Book Reviews From The Hook Magazine

Sidewinder: Creative Missile Development at China Lake; Ron Westrum; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 1999; hardcover, 352 pages, illustrated. $32.95

This interesting biography of what could arguably be called the most successful piece of aviation ordnance ever produced takes a little dedication to get through, but the reader will be rewarded with a better understanding of the creative and production process involved and a history of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.

The story is as much about the designers, after all, as it is about the weapon that has flown with many of the world’s air forces for more than 40 years. It has seen both discouraging failure and ultimate success in combat over much of the world’s arenas, including Vietnam and the Middle East. The missile’s first combat success actually came as early as 22 September 1958, when a flight of Chinese Nationalist F-86s dispatched four Communist Chinese MiG-15 Fagots during the so-called Quemoy-Matsu Crisis.

The author is obviously not that well-versed in Naval Aviation’s history (such as noting on Page 49 that Air Force pilots flying the North American FJ-1 Fury — a Naval design) or its unique lingo. The book slips in and out of engineerese, with overly long dissertations about meetings and design conferences that left me glassy-eyed.

What became the Sidewinder missile grew out of a need for defense against Soviet bombers of the 1950s. Originally, unguided rockets and first-generation air-launched guided missiles were used. The Air Force used the former in such evocative interceptors as the Lockheed F-94C Starfire and the big Northrop F-89 Scorpion. The second type included the trouble-plagued Hughes AIM-4 Falcon, which flew with the delta-winged F-102A Delta Dagger. These early combinations served a purpose and did give the Soviets pause, but they were at best stopgap measures until a more dependable missile could be developed.

Ron Westrum gives a well-written overview of U.S. philosophy and development of the air-to-air missile, the use of military think tanks in the western U.S., the roles of tinkerers and gadgeteers in the immediate post-war atmosphere of the Cold War, and the intense competition between companies and labs. Head designer Bill McLean favored infrared instead of radar homing, but ran into a storm of controversy. His opposition declared that IR was good only in clear weather. He eventually won out, and even got the missile named for the southwestern rattlesnake that uses infrared sensing to seek out its prey.

The photos in the book are somewhat mundane and at times a little odd. For instance, on Page 132, a Sparrow III on an H-2, without an explanation other than this missile was a competitor of the AIM-9. Also, this publisher still does not pay much editorial attention to keeping military designations uniform — or correct. “F-3D” — is that a Demon? If so, the designation should be F3H, or is the meaning an F3D Skyknight?

Developments, in-fighting, and introduction of the third-generation AIM-9 after Vietnam bring the story into modern times. By March 1975, AIM-9Ls, with their characteristic double-canard fins, were ready for service. The -9L saw considerable action in 1982 at opposite ends of the planet: the Falklands in the South Atlantic and over Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

I would like to have seen more on the actual combat career of the AIM-9. The author barely devotes a paragraph each to various post-Vietnam arenas. Perhaps he felt there were other books that could more adequately cover this area, but it would have been nice to read much more on the Middle East, the early ’80s Falklands War and the 1991 Gulf War. Instead, he relies heavily on another Naval Institute Press publication, Clashes, admittedly a fine book, but using it denotes a certain laziness, or running out of steam by the end of this book.

Corsairs and Flattops; Marine Carrier Air Warfare, 1944–1945; John P. Condon; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 1998; hardcover, 138 pages, illustrated, index. $27.95

Prior to World War II, Fleet Marine Force squadrons had deployed on USS Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3) with over 60 percent of the Marine pilots rotating through the squadrons. In January 1939, the Secretary of the Navy refined the mission and organization of Marine Aviation to include the mission of acting as replacement squadrons for carrier-based Naval aircraft.

When the war began, operational requirements and the demand for carrier decks were so strong that carrier training for Marine Aviation and Marine flight students in the Training Command became essentially nonexistent from 1942 until fall 1944. It was then decided to put Marines and their Corsairs aboard CVs for increased fighter cover against Japanese suicide planes and CVEs for ground support during amphibious landings.

The sudden notice of Marine squadrons deploying on carriers and in Corsairs too, created severe operational losses just getting ready to go. Essex (CV-9) Marine squadron lost seven pilots and 13 F4Us in the first week of deployment due to bad weather and navigation problems. Some Marine Corps squadron tours were short, with disastrous results as kamikazes hit and knocked Franklin (CV-13) and Bunker Hill (CV-17) out of action. Overcoming the initial problems, the 18 Marine squadrons that were deployed did an outstanding job on their respective carriers.

This short but highly readable and well-documented account tells the story about Marine Corps aircraft deployed on the fast carriers and CVEs during the last year of World War II. Filled with personal accounts of action, MGEN Condon, USMC(Ret), tells of the hurried training and deployment of the squadrons and the lessons learned that were used five years later in Korea. The photographs that complement the text are new and well-captioned. The only error noted is the misidentification of Japanese aircraft in two pictures.

This book is highly recommended for historians and lovers of Marine Corps aviation.

Summer 2000

Dark Sky, Black Sea: Aircraft Carrier Night and All-Weather Operations; Charles H. Brown, U.S. Naval Institute Annapolis, Md., 1999; hardcover, 252 pages, illustrated. $34.95

The author of this book has been there, thus when writing about launching into a black night or recovering on a pitching deck in terrible weather, he writes with the authority of first-hand knowledge. His narrative text occasionally struggles to maintain an entertaining flow as he focuses on history to complement his own experiences. I’d have preferred him writing another memoir rather than combining history with what he, himself, had seen.

That said, it is still an interesting, useful account of how the U.S. Navy built up its all-weather capabilities. There is a good prologue of early carrier night ops, with a foreword by the late CAPT Richard E. “Chick” Harmer, USN(Ret), one of the Navy’s night-fighter pioneers. There are little nuggets, such as learning that VADM Marc Mitscher, commanding Task Force 38 in the Philippines, ordered the removal of radars from his Hellcats to prevent the Japanese from capturing the new technology if a fighter was shot down. Postwar development is covered in brief sentences, enough to tell the story.

