6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition to the aviation library, September 18, 2009
This review is from: MiG Killers: A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973 (Hardcover)
One of the first things to catch your eye is the hardbound front cover of an F-4E Phantom in its famous shark's mouth livery. The next thing is the menacing title. Once inside its covers you will find a touching dedication to the author's father who I would bet has his own fantastic story I hope Mr. McCarthy Jr. gets around to telling.
The book starts out with some lessons on Air Combat Maneuvering and training along with some technical information on missiles used during this span of time and some nice maps to give the reader the "Big Picture" as to where all the action was taking place. There is a short primer on Air Combat Credits.
The book is written in chorological order as the title implies starting in 1965 and moving through 1973 in a trim and clean fashion. Now here is the real gem. The author supplies you with a photograph of the aircraft whenever he can. A few of the pictures are of the aircraft prior to scrapping or as it currently looks in a museum.
Each page has a small block with the date, aircraft tail or BuNo along with its assigned ship or airfield and the name of the pilot and RIO when applicable and a narrative of the event. Most pictures are black and white but more than a few are in color. The quality is very high and the layout is easy to read and easy to refer to when doing research.
I found this book a great piece of work for model builders and history buffs alike. I recommend it to all with an interest in Vietnam era aviation and at right below $30.00; I think it is a bargain as a research tool.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superbly documented military aviation history, August 17, 2009
This review is from: MiG Killers: A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973 (Hardcover)
Military aviation expert and U.S. Air Force veteran Donald J. McCarthy has deftly written the first book to list all 202 MiG kills of the Vietnam War in chronological order. This roster includes MiGs downed by either U.S. Air Force or U.S. Navy combat aircraft. Informed and informative, this Vietnam military air combat history is replete with a profusion of both black-and-white as well as full color aircraft photography. Each aircraft citation includes serial number, tial code, perational unit, crew member names, call sign, and specific weaponry and tactics used for every MigK made from April 1965 though January 1973. A superbly documented military aviation history, "MiG Killers" is a seminal and very highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library reference collections and reading lists.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Photo-Guide to U.S. Vietnam War MiG Kills!, July 22, 2009
This review is from: MiG Killers: A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973 (Hardcover)
The Vietnam air war witnessed slightly over 200 VPAF MiG fighters downed by their U.S. opponents. Donald McCarthy presents a text-and-photos guide to those aerial victories in this 2009 release from Specialty Press. MIG KILLERS is basically an updated and expanded version of McCarthy's earlier USAF F-4 AND F-105 MIG KILLERS OF THE VIETNAM WAR volume put out in 2004 by Schiffer Publishing.
After discussing Vietnam air combat, armament and the - still frustrating - issue of air combat credits, McCarthy presents a year-by-year log of the kills scored by USAF, USN or USMC pilots/crews. Appendices include sections on VPAF MiGs, a comprehensive kill listing and glossary.
Since McCarthy is covering 202 kills in 120-odd pages, each kill typically includes a fairly short narrative and one photograph of the aircraft involved. If you're interested in lots of 'yank-and-bank' action, you'll need to check out the Elward/Davies Osprey books, the F-8 books done by Peter Mersky and Paul Gillcrist or my MIG KILLERS OF YANKEE STATION book.
In any case, MIG KILLERS is a visual delight with shots of almost 170 A-1s, A-4s, B-52s, F-4s, F-8s, F-100s and F-105s credited with MiG kills. Of the 220+ photographs, about 1/3 are color, the rest b&w. Likewise, about 3/4 of the pix show the aircraft around the time of its kill; the rest show the a/c in other units, at the boneyard or on display at a museum. There are several shots of MiG-killing pilots or aircrew as well.
Vietnam air war buffs should enjoy this colorful, informative and easy-on-the-pocketbook guide to the kills scored over North Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. Recommended.
****
NB. McCarthy is unsure of the identification of several MiG-killer a/c. The BuNos and a/c numbers given in my book were obtained from the USN crews who downed the MiGs. The definitive source for post-WW II U.S. air combats is Frank Olynyk's UNITED STATES CREDITS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT IN AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT POST WORLD WAR 2.
One correction. The "Clay Johnson" mentioned on page 25 was actually Clay Jansson. If it hadn't been for that erstwhile shutterbug, who died some years ago, we wouldn't have nearly as many great images of early- and mid-war USN MiG killers as we do. Thanks, Clay!
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