Customer Reviews

Clashes: Air Combat Over North Vietnam, 1965-1972

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best book on air combat in SEA during the VietNam War that I've ever seen (and I've seen a few). Michel mixes discussion at the strategic level (the decisions about what targets to hit and how hard)with the actual pilot-level action that occurred. Mr. Michel unashamedly approaches the two disparate theories held by the USAF and the USN in how to handle air-to-air combat and strike mission planning. The USAF saw the air-to-air loss rates as a problem with the technology. The USN saw the loss rates as a problem with pilot training. Not surprisingly, the USN loss ratios improved dramatically a year after the creation of its TopGun air-to-air combat academy, whereas the USAF saw only a minimal improvement in its missile technology.

One interesting point is this: even though both the USAF and the USN flew the F-4 Phantom, the Navy missiles wouldn't work on the USAF planes because of a difference in the launch rails. The problem was in the way that the Sidewinder seeker was cooled prior to launch. The Navy took one approach to solve the problem and the USAF took another. The Navy did indeed have a better missile, and when one USAF wing commander demanded that he be supplied with Navy Sidewinders for air-to-air combat, he was severely disappointed to find out that he couldn't have them due to disparate technologies.

This isn't a "There I was at 20,000 feet.." type of book. Its more of a "Oyster Flight was on BarCap at 20,000 feet on Route Package VI when Red Crown vectored them to a pair of MiG-21s launching from Phuc Yen..." type of book. Still, it is very exciting reading for avaition enthusiasts and air combat students. There is a careful analysis of each engagement and diagrams are included to illustrate typical strike formations and ECM coverage zones. Very well done.

This book is an excellent account of the "corporate" deficiencies of the USAF in the late 60's and early 70's. The deficiencies of the air-to-air missiles in the Vietnam war are strikingly similar to the deficiencies of the torpedos in the USN in the first two years of WWII. Equally striking was the smug attitude of the service about the superiority of US aircraft ("The F-86 had a 13:1 kill ratio over the MiG-15. Who cares that they slaughtered the F-84s?") and the poor pilot training that occurred for both USAF and USN F-4 drivers. The MiG-21 was indeed a nasty surprise. With a higher thrust-to-weight ratio and a lower wing loading, it could both out-accelerate and out-turn F-105s and F-4s. The only American advantage was a higher clean top speed, and external ordinance stores and fuel tanks often abrogated this. The MiG-21 had poor visibility, and a short range, but was an excellent point defense interceptor that transitioned well from bomber defense to dog fighting. (As an aside to the book, with modern electronics, the MiG-21/Lancer and MiG-21/2000 are excellent low-cost fighters today, but each air-air missile will cost you as much as the airframe!) The book details both the combat adaptations that worked (jamming pods, IFF interrogators) and the effective efforts of the USN and criminal negligence of the USAF (and I write as an ex-USAF officer) to improve dog fighting capabilities between the end of Rolling Thunder in 1968 and Linebacker I/II in 1972. The Navy instituted the Top Gun school and made effective modifications to the AIM-9 Sidewinder - the Air Force made a couple of ineffective changes to the AIM-9 and some moderately good ones to the AIM-7, though much of the better performance of the latter during Linebacker was due to higher engagement altitudes resulting from the use of laser guided bombs for the strike packages. He does make the point in the end that the USAF attitude improved after Vietnam when the junior officers of that war increased in seniority and that the introduction of AWACS and trading top speed for maneuverability and visibility in the new generation of fighters cured many of the deficiencies seen in the Vietnam war. A minor objection is that the book does not refer to officers below general rank by name.

Michell not only covers the US effort, he also reports on what the North Vietnamese did. Though this story is not part of his main narrative, he shows that the NVN Air Force fought hard, learned from their mistakes, and tried to make the best use possible from their MiGs and SAMs. Two points Michell never makes : first, any NVN pilot who successfully bailed out would land in his home country and would be able to get back into a cockpit; US pilots could only do so if they were rescued, a very complex operation that might involve additional losses. Second, if any NVN pilot did decide to go beyond the GCI-controlled airspace, they might be tempted to defect. Possible? Couldn't rule it out : NVN ground troops defected, and a couple of North Korean pilots have done so over the years. This book is highly recommended not only for those interested in the Vietnam War, but also those interested in the development of aerial tactics and weaponry.

Best book yet on the air war over North Vietnam. Using a host of recently declasified information, Col. Michel has done a fabulous job of producing an even-handed look at the Air Force and Navy's failures and triumphs in SEA. A few minor technical errors (IE: follow-on SA-2 used optical TRACKING not optical guidance) do not distract from this well written book - a must have for the serious aviation buff.

In about 300 pages, "Clashes" packs an engrossing account of air-to-air combat during the Vietnam War. This detailed, analytical chronicle of the air war from 1965 to 1972 has the vividness of a first person narrative. Other pluses include a good index, glossary, bibliography, and clear diagrams and charts.

This book explodes the notion that U.S. pilots' woes over the skies of Vietnam stemmed from political meddling from Washington. Such meddling existed and caused confusion, but Mitchel demonstrates that the big problems were of the military's own making:

* Poor weapons. The story of the sad performance of the Vietnam War era Sidewinder and Sparrow air-to-air missiles is well known. Mitchel's depiction of these failures in scores of air-to-air encounters makes a poignant effect of the reader. * Insufficient training. To meet manpower requirements, the Air Force, according to Mitchel, cut back on air-to-air training and lowered standards. * Improper tactics. Mitchel takes the Air Force to task for clinging to the "fluid four" fighter formation, even in the face of evidence that this formation put U.S. pilots at a severe tactical disadvantage. The Navy's "loose deuce" fighter formation was rejected...because it was a Navy fighter formation.

