RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam (Osprey Combat Aircraft 12) [Paperback]

Peter Mersky (Author), Tom Tullis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Combat Aircraft | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Although the Crusader was built first and foremost as a Navy interceptor, as has often been the tradition with US fighters, a photo-reconnaissance variant was also produced by Vought. The photo-bird's first operational test came in the autumn of 1962 when its overflights of Cuba alerted the world to the likely presence of medium-range ballistic missiles on the Caribbean island. The recce Crusader's next action came during the long years of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). This volume is the second of two in the Combat Aircraft series devoted to the Crusader, the first title (again by Peter Mersky) having covered the F-8 fighter variants, and their MiG-killing exploits, during the Vietnam War.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

About the Author

Retired US Navy officer Peter Mersky is a full time editor of the US Navy’s aircraft safety magazine, and author of Combat Aircraft 7 F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855327821
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327825
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RF-8 Crusader Over Cuba And Vietnam, by Peter Mersky, August 16, 2001

By 

Jerome H. Nolan (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam (Osprey Combat Aircraft 12) (Paperback)

This is a very good book that provides a lot of information on a little-known aircraft that served faithfully for nearly 30 years. The author first provides a detailed account of Navy and Marine RF-8 recon missions over Cuba during the 1962 Missile Crisis. The text and photos in this section alone justified my purchase of the book. Mr. Mersky also does an outstanding job describing the aircraft's service during the Vietnam war, using accounts from the pilots who flew the missions and photo interpreters who analyzed the film. There's a very good assortment of B&W/color photos and color profiles of the RF-8's in various squadron colors. My only complaint about the book is the six-page account of the 1966 fire aboard USS Oriskany. This was a great narrative but not really pertinent to the book's subject. The author could've used that space to include details of the RF-8's post-Vietnam service until its 1987 retirement from the Naval Air Reserve. But aside from that criticism I was very satisfied with the book. It's a balanced combination of statistics and stories and I strongly recommend it to anybody who wants to learn more about combat photo reconnaissance.

4.0 out of 5 stars You've seen the movie, now read the book!, May 23, 2001

By 

John Brennan (GUNDAROO, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam (Osprey Combat Aircraft 12) (Paperback)

A topical subject with the release of the movie '13 days', about the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. RF-8 Crusaders were used extensively by the US to keep track of the missile sites and installations. Peter Mersky again produces an easy to read record of the aircraft, pilots and operations of a classic warplane. The section on the Cuban crisis will probably not be enough given the attention focussed on it by the above movie, but in the scheme of things, it must have been easier to find information on the Vietnam operations. Either way, this is a quality book from a reliable and enthusiatic author. Great attention to detail really sells the books in this series.