Crosswinds: The Air Force's Setup in Vietnam (Texas A & M University Military History) [Hardcover]

Earl H., Jr. Tilford (Author), Caroline F. Ziemke (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Texas A & M University Military History | Publication Date: June 1993

"Tilford exposes the generals' tunnel-vision. . . . He demolishes the myth that the 1972 ‘Christmas bombing' brought Hanoi to its knees . . . . His controversial thesis is that the bombing of the North and the interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail were in no way decisive and that USAF leadership obtusely failed to perceive that North Vietnam, an agricultural nation, was simply not susceptible to strategic bombing."—Publishers Weekly ". . . . hard hitting study on the failure of American air power in the Vietnam War . . . . The acute intellectual content of the book and the author's engaging writing style make the book easy to recommend."—Armed Forces Journal International

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this provocative reevaluation of U.S. Air Force strategy in Vietnam, Tilford exposes the generals' tunnel-vision in regard to the vaunted but dubious doctrine of strategic bombing, according to which warplanes fly deep into the enemy's territority in order to disable its industrial capacity. He demolishes the myth that the 1972 "Christmas bombing" brought Hanoi to its knees and that military victory was within reach if only "the politicians" had unleashed the Air Force's total power. His controversial thesis is that the bombing of the North and the interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail were in no way decisive and that USAF leadership obtusely failed to perceive that North Vietnam, an agricultural nation, was simply not susceptible to strategic bombing. Not only was the Air Force unable to develop a strategy appropriate to the war, he contends, it never articulated any coherent strategy. Tilford is a professor of military history at the Air Force Command and Staff College.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Since the end of the Vietnam War, the Air Force has nurtured two articles of faith: that the failure of American air power could be blamed entirely on politicians, the press, and the antiwar movement, which restricted full employment of resources to "win the war"; and that when finally unshackled in late 1972, the Christmas bombings, codenamed Linebacker II, proved that success would have been possible from 1965 on. In this excellent, readable history of air power operations in Vietnam, retired Air Force officer and historian Tilford, author of an outstanding earlier book on air rescue operations during the war, effectively challenges both myths. He places the primary blame on the Air Force's failure to develop a coherent strategy appropriate to the war that it faced. Supporting a similar argument in Mark Clodfelter's The Limits of Air Power (1969), this book will further stir controversy. Essential for anyone interested in the military strategy of the war.
- Joe P. Dunn, Converse Coll., Spartanburg, S.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press; First Edition edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890965315
• ISBN-13: 978-0890965313
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Student of Military History, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Crosswinds: The Air Force's Setup in Vietnam (Texas A & M University Military History) (Hardcover)

As a student at Texas A&M University taking a course in American Military History I cannot recommend any other book higher in the subject of the Air Force's role in Vietnam. From begining to end this book details policies, aircraft, and general deployments of bases in and around Vietnam. Additionally, this book is written on a higher educational level which allows for a more concise and accurate description of what the author is trying to convey. As a general history book I recommend Big Story by Peter Braestrup. However, if you wish to learn more about the Air Force specifically this book goes into greater detail throughout the entire war.