Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.