The text needs an editor to cut extraneous or superfluous adjectives that intrude on the narrative. That’s not really the fault of the author, but of the publisher. I question the assessment on Page 73 of action in Korea as not as “intense” as World War II. Tell that to the AD and F9F pilots who flew over a cold, unforgiving sea and equally inhospitable terrain. Or to blandly mention on Page 72 that LT Guy Bordelon “received a medal” for destroying five enemy intruders at night leaves the reader asking, “What medal?”

The author mentions several night kills during WW II. In fact, of the few bona fide five-kill American night-fighter pilots of the war, several of them included day kills in their tallies. A knowledgeable editor could have addressed these and other points.

Postwar developments include the AD-5Ns of VC-35, and by May 1956 the narrative becomes first-person as the author begins his own experiences as a VC-35 pilot aboard USS Lexington (CVA-16). He carries the story through the introduction of the A-4, certainly exciting times for carrier air.

Chapter 6 brings the book into the modern era with the introduction of the seminal McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, which brought true all-weather operations to the flight deck. This section also includes the F-8D Crusader, supposedly the night-fighter version of Vought’s thoroughbred. In this section, the author notes the lack of limited radar defense against low-flying bombers. F-8 and early F-4 radars couldn’t sort targets out from ground clutter.

As XO and CO of VA-112, one of the least-known Scooter squadrons that served in Vietnam, the author gives a fine account of light-attack operations in 1966. There is a particular good description of an Alfa strike on Haiphong, then a busy night mission that attracts 23mm flak.

The period following Vietnam describes new technologies and carriers, although the action in August 1981 against Libyan Fitters involved F-14s from Nimitz (CVN-68), not Kennedy (CV-67). Tomcats from Kennedy did get two MiGs in 1989, though. Surprisingly, while discussing the 1991 Gulf War, and describing then-LCDR Mark Fox’s MiG kill, the author fails to include the second MiG kill by then-LT Nick Mongillo, off Fox’s wing.

All in all, it’s not a bad book, and I find its value coming from someone who has flown the missions he describes.

Lindbergh; A. Scott Berg, Berkley Books, New York, N.Y., 1999; hardcover, 628 pages, illustrated. $16.00

Although the general reader might not know that transAtlantic pioneer Charles A. Lindbergh was heavily involved with Naval and Marine aviation, if only for a five-year period, he actually saw considerable combat in the Pacific. But that part of this curious, complex man’s life is only a relatively small portion of this wonderful biography.

Surprisingly few full-length treatments of Lindbergh’s experiences have been published. There are, of course, many magazine stories, mainly focusing on his May 1927 New York to Paris flight. And there is a great 1957 film biography starring Jimmy Stewart — probably one of the best aviation films ever made, and a wonderful tour de force by this veteran actor who had himself flown combat missions as a B-24 pilot over Europe.

No wonder Scott Berg’s book received the 1999 Pulitzer Prize. It is beautifully written and deeply researched, displaying Lindbergh for all that he was: courageous, a gifted aviator, a philosopher, but also incredibly shy and egocentric, with a nasty, almost misanthropic streak. Most certainly, though, after what he and his family suffered for nearly 50 years at the hands of the public and media, his soured outlook on humanity may be understood.

Tall with striking Nordic features that attested to his Swedish heritage, the 25-year-old from Minnesota was ill equipped to handle the worldwide outpouring of admiration and crazed adoration that followed his flight on 20–21 May. He married an equally shy daughter of an American diplomat and together they toured the world. Anne Morrow Lindbergh achieved her own measure of fame as an accomplished writer, but always remained in the shadow of her husband, who seldom appeared to give anything but the most basic of married affection and concern.

When their first child was kidnapped and murdered, the crime left terrible scars on both of them. Anne retreated into her own inner sanctum and diaries, while Lindbergh seemed to increase the height of the wall between himself and his family, and the rest of the world. And when it was certain that world war would once again come in the late 1930s, he used his fame to expound an isolationist policy that eventually turned President Franklin D. Roosevelt against him.

After Pearl Harbor, Lindbergh quickly offered his services to his government, but the president turned a cold shoulder to the aviator’s promises to fully support the war effort. However, with the war going badly for the first 12 months, no one wanted to waste such a experienced man’s skills. Lindbergh traveled to the Pacific, flying 50 missions with USAAF P-38 and Marine Corps and Navy F4U squadrons. He even managed to see several aerial engagements, shooting down a Japanese Sonia observation plane. (As the author notes, Lindbergh was, after all, trained as a fighter pilot just after WW I.)

One shudders to think of the consequences if this civilian flier had been shot down and captured. Even the status from his 1927 flight would not have been enough to save him at the hands of the Japanese. It appears that Lindbergh never stopped flying, even sampling many advanced aircraft, including first- and second-generation jets after WW II.

An odd aspect of the biography is that the Lindberghs never seemed to want for money. Many lucrative financial offers came his way after the transAtlantic flight, but even after 30 years, it appears he came and went as he pleased. His family moved many times, finding expensive houses in exotic locals — often to escape the intensity of media intrusion.

He bought cars and aircraft seemingly on a whim.

But then, who would not want to boast that he had Charles Augustus Lindbergh as a customer?

Scott Berg writes: “Nobody had a broader perspective on the earth’s physical changes over the past four decades than Charles Lindbergh . . . [in 1927] he had seen the expanses of North American wilderness in a way no man had before. ‘The crushing impact of modern science and industry was only getting under way,’ he would later note; but ‘civilization’ rapidly encroached upon the land and the sea. What was more, Lindbergh increasingly shouldered the blame: ‘The primitive was at the mercy of the civilized in our twentieth-century times . . . and nothing had made it more so than the airplane I had helped develop. I had helped to change the environment of our lives.’”

This is a strange but accurate assessment toward the end of his life from the man himself. Undoubtedly, it’s one of the best aviation biographies written.

Adversary: America’s Aggressor Fighter Squadrons; Rick Llinares and Chuck Lloyd; Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, Pa., 1999; hardcover, 142 pages, illustrated. $29.95

This team of experienced, enthusiastic aviation photographers always produce an attractive product. It’s plain they truly enjoy what they do, and why not! Getting up close and personal with a variety of first-line U.S. bases, flight crews and their aircraft would get my juices flowing any time.