Such a short summary does "Clashes" an injustice. Like other good military histories, this book leaves the reader convinced that courage and suppleness of mind and body are a warrior's most important weapons. I recommend "Clashes" to fellow military history buffs. My one "picknit" is that Mitchel does not identify the pilots in the numerous air-to-air encounters by name.

This is an outstanding and objective book about a much mis-represented subject. Many accounts of the air war in Viet Nam (though perhaps accurate) seem like books from people with an axe to grind, or at least can leave the impression that they may or may not be fully objective. This book tries very hard to leave you with the impression that the author has no personal agenda. His analysis of the failings of the air-to-air weaponry is both objective and insightful. While I enjoy the charged narrative of the typical Viet Nam air war book that is usually written by a former fighter pilot who thinks that his airplane would have been invincible, if only President Johnson would have given the permission, this book is much more realistic and sobering. I am pleased that the author did not take the easy road and solely accuse the Administration of incompetance yet again. While the problems of the Viet Nam war can largly be blamed on the Administration, one must not overlook the role that the military planners had in preventing US combat personel from obtaining the proper tools of the trade. In the post Gulf War age of "smart bombs," you will be shocked to learn that US air-to-air missiles had less than a 15% success rate and that the cannon was the most successful air-to-air weapon, statistically. You will be more shocked to learn that the Air Force fought tooth-and-nail to keep guns off of their fighters because dogfighting was seen as "unsafe" by Air Force brass. I think some Air Force personel may be upset by the obvious conclusions that the book draws regarding AF short-sightedness and stubborness toward defending their own policies, but it is one of the few books that regards the Naval F-8 community as anything more than out-moded gunfighter hold-outs. Many books about the air war don't even mention the fact that the F-8 had the highest kill ratio of the war, much less discuss why that might be so. (Hint: In the Navy, it led to the Top Gun school.) This book is a must read for anyone interested in the subject, and certainly if you've read Scream of Eagles, or On Yankee Station you will love this book. Now that is has been 25 years since Viet Nam, and the US has fought a "popular" war, maybe more refreshingly objective books about the war will be forthcoming.

"Clashes:Air Combat over North Vietnam 1965-1972" is the best book I have ever read on aerial combat over North Vietnam and one of the best books I have read on aerial combat in general. It provides an excellent analysis of what went right and what went wrong in the skies over North Vietnam. I was truly amazed to read how often the air to air missiles, especialliy the AIM-7 Sparrow, malfunctioned. For anyone interested in aerial combat, this excellent book is a must!

... No psycho-drama authorship trying to turn historical facts into "entertaining history". This book takes the documented history of the Vietnam air war, thoughtfully analyzes the data, and presents rational conclusions that can be used as lessons for the future. This is "intelligent history" at its best. Well-done!

Clashes deals with the air war over North Vietnam, something I've had a fascination with for some time. Why, because I wanted to understand why servicemen were put into a dangerous position and what did really happen. To help answer this, Col. Michel takes on the entire air war over North Vietnam (Rolling Thunder, Linebacker I, and Linebacker II). Rather than looking at it from the cockpit view (ala Thud Ridge: F-105 Thunderchief missions over Vietnam or When Thunder Rolled), Col. Michel takes us up to the operations level and provides a good high level breakdown of many of the raids and the engagements between fighters and the North Vietnamese air defenses. The book is divided into two parts (Rolling Thunder and Linebacker) with subsections focusing on different components (both parts use equipment used, early engagements, later engagements, and summary). In each of subsection, Col. Michel does a very good job describing what is occurring and what the Americans and North Vietnamese are doing. In addition to describing engagements, Col. Michel does a great job describing the involvement of EC-121's (College Eye/Disco) and Red Crown (a naval ship controlling the fighters) and their impact on the fight. Unlike other history's, Clashes does not name the pilots involved, rather their radio call signs are used.

Parts I Loved:
Clashes gives us much information about the aircraft involved, the abilities of the men flying them (their training and tactics), and the environment they're fighting in. I loved the drawings, they do an excellent job showing the differences between a fluid four and a loose deuce. I also loved Col. Michel including the technical aspects; performance test of captured MiG's, the Command and Control aspect (often overlooked), and the power and effect of jamming.

Parts I Wish Were a Little Stronger:
Iron Hand missions were a little on the weak side. I have a love and fondness for Wild Weasels and wish that more had been brought out about their support of the missions and how they operated (I'm sorry, this was weak in comparison to the attention paid to Chaff bombers). I also wish more had been brought out about rescue missions and the work they did there.

Bottom Line
Rating wise, this is a very solid 4.5 star book. I am giving it the node to 5 for Amazon purposes, but for my personal rating I can't rate it up there with Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific by Eric Bergerud (I'm sorry, Fire in the Sky is my personal favorite or telling the story of an air war. Clashes though is right behind it!). I understand why Col. Michel focused heavily on the air-to-air engagements and for the insight he provides there this a solid 5 star book. No matter, if you want to know about the Vietnam Air War (mainly in Pack's 5 and 6), then this is the book for you.

Out of necessity, I've become a student on the subject of the Vietnam air war. "Clashes" is the now my number one resource for facts concerning the events of that era. One of the most detailed texts I've found. It's also very readable! If you're interested in air combat, of any generation, the turn-by-turn accounts of the actual "dogfights" is worth the price alone.