Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Robert F. Dorr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2005

Real-life stories from the pilots and the passengers.

From its first use in military operations, during a rescue mission behind enemy lines in 1944, to its crucial role in Vietnam, to the Black Hawk combat copters in the current war on terror, the helicopter changed the face of aviation-and the face of warfare. Whether they are bringing supplies and medical help or coming to the rescue of trapped soldiers, the modern battlefield could not function without them.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This history of American helicopters in combat manages to be both readable and comprehensive. Comprehensive because it provides not only narratives of operations but also technical data on the machines used in those operations, from Burma in 1944, where early Sikorskis flew, to contemporary Afghanistan, in which late Sikorskis have figured. Readable because it is a series of narratives by actual helicopter operators charged with, for instance, rescuing British wounded and American liaison pilots in Burma, and moving Special Operations troops in Afghanistan. In between are accounts, always accompanied by illustrations of all the hardware, of medevacs in Korea, the seminal consequences of air mobility in Vietnam, and the successive generations of deadly gunships, ending with the Apaches and SuperCobras now serving in southwest Asia. A model popular military reference. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Compiled by noted historian and aviation expert Robert F. Dorr, Chopper features first-hand accounts of the helicopter's evolution in times of war. The only oral history of its kind, filled with photographs, it is a handsome volume that will earn a prominent place on the bookshelves of military history readers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• ISBN-10: 0425202739
• ASIN: B000IMV8A6
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert F. Dorr, 71, is an author (1955- ); an Air Force veteran (1957-60); and a retired senior Foreign Service officer (a diplomat; 1964-89). He has three books currently in print. The newest is "MISSION TO BERLIN,":about the Americans who fought in one of the largest aerial battles of World War II.

He is the author of 70 books and thousands of magazine articles about the Air Force, aviation and military affairs. He writes a weekly opinion column for Air Force Times, monthly columns for Combat Aircraft, Air International and Aerospace America magazines, and a quarterly column for Air Power History, which he helped create. His first paid magazine article was in the November 1955 Air Force magazine when he was fifteen. He wrote 1,700 history columns for all four Military Times newspapers from 2000 to 2009.

Bob Dorr's other books in print are "HELL HAWKS,"" co-authored with Thomas D. Jones, a history of a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter group in World War II and "AIR FORCE ONE," a history of presidential aircraft.

He is a private pilot and parachutist and has flown aboard most current Air Force aircraft. Bob Dorr lives in Oakton, Virginia with his wife Young Soon, a career government worker, and their Labrador retriever, Autumn. They have two grown sons with families.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great read, September 15, 2005

By 

Maj Harold B. Edge (alabama, usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror (Hardcover)

Mr.Dorr should be commended for the research he has done on the history of the helicopter in combat. The book is put together better than any I have read, especially on it's combat use in Vietnam. Once started reading, I couldn't put it down. Writing in the first person gives you an unbias account of what the helicopter can accomplish in combat. It is enlighting to read about man and machine. No matter how good one is, it takes both to make it reach it's true potential. Mr. Dorr's account really brings that out in his Book. I'm looking forward to his next publication.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Eggbeaters to Choppers, August 21, 2005

By 

R. Maule - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror (Hardcover)

Author Bob Dorr has a passion for military aircraft, and that passion is evident in his most recent book, "Chopper." The book, as promised in its subtitle, takes the reader from the earliest relatively primitive "eggbeaters" in Burma during World War II, through Korea, Vietnam, and up to today's advanced helicopters now active in Iraq. As usual, Bob has impeccably researched his subject, not only by pursuit of the existing written word, but through extensive interviews and actual flights in some of the ships.

There are two sets of heroes in this work. First of all are the helicopters which have proved themselves invaluable on the battle field, as observation platforms, as medical evacuation workhorses, as troop transports, as gun platforms. The author places useful sidebars providing technical information about each of the helicopters he discusses. Some helicopters were truly heroic birds - keeping in the air no matter how much incoming ordinance they received. But it is the other set of heroes that make this book fascinating to the general reader. These are the human heroes, the pilots and crews of helicopters fighting in many theaters. Bob Dorr conducted seventy seven interviews with these incredible men, and accurately records their accounts of helicopter missions. All retain the actual words of the aviators. Some accounts are thoughtful, almost philosophical; accounts by more recent aviators are less so, some sounding a little like teenagers discussing their newest video game. But all demonstrate the skill and valor of men fighting in the nation's uniform. Some missions are described alternately by several actors, each from a different view point. The author helps the reader keep up with these transitions by useful "Who's Who" sidebars.

If I were to fault the book in any way, it is to note the absence of a Table of Contents. The publisher was unhelpful by deleting the Table that the author had submitted with his manuscript.

I recommend this book not only to those with specific interest in helicopters, but also to the general reader who will be interested in, and educated by, the first person accounts of the adventure, adrenalin and dangers of military aviation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chopper, November 8, 2005

By 

Roberta S. Walker (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror (Hardcover)

I own and have read a number of books by military author and historian, Robert F. Dorr. Chopper is, by far, the best.

Starting with "eggbeaters" in Burma and continuing through the "snake" in Iraq, Dorr lets the pilots and crews tell their own stories. The stories include a father-and-son combination as well as the memories of fixed-wing aircraft pilots suddenly assigned to fly helicopters. As the pilots and crews recount their experiences, the humor of military personnel in tough situations spreads through the pages.

Dorr has amassed an amazing collection of photographs that accompany the narrative, making it easy and fascinating to follow the development of helicopters from 1945 to the present day. Chapter sidebars telling the reader who's who add to the readability.

This book is a pleasure to read. I recommend it without reservation.