America’s military once had a thriving subculture — the adversary program and its colorful squadrons. Designated Navy, Marine and Air Force units specialized in giving fleet aviators their first taste of combat — safe though it was. The 1986 movie “Top Gun,” now something of a cult favorite, focused on the earliest of these important postgraduate flight schools. But sadly, the once-mighty program is a shadow of its former self, and frontline squadrons must make do with greatly reduced adversary resources and schedules.

This book describes the current adversary units, although it seems to have more coverage of Navy and Marine Corps activities. Squadron and instructor biographies give flavor, and some really good color photography fleshes out the design. I do wish, though, that there was more variation in how the F/A-18s, A-4s and F-16s were shown. Plane portraits over snow-capped Sierra peaks, echelons, with one aircraft breaking off, or a close-up of an F/A-18’s cockpit are fine, but not in so many repetitions. Flight line shots are good, too, but I would like to see more pictures with people around the planes — maintainers and pilots manning up, strapping in or preflighting.

But, this book’s still a nice paean to what was and what is in the adversary program and a ready reference for modelers.

Fighter Aces of the USA; Raymond F. Toliver and Trevor J. Constable; Schiffer Military History, Atglen, Pa., 1997; hardbound, illustrated, appendices, index, 400 pages. $59.95

This large and comprehensive book covers not only 1,400 American aces, but also has a chapter on the enemy aces covering WW II Japanese Army and Navy, German Luftwaffe pilots and, most interestingly, Soviet pilots during the Korean War. This revised edition, in highly readable text and hundreds of black and white photographs, provides a picture of the pilots that shot down five or more enemy aircraft. The authors take the reader through the origin of the term “ace,” how it has evolved over the years in both U.S. air services, and traces the weapon systems, tactics and aircraft as they all matured from the fragile biplanes of WW I through WW II to Korea and Vietnam. The discussion of the evolution of what constituted an enemy kill and how it was credited between the various services during the different wars and theaters of operations is an interesting subject in itself.

The book is divided into chapters on aces in World War I, World War II USAAF aces in the Pacific and European theaters, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Pacific aces and those of Korea and Vietnam. Each chapter is well illustrated with pictures of the aces and the aircraft flown, plus the aces’ own combat account and capsule biographies. The appendices list all the U.S. aces, their hometown, rank, unit and victories by the wars.

Low Level Liberators: The Story of Patrol Bombing Squadron 104 in the South Pacific During World War II; Paul F. Stevens, Nashville, Tenn., 1997; softcover, 318 pages, illustrated. $23.00

The Asian theater of any war seems to engender the term “forgotten.” It’s now au courant to refer to the Korean War as the “Forgotten War,” and those Army aviators who fought in the CBI as being forgotten, certainly at the far end of the supply chain.

MacArthur’s Philippine campaign of the first quarter of 1945 has not received its due, perhaps because of the personality behind it, or perhaps because the war’s main drive in the Pacific was headed to Japan by that time.

Now, however, there are a few memoirs appearing by those who fought in the Philippines, and one surprising book comes from an unexpected source. Low Level Liberators is the firsthand account of VPB-104’s action-filled combat tour from November 1944 to April 1945. The narrative follows the expected sequence from early, youthful rambunctiousness, going to war amid training, away to Hawaii and then to New Guinea, flying the Consolidated PB4Y-1 — the Navy’s version of the Army’s B-24J. This high-winged, four-engine bomber was a good choice for flying long over-water missions in the Pacific. Well-armed defensively, with at least ten .50-cal. machine guns, the Liberator was, however, a complex, demanding machine.

There’s lots of first-time information about this unknown group of Naval Aviators and aircrews and how they took one of the Navy’s largest aircraft on some fairly strenuous missions, including low-level attacks against Japanese shipping and facilities, and more than a few aerial engagements against anything from float planes to fighters to four-engine flying boats. In fact, according to the book’s last page showing the squadron’s combat record, VPB-104 claims no fewer than 38 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, along with 262 Japanese ships sunk representing nearly 116,000 tons.

The author and his crew also accounted for a four-engine Kawanishi Emily flying boat, considered the best flying boat of the war and a tough opponent to destroy in the air. This particular Emily was carrying a Japanese vice admiral on his way to Tokyo to receive his fourth star from the Emperor.

This self-published book is fairly large, both in format and page count. The occasionally grainy wartime photos are for the most part interesting, especially the personal photos showing actual combat. I don’t particularly care for the wartime silhouettes of enemy aircraft and ships just to break up space. Graphically, the best part of the book is Alex Durr’s artwork. I wish there were more of his sketchy, immediate treatment of some of the book’s narrative.

However, the book is a fine history of a little-known collection of squadrons and crews fighting a war that many people didn’t know about at the time, and even now, more than 50 years later.

Stars in the Corps: Movie Actors in the United States Marines; James Wise Jr. and Anne Collier Rehill; U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., 1999; hardcover, 247 pages, illustrated. $28.95

Retired Naval Aviator Jim Wise has a good series going. His 1998 book, Stars in Blue, dealt with Navy personalities, and Stars in Khaki, describing Army stars’ military careers, will be out soon. Stars in the Corps follows the original format and is a pleasant browse, filled with interesting, little-known facts and revelations.

Your knowledge of the people would be helped if you were born before 1950, but for film buffs of all ages, this is a fine, ready reference. Many of the people discussed were of the WW II generation, with a few bridging the period to Vietnam.

A few errors inevitably have crept in. “Second banana” Ed McMahon couldn’t have flown Cessna 180s in Korea, as that type did not appear until after the war. More than likely, he flew L-19s or Consolidated OY-1s. Although the authors don’t mention it, he was probably assigned to VMO-6.

Also, one of George Peppard’s most popular films, “The Blue Max,” a tale about WW I German aviators, is left out of his credits.

If you have any interest in the movies, this new book, along with its earlier companion, and the forthcoming volume about the Army, form a great trio of reference and page-turning fun about actors with roots in the military.

