MiG 17 and MiG 19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 25) [Paperback]

Istvan Toperczer (Author), Iain Wyllie (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Combat Aircraft | Publication Date: September 25, 2001

The erstwhile enemy of the USAF and US Navy during the nine years of American involvement in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) quickly grew from an ill-organised rabble of poorly trained pilots flying antiquated communist aircraft into a highly effective fighting force that more than held its own over the skies of North Vietnam. Flying Soviet fighters like the MiG-17, and -19, the VPAF produced over a dozen aces, whilst the Americans managed just two pilots and three navigators in the same period.

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

István Toperczer is a flight surgeon with the Hungarian Air Force. In his spare time, he has become one of the few individuals from outside Vietnam to be given open access to the files of the Vietnamese People's Air Force. He has made several visits to Hanoi, and other Vietnamese cities, in the past five years, and has interviewed many of the leading aces from the war years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841761621
• ISBN-13: 978-1841761626
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The other side of the coin, July 2, 2007

By 

N. Trachta (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MiG 17 and MiG 19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 25) (Paperback)

I picked this book up to expand my knowledge on the Vietnam Air War, primarily the Vietnamese MiG's they used. Dr. Toperczer's work gives us a relatively neutral view (Dr. Toperczer is a Hungarian flight surgeon who has access to the Vietnamese records on the war). In this work, Dr. Toperczer tells us about the growth of the Vietnamese Air Force from two private planes to their use of MiG 17's and MiG 19's. Each of the MiG's receives a chapter of their own (the MiG 19's chapter is fairly small since it saw only limited service) and theirs also a chapter each on the mechanics and preparing for the war. In the chapters about the MiG's, Dr. Toperczer tries to balance Vietnamese claims against US records but sometimes seems to fail with the description. This failure is probably due to translation more than anything else. Points are won in this book in the Appendices where you see a breakdown of the different claimed kills and how Dr. Toperczer has tried to reconcile the differences.



Rating wise, I'd call this one a 3.5 star book. The information was off target from what I was expecting. While there are some good descriptions of actions, there's also confusion with it. Something I wish had been included with the book is a break down of which aircraft numbers flew with which regiment and division. I'd also like to see for completeness is a loss table for the MiG's. On the plus side this book does provide insight to something we haven't had access to in the past. Bottom line, I can't round up and have to go with 3 stars.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little light on the Russian contribution, February 1, 2005

By 

S. M.Silver "Lobo(AW)" (Coatesville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MiG 17 and MiG 19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 25) (Paperback)

Some of the best aircraft views and paint schemes of PAVN aircraft are found in this book and they are perhaps its strongest feature. This material is seldom found in compiled form in Western publications. Where the book is weakest is in its examination of the tactical utilization of MiG 17 and 19 aircraft, "cross-cultural" comparisons with American aircraft and tactics, and the role of Russian pilots and intercept controllers. The author shows a familiarity with Soviet-bloc tactical air doctrine but does not adequately describe the integration of defense systems so the reader understands how the defenses of North Vietnam worked as a system - the 17s and 19s were critical within that system. Likewise, he does not grasp the complexity of the tactical problem facing the Americans, the political restrictions on their deployment of forces, nor the capabilities and limits of their weapons systems (example: when describing the weapons carried by the adversaries, the author does not address the limitations on American tactics imposed by faulty missile systems, such as the Sparrow's 17% hit rate or the USAF Sidewinder limited coolant charge system).

Still, as an old-time model builder, having these marvelous examples is a great opportunity. For in depth coverage of the air war in S.E.Asia, readers will be best off looking elsewhere.

4.0 out of 5 stars View from the other side, September 30, 2011

By 

mike esposito "espo" (Morton Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MiG 17 and MiG 19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 25) (Paperback)

I have read many of the Osprey aviation titles, and found most to be informative, colorful, but very uneven in writing quality as some were very dry and boring recounting tedious day by day sorties, downings ect. This book on the other hand, was very well written and, at least in my eyes, offered something new in the Vietnam airwar picture.
At first I thought this title would be very bias towards the PAVN, as was written by a former communist in the Aviation field, but I was wrong. Of course it was somewhat biased, but that is to be expected with the title, but MR Toperczer did go to extensive lengths to verify the wild claims (most were innacurate) made by the young and mostly inexperienced North Vietnamese pilots. For me, it was a fresh perspective on the Vietnam air war. I read many titles: The excellent "Thud Ridge" by the legendary Col. J. Broughton, "When thunder rolled" and his followup work, "Palace Cobra" by Ed Rasimus in addition to many operational level accounts of the air war. This book is quite refreshing as it describes the origins and rise of the Vietnamese Air force, which frankly has never been written about before.
I would have given this book a "5", but I was a little disapointed in the lack of technical details on operating and flying the Migs. In addition, I would have liked to have Mr Toperczer go into the incredible restrictions placed on our Airmen in the form of ridiculous ROGs(Rules of Engagement)during the Rolling Thunder campaigns; unable to attack SAM sites, unable to bomb airfields, unable to engage Migs unless they showed "hostile intent"!!??? and how this helped the North Vietnamese.
Overall, I heartly recommend this book for modellers as the color plates are first rate, and anyone who is interested in the Air campaign in the North. I intend to read Mr Toperczer's other work regarding the Mig 21.