Customer Reviews

Mig Killers of Yankee Station

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This book describes all of the Navy Air-to-Air encounters in Viet Nam, successes as well as failures. The author tells of what went right as well as what went wrong; and the elations and frustrations that resulted. Some of his conclusions will not make people happy, but those conclusions are well researched and documented. Mr. O'Connor also discusses the political and strategic climate throughout the war as related to the air battles. This gives the reader a more complete picture of the air war.
My pilot and I were officially credited with shooting down a MIG-21 in North Viet Nam, and are mentioned in this book. The account of the mission, as well as the other events surrounding it, was accurate to the best of my knowledge.
This book is a great read. It puts everything in perspective for both those who were there as well as those who weren't.

I was a Navy Photographer ,Stationed aboard the Bon Homme Richard CVA31. During that time I made 3 Vietnam cruises aboard the Bonny Dick. I lived and experienced what is talked about in this book It does a great job discribing what it was like. I have several photographes in this book, which I gave Mike in helping him to show what the pilots and crew members went through on Yankee Station. We need more booke like this published. I would be glad to assist anyone interested in working on this subject matter. We need more books and perhaps a movie on the experience of the carrier pilots and the brave sailors aboard those carriers.

MiG Killers Of Yankee Station by military aviation expert Michael O'Connor is a riveting, comprehensively researched account of the Navy's MiG airwar in Southeast Asia. Filled with interviews and conversations with carrier pilots who fought in the Vietnam War, featuring black-and-white photographs on every page, and enhanced with few original color works of art, as well as an in-depth narration revealing just what it was like to fight and risk one's life in the skies, MiG Killers Of Yankee Station is very highly recommended for Military Aviation enthusiasts and American Military History reference collections.

Mike O'Connor rates five stars for this excellent view of tailhook MiG killers. Aside from the high production values and tremendous variety of photos, paintings and maps, the text not only corrects some of the official record, but updates it as well. The Navy history office has concentrated increasingly on Vietnam subjects in recent years, and would have been well advised to publish this book itself.

Debrief: an indispensable resource for those interested in the Vietnam air war.

Author O'Connor is to be commended for his painstaking efforts to preserve for the record the stories of some of Ameraca's truely great heros during a time when almost no one appreciated their service, sacrafice, or professional competence.

United States Naval Aviators, during the Vietnam War years were a select group of men. Navy carrier pilots were even more select. "Mig Killers of Yankee Station" is the story of navy fighter jocks who flew off of the carrier decks in Tonkin Gulf who actually met and defeated the enemy in the air. Written in their own words or the words of surviving family members or squadron mates O'Conner captures the the feelings of elation and apprehension these men felt in performing their duties amidst hostile skies and political ineptatude. .Each printed page allows the reader to experience the sight of burstin flack and SAMs, the smell of JP-5 and sea air, the feel of cold sweat running down your back on a nightime carrier approach or the frustration of malfunctioning guns or missiles in combat.

The book is generously filled with photographs and colorful illustrations depecting the men, ships and aircraft that made the history of those troubled times. After thirty years,in an America that wants to forget there ever was a Vietnam War,O'Connors work stands out as the most comprehensive coverage of these devoted warriors to date.

This book is a fantastic history of the US Navy's MiG battles during the Vietnam War. Covering all the engagements from 1965 through 1973, there is a wealth of detail and insight provided. Commentary and interviews with the pilots who took part is provided throughout. In addition, there are a great number of photos of the pilots and there planes provided.

Perhaps one of the more interesting and fascinating aspects of this book is the inclusion of the developments in tactics, training, and weapons back in the states. There is a considerable amount of information provided covering the "Ault Report" and the ultimate formation of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (aka Topgun).This book is a great overview of the Navy's air war over Vietnam.

It is great as a stand alone history, but really shines when read in conjunction with Osprey's three books, US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73 (Combat Aircraft) (Part 2), US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers (1) 1965-1970 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 26), and F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 7). These books will provide some additional information with the added bonus of some good color profiles of the planes featured in MiG Killers of Yankee Station.

One other book that works very well in conjunction with this one is Scream of Eagles: The Dramatic Account of the U.S. Navy's Top Gun Fighter Pilots and How They Took Back the Skies Over Vietnam. This book adds some more personal accounts and details some of the material concerning the founding of Topgun.

This is a fine book,nicely laid out and very informative.
You will not get much better than this on the Vietnam air war.....