Fall 2000

The Second Luckiest Pilot: Adventures in Military Aviation; Donald K. Tooker; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 2000; hardcover, 227 pages, illustrated. $26.95

This entertaining book contains a collection of 14 stories about the author, a highly decorated Marine Corps pilot, and his Marine friends who relate their adventures and narrow escapes while flying in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The book begins with the author’s tale of having to eject from his flaming Crusader in the middle of the Pacific. Burned and badly injured, he winds up adrift under an overcast and wondering if he will ever be found. However, he is picked up a few hours later by a Navy ship that just happens to be near. The second story concerns a member of his squadron a day later that also experiences a flameout and fire while over the mid-Pacific, except that his ejection seat fails to fire. After climbing out over the canopy rail, his chute streams and he free-falls from 15,000 feet to the water. Barely alive, this “luckiest pilot alive” is picked up by a passing minesweeper to be returned to a Stateside hospital. Amazingly, though falling nearly three miles, he recovers fully.

Other tales include the story of the crash of ENS Jessie Brown, the Navy’s first black Naval Aviator, followed by the dramatic story of a one-armed pilot landing his Corsair on a CVL in Korea. One of the more amazing stories concerned a pilot who almost lost his eye in a crash at Guadalcanal, later chopped off the tail of a Japanese aircraft over Okinawa and, years later, survived a fiery crash of a Huey helicopter after being shot down in Vietnam. Yet another describes a flight student’s “accidental” bailout in a N2S.

These stories and others about the hazards of military flying are engrossing, well-written and illustrated with artwork and the author’s personal photographs. Time spent reading this book is rewarding, and not only for the smiles the stories bring.

Kaiser Fleetwings XBTK-1; Bob Kowalski; Steve Ginter Publications, Simi Valley, Calif., 1999; softcover, 34 pages, illustrated. $7.95

Volume 48 of the author’s excellent Naval Fighters series covers the Kaiser Fleetwings XBTK-1, an aircraft that was designed to meet a 1943 Navy Department requirement for a single-seat, carrier-based high-performance dive bomber. The XBTK’s competition was the Martin XBTM-1 Mauler and Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider. The aircraft was first flown in April 1945 and featured a four-bladed prop, unique fence-type dive brakes on the top and bottom of the wings and a flush-mounted, aerodynamically shaped bomb-displacing arm like that found on the SBD. The aircraft could carry bombs, torpedoes and rockets, but its payload was much less when compared to its rivals. The aircraft disappeared from the Navy inventory in early 1948.

The book is as usual profusely illustrated with superb pictures of the aircraft and its inner workings, as well as detailed information on its normal operational and test performance specifications.

As is the norm for Steve Ginter’s efforts, this exceptional book covers a lot of ground between the covers that explores the little-known aspects of Naval Aviation.

Low and Slow: A Novel of Navy Flight Training Behind Round Engines; D.E. “Butch” Bucciarelli; Xlibris Publishing, 2000; softcover, 316 pages. $16.00

Low and Slow is a fast-moving, well-written novel revolving around the main character, who joins the Navy through the Aviation Officer Candidate School program and, despite a couple of “speedy” boards along the way, graduates from pilot training in the late 1950s. Our hero, who acts Navy but thinks civilian, experiences the thrill of flying the SNJ at NAAS Whiting and Barin Fields, carrier qualifying on USS Antietam (CVS-36) and continues on to fly the T-28 and AD at NAAS Cabaniss Field.

While in training, he has a midair in formation and a forced landing on a beach, drives his new MG sportscar like a madman and in the process meets a variety of Southern judges and policemen. He also meets a lot of Marines from preflight through advanced training who try to have him thrown out of training, flies with lots of great Navy instructors and students, makes a cross-country to NAS North Island and explores the wonders of MexPac and Tijuana, and in the process meets and conquers a number of the fairer sex. Sounds like a typical 1950s student.

The book is fun to read, and Bucciarelli captures the flavor of Pensacola and Corpus. His descriptions of the students, civilians, flying and flight training are right on the money and bring back memories of this reviewer’s time there.

Winter 2000

Flying Black Ponies: The Navy’s Close Air Support Squadron in Vietnam; Kit Lavell; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 2000; hardcover, 376 pages, illustrated, appendices. $32.95

Most historians divide the Vietnam War in the air into the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign that included U.S. Air Force F-105s and B-52s and the intense, carrier-based war fought by Navy VA and VF squadrons, and the long, bloody ground conflict fought by the grunts of the Army and Marine Corps. There’s little written, except in short paragraphs in larger histories, of the few in-country squadrons of various aircraft that fought in company with the traditional infantry units. However, Naval Aviation established an important presence with two units: the Seawolves of HAL-3 and the Black Ponies of VAL-4.

Working in sometimes tense but respectful concert, these squadrons flew Hueys and the unique North American OV-10A Bronco, respectively. Although the Seawolves have received some lengthier coverage over the years, the Black Ponies have usually been relegated to only a few sentences in supportive text. That has changed with Kit Lavell’s well-written, intensely personal memoir/history of his squadron. Nothing beats an account by someone who was there and actually flew the missions he describes — and if the writer also happens to be good at his job, so much the better.

He has also used various historical archives and interviews to round out the backdrop of factual data that an account such as this requires. Using snappy, crisp writing with a great introduction that throws the reader into the cockpit, the author instantly achieves his stated though traditional objective. He sets the stage with a short, cogent description of what became VAL-4’s main arena: the multimouthed water jungle of the Mekong in South Vietnam. The Brown Water Navy, which formed a vital partnership with the Black Ponies, is quickly described as well. However, the river flotillas reappear constantly in the narrative; after all, supporting their operations was at the heart of the Black Ponies’ mission. Tough Viet Cong defense of the meandering waterways of the Rung Sat Zone led to the need for close air support for the American and South Vietnamese patrol boats.

It was a tough, unrelenting war over the flooded rice paddies, through which the Viet Cong’s men and supplies slipped by at night and fought by day. This was a different conflict from the more glamorous, better-chronicled war flown by carrier crews, a point well made by the author. He describes the design and development of the unique little OV-10, one of the so-called (at the time) COIN (counterinsurgency) aircraft. It was heavily armed but underpowered and poorly ventilated (no air conditioning!), which might come as surprises to readers who didn’t know the Bronco up close.

