description

Series: Smithsonian History of Aviation Series | Publication Date: April 17, 2000

Air-dropping agents deep behind enemy lines in clandestine night missions during the Korean War, commanding secret flights into Tibet in 1960 to support the anticommunist guerilla uprising, participating in plans for the 1962 Bay of Pigs invasion—even before the escalation of the Vietnam War, Brigadier General Harry C. “Heinie” Aderholt worked at the heart of both the U.S. Air Force and CIA special operations worldwide. In 1964 he became commander of the famed First Air Commando Wing, fighting to build up special operations capabilities among the American and South Vietnamese airmen. In 1966 and 1967 he and his men set the record for interdicting the flow of enemy trucks over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and North Vietnam.

Drawing on official records, personal papers, and interviews with Aderholt and many who worked with him, Air Force historian Warren A. Trest details the life and career of this charismatic, unconventional military leader who has become a legend of the Cold War Air Force. He tells how Aderholt’s vigorous support of low-flying, propeller-driven aircraft and nonnuclear munitions pitted him against his superiors, who were steeped in doctrines of massive retaliation and “higher and faster” tactical air power. In the mid-1960s Aderholt’s clash with Seventh Air Force Commander General William W. Momyer reflected a schism that still exists between the traditional Air Force and its unconventional special operations wings. The book also integrates U.S. Air Force and CIA accounts of some of the most pivotal events of the past fifty years.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Air Force General Aderholt was the driving force behind the formation of the Air Commandos during and after the Korean War. Historian Trest, who has written over 50 official Air Force histories, tells the story of the development of the Air Commandos, the Air Force's special operations unit. During and after the Vietnam War, the Air Commandos' air missions included special cargo and personnel airdrops, combat missions using specialized aircraft, and intelligence and other missions for the U.S. military and the CIA. Aderholt also had to fight to protect the unit from other Air Force leaders, who thought it was out of step with the world of more conventional and exotic tactics and weapons systems. Informed readers in military aviation and/or history should be interested in this biographical account of Aderholt's Air Force career. This book could be well received by libraries with military special forces collections.
-Terry L. Wirick, Erie Cty. Lib. Syst., PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Informed readers in military aviation and/or history should be interested in this biographical account of Aderholt's Air Force career.”—Library Journal

“In this grandly entertaining work, Trest, a former air force historian . . . puts interviews, archival material and recent scholarship to careful use.”—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books; 1 edition (April 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156098807X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560988076
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring Hero, August 5, 2000

By 

James E. Parker, Jr (Pinehurst,N.C. Retired from the CIA Directorate of Operations and author of Covert Ops and Last Man Out.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Commando One : Heinie Aderholt And America's Secret Air Wars (Hardcover)

In the murky history of US special operations few soldiers stand out as prominently as General Heinie Aderholt; few served so broadly, so effectively. In unconventional situations he got the job done often through the sheer power of his personality. Whether matching the easy gait of CIA case officers and the more rigid stride of USAF brass, Heinie got the job done. He merge the different special ops cultures and focused their resources. For those of us who worked the unconventional side of war, Heinie is a hero. Likeable, energetic, moral, patriotic and interesting, Heinie made getting the job done fun. AIR COMMANDO ONE is a wonderful chronicle on the life and career of this extraordinary man. It will be mandatory reading for future managers of special operations. Written by a USAF historian in Air Force esoterica, the best parts for me, a non-USAF vet, were the quotes attributed to Heinie. They are right on. You'll get a sense of the man's soul by reading his quotations. He was a soldier's soldier, a strong leader who simply got difficult jobs done. AIR COMMANDO ONE tells you how. A must read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Man Who Makes A Difference: Always, December 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Commando One : Heinie Aderholt And America's Secret Air Wars (Hardcover)

Heinie is a legend but not from others tales of his exploits. Heine is leader respected for his legendary achievements; some of which yet remain classified. A leader formost who undertood his men because he always remained one of them. No matter how severe the circumstance Heinie created success by unique applications in unconventional operations.

At Nakhon Phanom for example, on the border of Laos, Heinie founded and commanded the 56th Air commando Wing into a unique force to interdict the flow of men and materials down the trails in Laos. Making the rounds nightly he remained close with his troops of all rank in a bond seldom seen where thoughts were exchanged because of mutual respect. Heinie slept less than most and almost always in his fatigues or flightsuit.

General Aderholt's life story is compelling and well written and he continues today to make a difference in Southeast Asia. In October 2002 returning to Nakhon Phanom, Heinie procured a container of medical and school supplies with the Thailand Laos Cambodia Brotherhood and to dedicate a monument being built to honor the fallen American and Thai forces in the Vietnam War.

The Legend Continues... read it.

John Sweet
56th Special Operations Wing
Tactical Units Operations Center
Nakhon Phanom
Air Commando # 2924

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The patron saint of unconventional warfare, January 16, 2003

By 

Roger Warner (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Air Commando One : Heinie Aderholt And America's Secret Air Wars (Hardcover)

During the Vietnam era, Heinie Aderholt was U.S. air force's patron saint of low-cost, bare-knuckled, unconventional warfare. He was one of two men -- the other being his longtime friend, the CIA's Bill Lair -- to put his personal stamp on the huge covert program in Laos, and had there been more Aderholts and Lairs, events might have turned out differently. As it was, Aderholt had to labor during his entire career under a military system that was not flexible enough, or responsive enough, for a man of his remarkable talents. But he did his duty, and then some. The Air Force historian Warren Trest has done Aderholt justice with this book; and there's some especially interesting material on Aderholt's loyal opposition, from within, to the way the Vietnam war was run.