Flying from the Black Hole: The B-52 Navigator-bombardiers of Vietnam [Hardcover]

Robert O. Harder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2009

U.S. Air Force navigators and bombardiers have long labored under the shadow of pilots, their contributions misunderstood or simply unknown to the public. This was especially the case with the B-52 non-pilot aircrews in the Vietnam War. Yet, without them, it would have been impossible to execute nuclear war strike plans or fly conventional bombing sorties. With this book, one of their own reveals who these men were and what they did down in the Black Hole of the B-52 bomber. It is the only work to detail the B-52 air war in Vietnam from the perspective of a navigator-bombardier. The book's opening thrusts the reader into the thick of the war's climactic 1972 Hanoi Christmas bombing, an operation so poorly planned that it nearly became a disaster of epic proportions. The author then offers a history of the development of bombing techniques and the evolution of bomber aircraft, focusing on the Vietnam-era B-52. Final chapters return readers to the eleven-day Christmas War over Hanoi and Haiphong for an insider's view of that defining battle, described by the author as the last massed, heavy bomber raid the world will ever see. The author brings the book to a close with a discussion of the B-52 and its capabilities in the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert O. Harder, an active-duty U.S. Air Force officer from 1966 to 1970, served in the Strategic Air Command and flew 145 combat missions during the Vietnam War as a B-52D navigator-bombardier. He later became a commercial pilot and certificated flight instructor. Now a retired chain retail executive, he lives in Chicago

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press; 1 edition (May 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591143594
• ISBN-13: 978-1591143598
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Perspective from the Vietnam War, July 13, 2009

By 

J. Rudy "Major, USAF" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flying from the Black Hole: The B-52 Navigator-bombardiers of Vietnam (Hardcover)

The front dust jacket of the book claims "[i]t is the only work to detail the B-52 air war in Vietnam from the perspective of a navigator-bomber." I cannot speak to the veracity of this claim, but Robert Harder scores a `shack' with this outstanding work.

The book begins with the obligatory background on the B-52 covering topics such as the training regimen; and technical specs on the different variants of the B-52 (A through G) models. Harder also introduces the reader to the lingo associated with the BUFF (a term of endearment meaning Big Ugly Fat Fellow).

No discussion of B-52s during the Vietnam War would be complete without a discussion on the Strategic Air Command and the role the strategic bomber force. Along with this background information, Harder provides insightful analysis of the deployment of B-52 variants; and the basing options used during the war. He also examines the tactical employment of three-ship strike packages.

The book focuses on two missions that B-52s supported - Arc Light and Linebacker II. Arc Light was the name given to B-52 operations providing close air support in South Vietnam (and later Cambodia & Laos). Harder actually flew Arc Light missions during the war, so he speaks with a voice of authority. Rather than tell the story as a memoir, he uses a fictional scenario to illustrate a typical Arc Light mission.

Linebacker II was the bombardment campaign of North Vietnam that is credited with bringing them back to the Paris Peace Talks in 1973. Along the historical accounting of the bombing missions, Harder revisits the fictional Blue Three crew and what they would have experienced in the intervening years.

The final chapter of the book "The Twenty-First Century Buf/BUFF" has a few debatable assertions (such as the F-22 as a replacement for the F-117), and a few typographical errors (continued use of JADM when referencing the Joint Direct Attack Munition).

The book will be a treasure for the casual reader. The material is written at a perfect level for readers looking for an introduction to the B-52. It's written with enough detail to cover the material, yet not too much to be boring. It also helped that Harder sprinkled a lot of humor throughout the book.

In 1997, the Air Force Chief of Staff included Jack Broughton's "Thud Ridge: F-105 Thunderchief missions over Vietnam" on his recommended reading list. This book should be on par with that book in offering another perspective on Vietnam War aviation. It offers insightful analysis into the operational employment of B-52s. Not only does it look at the history of the BUFF employment, it offers candid analysis of what went wrong and how the operational planners fixed the problems. These lessons are 30 years old, but they continue to illustrate the importance of knowing when to break with established doctrine and use a little creativity.

Thanks to Robert Harder for sharing his story and that of his fellow "Black Holers".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, June 9, 2009

By 

real reader (MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying from the Black Hole: The B-52 Navigator-bombardiers of Vietnam (Hardcover)

From personal war time experience Harder spins a compelling and informative story about the giant B-52 and the vital but unsung role navigators played in every successful mission. For the military buff there are the crucial technical details while the general reader will be absorbed by the danger and even romance of military flight. This is a wonderful read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Back Memories, August 20, 2009

By 

James M. Dakins "Jim Dakins" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flying from the Black Hole: The B-52 Navigator-bombardiers of Vietnam (Hardcover)

It is tough to describe a typical B-52 Arc Light mission. Some went as planned, but most involved some mix of malfunctioning equipment, detours around thunder storms, turbulence at the refueling point, and ECM/evasive actions on the bomb run. Many, particularly the 12 hour flight out of Guam, were both physically and mentally demanding. Bob Harder describes the Nav-Bomb Arc Light experience from Anderson, Kadena and Utpao superbly, as only someone who had been there could. But this book offers so much more. The history related to aerial navigation and aerial bombardment is extremely well researched and the description of "sitting alert" with nuclear weapons is dead on. Still, for me, the Linebacker Two story pays for the book as a standalone. Bob paints a vivid picture of the long odds that confronted the Line Backer Crews and explains just how magnificently they performed. Thanks Bob for telling the story and thanks to the Linebackers for carrying that load.