Choosing the first group of VAL-4 pilots is an interesting area. The author discusses the sources, the unusual aspect of certain combat in Vietnam and building one of the Navy’s most unusual though short-lived squadrons ever. Indeed, the actual aircraft were loaned by the Marine Corps to circumvent the USAF’s control of land-based attack assets. Lavell seldom misses a chance to twit the Air Force. The excellent narrative is salted with untold stories, some humorous, mostly exciting and irreverent, of combat in the Rung Sat. The exotic names of South Vietnam abound — Binh Thuy, Vung Tau, Rach Gia, all were sites for the various dets of the Ponies and their cohorts of HAL-3.

The Naval Institute has published several excellent volumes on the Vietnam War in the last few years that are not the regular historical survey, but instead focus on a specific area or unusual topic. Flying Black Ponies is a fine addition to this growing list.

Carrier Air Group Commanders; Robert L. Lawson; Schiffer Military History, Atglen, Pa., 2000; hardcover, 215 pages, illustrated, appendices. $45.00

Few terms rank with that of CAG (commander, air group) in our business. These are men of legend and history, men who provide the leadership that has turned overwhelming odds to victory. If names like McCampbell, O’Hare, Ramage and Stockdale ring a bell, it’s because of what they did as air group (or air wing) commanders. Although technically an obsolete term, the title CAG still bears with it a professional impact considerably out of proportion to its relative rank.

Bob Lawson’s excellent treatment begins with a history of carrier air wings and their composition. This is followed by a look at the history of the position of CAG — evolving from a lieutenant commander-level job on USS Langley (CV-1) in 1927 to that of the captain-level “Super CAG” in 1986. If this sounds like boring reading, it isn’t. Lawson has included lots of fascinating information about the men who filled the jobs, both the good ones and a couple of duds as well.

An early chapter contains short biographies on a number of CAGs, including an expanded caption covering one of the two Marines to command a Navy air wing. It’s here you’ll find the stories of some of the Navy’s greatest heroes — McCampbell, Ramage, Elder and Stockdale. The fact that some listed in this chapter aren’t all that well-known outside the business doesn’t make them less impressive, or important, to those of us who worked for them.

The final section contains an eye-watering selection of color photos of CAG birds — mostly the multihued aircraft we’ve come to associate with the “double-nuts” side number. The selection includes a lot of aircraft you might not usually associate as CAG birds — FJs, A3Ds, an ES-3 and even an SNB. Most of the photos are in color, and measure up well to Lawson’s exacting photo-quality standards. Drawings are used to illustrate some of the earlier biplane and World War II types.

Mistakes are few and appear to be at the publisher or editor level. A few captions are misplaced. More importantly, it’s sad that the publisher deleted Lawson’s carefully crafted index.

Having said that, Carrier Air Group Commanders is a superb work and scores highly as informational reading and a reference volume. This is a winner, a sure-fire center of attention in any collection of carrier aviation.

Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons — Volume 2, the History of VP, VPB, VP(HL) and VA(AM) Squadrons; CAPT Michael D. Roberts, USNR(Ret); Naval History Office, Government Printing Office; CD-ROM, illustrated, appendices. $19.00

This offering is the second in a series of Naval Aviation squadron histories prepared by the Naval Aviation History Office. This volume is in the same format as Vol. 1 that covered VA, VFA and VAH squadrons. Each patrol squadron is covered with its lineage, squadron insignia, operational history, wing and squadron commanding officers, operating bases and the type aircraft flown. Many of the aircraft and most of the squadron insignia are in color, which greatly enhances this volume.

Vol. 2 covers Navy patrol aviation, guidelines for squadron lineages and insignia, squadron histories and 14 appendices that cover a wide variety of information about the VP community.

The unfortunate thing is that Vol. 2 is available only in a CD-ROM and not in a hardbound book format as was the first volume. On the positive side, the CD-ROM is easy to install and navigate on both Mac and PC computers.

With the purchase of the CD, many other references are included with Vol. 2, such as Squadron Histories Vol. 1, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, 15 monographs that include Naval Aviation in WW I, A History of U.S. Naval Aviation (1911–1925) and other unique reference works.

To have such a reference library at your fingertips for only $19.00 seems too good to be true. I would urge all aviation enthusiasts to order this CD-ROM from the Government Printing Office. It’s a treasure that provides instant and authoritative reference material on Naval Aviation.

I look forward to the release of Vol. 3 in the series that will address the history of the U.S. Navy fighter community.

Spring 2001

Combat; edited by Stephen Coonts; Tor/Forge Publishers, New York, N.Y., 2001; hardcover, 765 pages. $27.95

Ex-A-6 pilot Stephen Coonts has another book out. Well, sort of. He edited and contributed a novella to Combat, an anthology of 10 pieces by well-known authors in the techno-thriller field. Coonts in his foreword discusses techno-thrillers and cites the stories that follow as fine examples of the genre. He chose well. No two stories are the same, yet all are about warfare from today to the near future. The subjects range in subject matter from aircraft to the creation of Space Force as the fourth U.S. service, and from super tank and super infantry ground action to pure computer battle, and from combat on a space station to submarines and SEALS. The enemies also vary — Libya, Iran, China three times, criminals, anyone with a computer, a renegade Russian, Algeria and a Balkan faction.

Combat’s format results in a mix of literary quality. Did each author intend a short story or a novel before Coonts had them stretch or reduce their writing to become a novella? Some seem truncated while others have unsatisfactory endings. All, however, are good reading.

The best of the lot for Tailhookers is Barrett Tillman’s “Skyhawks Forever.” Tillman is certainly known to The Hook readers for his hundred or so articles over the years, but there may be some who are unfamiliar with his fiction. “Skyhawks Forever” is a good place to start. The acknowledgment list includes who’s who in carrier aviation and the Tailhook Association itself. Tillman’s expertise as a writer is as strong as ever, backed impressively with imagination and a storyteller’s skills. What could be more exciting? A team of retired Scooter drivers get to sink a ship and dogfight a Flanker over Los Angeles. Tillman’s description of air action is nothing short of being there. There are enough twists and plot turnings to keep any reader happy. Only a writer intimately familiar with carrier operations could make this story believable.

Despite the list of advisors, a few errors survived all the way to print. Each, however, will probably be unnoticed by general readers and a challenge for Skyhawkers to pick out after all the years.

Carrier air plays a part in “Leadership Material” by Dale Brown, and there’s the V-22 in Coonts’s “Al-Jihad.” Those familiar with Miramar will get a kick out of the setting and F/A-18s in Larry Bond’s “Lash Up.” For the true tailhook aficionado, though, only “Skyhawks Forever” will do, though we find ourselves wishing for the complete novel for more of Tillman’s Sierra Hotel adventure.

TBD Devastator Units of the U.S. Navy; Barrett Tillman; Osprey Aviation, Sterling Heights, Mich., 2000; softcover, 96 pages, illustrated. $17.95

TBD Devastator is a one-of-a-kind book on the aircraft that equipped our carrier-based torpedo-bomber squadrons from mid-1937 until after the Battle of Midway. What remained of them were quickly replaced in the carrier air groups by the more modern and effective Grumman TBF Avenger.

At the time of its initial delivery in 1937, the TBD was the most modern aircraft in the Navy. It was a monoplane with retractable landing gear and folding wings that initially confounded the pilots not accustomed to all the “gadgets.” The TBD, besides being a torpedo plane, was also a horizontal bomber equipped with the Norden bombsight operated by the second pilot lying between the pilot’s feet. However, the Devastator was underpowered, short-legged and slow, especially when carrying the standard but ineffective Mk 13 aerial torpedo.

The book thoroughly describes the development of the TBD, its introduction, prewar operations and problems with torpedo technology. It continues with the TBD’s use in 1942 in early carrier raids, the Battle of Coral Sea and finally the aircraft’s disastrous involvement in the Battle of Midway, in which only four of 41 TBDs launched against the enemy were recovered.

Tillman skillfully continues with an overall assessment of the aircraft, squadron colors and markings and the ongoing squabble about current efforts to recover a Battle of Coral Sea TBD off Florida’s coast. Personal accounts of prewar and combat action are liberally used to make the history of this aircraft come alive.

Most important to historians are excellent tables that include prewar and wartime operational losses by aircraft and crew along with detailed tables of aircraft and crews on every TBD wartime strike. The author also provides an excellent description of the development of the carrier air groups and tactics during the life of this aircraft.

The book is produced in the standard high-quality Osprey Combat Aircraft series format with plenty of great photographs and color plates, including unusual “Barkley” TBD paint schemes and stills from the VT-8 color movie made by John Ford.

This is a book that all historians should have on their bookshelves.

The Navy; RADM W.J. Holland, USN(Ret), Editor-in-Chief; Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, D.C., 2000; hardcover, 352 pages, illustrated. $70.00

A companion to a previously published volume on the U.S. Marine Corps and to an upcoming effort on U.S. Naval Aviation, this massive tome is a truly fine effort that uses the writing talents, operational experience, knowledge and decades-long dedication of many well-known and not-so-well-known veterans. Its very large format takes full advantage of a fine collection of photographs and fine-art paintings and illustrations, allowing a spacious layout for graphics and type. The size permits the reader to actually read the narrative of each chapter, something of a problem in today’s publishing where cost is so much a consideration in the many military books that appear each year. This book is simply one of the best overviews of the American Navy I have ever seen. It is impressive in every respect, a great ready reference as well as a fine gift on many occasions — graduation, commissioning, birthdays or retirement. The chapters are essays on a full range of topics that range from the earliest history to today’s fleet and the people who sail it. The well-chosen photos and paintings truly complement the text.

The early chapters detail America’s emergence as a world and naval power, with interesting sidelights on the “society” of the Navy. There is a particularly poignant assessment of the Civil War and its effect on American history. A surprising drawback, however, is that the otherwise authoritative section on World War I has nothing on U.S. Naval Aviation, which was very active from British and Italian bases in the last 15 months of the war. Succeeding chapters portray Naval Aviation’s growth, however, and include a fairly good display of photos.

The conflict between the Navy and the Army during the 1920s regarding the Navy’s role, and especially that of its aircraft, is covered as is the development of the aircraft carrier. Flag officers like William Moffett and Joseph Reeves take positions as proponents of Naval Air, especially when it wasn’t fashionable or career enhancing to do so.

The book’s lengthy World War II chapter is probably the book’s most appealingly written. U.S. Naval Institute editor and former battleship sailor Paul Stillwell knows his subject and chats in his unique, folksy style, pulling together a huge panorama of the two-ocean war of the 1940s, and makes great use of interviews and memories.

The Korean War, just now attaining some importance in public memory, is well described, and Naval Aviation enjoys a short portion of the large section on the three-year conflict. This section is actually part of a very large chapter dealing with post WW II events, something that somewhat shortchanges the coverage and no doubt caused the author some problems. No matter.

Dr. Ed Marolda is up to the task and does a fine job of covering the 40-year Cold War, including the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the exasperating, debilitating and ultimately unsuccessful Vietnam War. Marolda discusses the building global confrontation between the Free World and Communism, and the role U.S. Naval forces played in deterring the adversaries in Moscow and Peking. The 1991 Gulf War rounds out this large essay, describing the Navy’s role in this short, decisive conflict.

Retired captain and Naval Aviator Rosario “Zip” Rausa, a former editor of Naval Aviation News and current editor of ANA’s Wings of Gold, writes the chapter on carrier air. His personal experience and knowledge of his subject give the narrative a special flavor, making it more than another review of sea-based aviation’s history. It is a beautifully written description of what carrier air power has become in the 1990s, developed from the preceding eight decades.

Other chapters in the book describe various communities — some not so well known — in the Navy, including the Judge Advocate Corps, enjoying some fame because of a popular, long-running television series. The civil engineers, more popularly known as the Seabees, receive attention along with the Medical Corps and Supply Corps, not often highlighted in books on the military.

Well-published author and publisher VADM William P. Mack offers a special chapter on traditions. There is even a section on museums and displays that highlight the Navy and its people and history.

All in all, The Navy is a unique, well-done book that everyone will find something of interest in, or will enjoy as a detailed overview of our service.

Eyes of the Fleet: A History of Naval Photography; Art Giberson; Wind Canyon Books, Inc., Niceville, Fla., 2000; hardcover, 181 pages, illustrated. $49.95

Eyes of the Fleet, a well-written and engrossing history of naval photography, treats the reader to an overview of the beginnings of naval photography at Pensacola in 1914 and follows its development through the consolidation of military photography in 1992 and the movement of the Defense School of Photography from Pensacola to Fort Meade, Md., in 1998.

The father of naval photography, Walter L. Richardson, began his distinguished career as an amateur photographer and cook aboard USS Mississippi (BB-23) at the Pensacola Navy Yard in 1914 after transporting material there to establish an aeronautical training base. LCDR Henry Mustin and LTJG John Towers quickly recognized Richardson’s talent and the importance of photography in aviation. During World War I, Richardson established the Naval School of Aerial Photography at NAS Miami, became Naval Aviator No. 582 and headed the Navy’s photographic section in Washington, D.C.

A Naval School of Photography was established at NAS Anacostia in 1920, and in 1923 the Miami and Anacostia schools were combined into the Naval Schools of Photography at NAS Pensacola.

From WW I onward, naval photography grew as a professional organization along with industry efforts to develop better cameras, film and processing systems. During WW II, photo intelligence and interpretation became essential for battle planning. The use of aerial, surface and undersea photography quickly blossomed, becoming a standard means of gathering intelligence in future conflicts. The sea services used the Combat Photo Units and LCDR Edward Steichen’s Naval Aviation Photographic Units to document the war. Different techniques and equipment were used in Korea and Vietnam as photography progressed from the bulky Speed Graphics to the 35mm camera, TARPS, satellite imagery, computers and digital cameras.

Eyes of the Fleet is an excellent, comprehensive book, and liberally illustrated to tell the story of a vital profession. The reader will appreciate the fine contribution of author Giberson in this fascinating account.

Lockheed T2V/T-1A Seastar; Steve Ginter; Steve Ginter Publications, Simi Valley, Calif., 1999; softcover, 73 pages, illustrated. $15.95

Volume 42 of the author’s excellent Naval Fighters series covers the T2V/T-1 Seastar, a short-lived basic pilot and NFO training jet.

The T2V was designed to replace the non-carrier capable TV-1 (T-33) in basic training jet squadrons. As the first Navy aircraft with a boundary layer control system to improve the low-speed landing characteristics, the new aircraft incorporated a raised instructor seat in the rear, leading-edge slats and an enlarged tail surface. It was equipped with a tailhook and strengthened landing gear for carrier landings.

The aircraft began its service with BTG-9 at Pensacola and was in service less than two years before being replaced with the more capable T2J-1 Buckeye. Most of the Seastars went to Navy and Marine Corps air stations and service squadrons to serve as a proficiency and navigation trainer.

The book details the workings of the Seastar along with its operational specifications, all covered with excellent photographs. There are nearly 100 photographs alone of the aircraft as a station/service squadron hack. This aircraft deserves to be recognized, as it served a valuable function as an interim carrier-capable basic jet trainer and a safe and reliable proficiency and navigation aircraft during the 1960s and 1970s.

Ginter’s first-rate research and editorial skills have resulted in another highly recommended book in the Naval Fighter series.

Around the World With the U.S. Navy: A Reporter’s Travels; Bradley Peniston; U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., 1999; hardcover, 248 pages, illustrated. $25.95

Although well written, this book is yet another of the collection of essays, vignettes, exposes that seem to be appearing with too much regularity detailing how one author spent time with the Navy to get an “inside view” of how the service does business. I’ve kind of had my fill of each writing generation’s brand of technical voyeurism.

The descriptions and essays, which in this type of book can quickly deteriorate to cloying, predictable admiration, are pretty well balanced, however, as the writer visits every community — surface, subsurface, aviation — and the subvariations in between. Not an easy task in such a short book.

The format is tried and true: establish the venue, e.g., “Here I am aboard this huge aircraft carrier.” Then include descriptions of special activities, interviews with COs, aviators, flight crews, chiefs and sailors. Then, a little philosophizing about where this particular community fits in the Navy overall and how its members see themselves vis-a-vis their jobs and current policies. The text is written in clean, crisp prose, and the author does try to put different spins on familiar stories. He occasionally falls prey to inaccuracies; I wonder where he got his performance figures and related numbers. His section on the P-3 Orion crews leaves me scratching my head. I don’t think any P-3 crew would be moving at 450 mph, or flying 1,500 miles to their op area before beginning their mission. P-3 flights are — max — 12 hours, along with a 3-hour preflight and 1-to-1.5-hour debrief.

The Orion chapter does have good coverage of the VP Navy, which is not always included in these “travelogues.” The ASW mission and the Elint mission are well described. The last operation has taken on increased importance after the Cold War, especially in the Balkans.

Sections on the VFA and VF communities in the late 1990s touch upon operator and maintainer attitudes, particularly considering the rather unpopular consolidation of the F-14 Tomcat squadrons at one site at NAS Oceana in the mid-90s. Even the VR Navy, another often overlooked group of hard-working, dedicated Navy Reserve men and women, has its story told in more than just a few fleeting paragraphs.

SEALs, minesweepers, base operators and maintainers, even repair ships (when was the last time you read anything about them in a commercial book?) round out the narrative’s lineup.

Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War; Edward J. Marolda and Robert J. Schneller Jr.; U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., 1999; hardcover, 517 pages, illustrated. $36.95

Released 10 years after Desert Storm and well after the other services have had their turn at the publishing chalkboards, the Naval Historical Center, through Naval Institute Press, has released its official history of the war. Although copyrighted in 1998, the account wasn’t actually available until well into the following year. Now published by Naval Institute Press, Shield and Sword is an excellent piece of work and covers virtually every aspect of the Naval war that can be imagined.

The book starts with a basic historical background leading up to Desert Storm, including the significant events in the Persian Gulf that would lead to the war. Naval Aviation, not surprisingly, gets a good portion of the coverage.

Other aspects of Naval warfare are also featured, though, including quarantine operations, subs, and logistics — all critical to the war effort. If one warfare specialty seems to get scant mention it would be the SEALS, who would probably prefer to remain in the shadows anyway.

Strong points include a frank discussion of what the Navy had problems with — mines in particular — and a fascinating section covering the decision not to launch a Marine amphibious assault on Kuwait. Not many punches are pulled here, and even the odd flag officer, both Navy and Allied, comes under scrutiny.

Although this is by no means a photo book, there is a fair selection of photographs and maps included as well as several illustrations that nicely fill in where photos may not be available.

Shield and Sword includes more than 50 pages of footnotes and a bibliography that is almost as long. What is missing is a comprehensive, official list of ships, units and commanders in the war, a la Samuel Elliott Morison’s classic Two Ocean War series of historical works from World War II.

Writes of Flight: The Making of a World War II Naval Aviator; James W. Vernon; Vernon Books, Camarillo, Calif., 2000; softcover, 229 pages, illustrated. $13.00

The author, after two years of hard studies at the Montana School of Mines in Butte, wanted a break to do something stimulating in the summer of 1942. Faced with the draft, he joined the Aviation Cadet program at the age of 19, and at the end of the war was flying F6F Hellcats as a member of VBF-87 in USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) waging war against the Japanese homeland.

In a most engaging narrative, the author details his personal experiences from mid-1942 to mid-1946, when he learned to fly in the Civilian Pilot Training program through training at Livermoore, Corpus, Cuddihy and Kingsville. After receiving his wings, the author went on to VB-87 at NAS Wildwood flying the SB2C Helldiver.

After seven weeks of flying the “Beast,” the air wing was reorganized and the author happily joined VF-87 to train in the F6F Hellcat. Following work ups with the new Randolph (CV-15), Carrier Air Group 87 arrived in Hawaii at the end of 1944. Following further reorganizations, Vernon, now part of VBF-87, found himself deploying in May 1945 aboard Ticonderoga to the war against Japan.

The author’s recollections about his training and characters he meets, life in the squadron and aboard ship, the varying emotions concerning day and night landings, and the dumb things he did in the cockpit and on liberty are memories that are sure to strike a spark of recognition from Naval Aviators everywhere.

It’s often a surprise to read a self-published book that is as meaningful to this reviewer as this little gem. Jim Vernon’s work is among the best personal accounts about WW II Naval Aviation that I have read. Pick one up and see if you agree.

Summer 2001

Nuclear Weapons and Aircraft Carriers; VADM Gerald E. Miller, USN(Ret); Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 2001; hardcover, 296 pages, illustrated, index. $ 32.95

Jerry Miller’s account of the development of nuclear weapons in carrier aviation is a well-told tale by an eminently qualified narrator. As a retired vice admiral who commanded 2nd and 6th Fleets, he is intimately familiar with the evolution of nukes and what they meant to the Tailhook navy. In fact, he argues convincingly that even though nobody ever launched for real with “special weapons,” the ability to do so was essential to the survival of Naval Aviation following World War II.

Miller traces the influence of a relatively few individuals who were instrumental in providing carriers with a nuclear delivery capability. They began with Deke Parsons, the weaponeer on the Hiroshima bomb. Though not an aviator, his ordnance expertise and forceful advocacy of nukes paved the way for the Navy to compete successfully with the independent postwar U.S. Air Force. Others such as Dick Ashworth, Chick Hayward and Jig Dog Ramage also were major influences through the trying days of the Truman administration and the Revolt of the Admirals.

In fact, one of the few aspects not covered in this excellent book is Navy Air’s ability to deliver nukes on Communist targets, forcing an end to hostilities in Korea. The subject is extensive and complex, spanning more than three decades from 1945 to the withdrawal of carrier-based nukes from the SIOP in 1976. Aside from the significant challenges of developing nuclear weapons were enormous difficulties in designing, building and using suitable aircraft and ships, all of which figured in the mix.

From marginal platforms such as the AJ Savage to proven warriors such as the A-3 Skywarrior and A-4 Skyhawk, Naval Aviation found a will and a way to perform the mission. Some veterans of that era now smile in remembrance of the naive attitudes of some JOs: “We thought we’d launch against a nuclear target, return to the ship and eat popcorn while watching the movie that night,” says one Tailhooker. Others regarded their survival prospects as minimal. In the words of the A-4 community, “One man, one bomb, one way.”

If you only have time to read part of Jerry Miller’s book, make it Chapter 9, a fascinating discussion of nuclear targeting. In addition to the obvious requirements such as intelligence and weaponeering, his insider’s perspective demonstrates the tacit challenges including education of DoD, political and academic audiences. Miller concludes that the huge majority of those he attempted to educate on the process were chillingly comfortable with the prospect of 8,000 American nukes being released, let alone a larger number from the Soviets. Whether from indifference or denial, the resulting lethargy was an eye-opening experience.

Miller also describes the evolution of delivery tactics such as loft bombing and the “over the shoulder” technique. Even in the Vietnam War, when Tailhookers went to GQ more qualified in nukes than conventional ordnance, the need to remain current in special weapons remained an overriding factor. Miller notes that busting a nuclear exercise was the surest way to lose a squadron command, and the perceived requirement of steaming within reach of nuclear launch points effected day-to-day CV schedules. Miller offers an astute analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of nuclear weapons and, by extension, nuclear propulsion on the Navy at large. In the late ’40s, when the Air Force nearly succeeded in killing carrier aviation, the nuke option was probably the major factor in keeping flattops afloat. However, Hyman Rickover’s fiefdom incurred long-term problems, especially among exceptionally bright Annapolis graduates who were dragooned into the nuke program against their preferences. Additionally, though it’s beyond the scope of this book, a case can be made that throughout the ’90s the nuke power/submarine domination of Navy leadership was at the heart of the decade-long Tailhook witch hunt. Those who made careers of managing nuclear reactors, and therefore were never exposed to combat, clearly failed in their most basic leadership obligation — preserving the warfighters and keeping them on board. A decade later the retention problems have not been cured, and that topic may be worthy of Jerry Miller’s next book.

Punk’s War; Ward Carroll; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 2001; hardcover, 224 pages. $24.95

Ward Carroll insisted that the front cover jacket design for his first novel, Punk’s War, be “edgy.” That says a lot about the book, but not everything.

If you know Carroll, you know that he is a leading-edge innovator. If you don’t, you’re in good hands, as he embodies many of the elements of his own catharsis that he underwent as he progressed from a first-tour junior officer to CAG operations officer to excise some of his junior officer “angst.”

Carroll doesn’t rely on technology to carry his tale like other recent novels, but instead uses human drama and conflict in crises to tell his tale of Punk, an F-14 pilot at odds with a commanding officer who bends the rules to suit himself and his ambition. Along the way, Carroll successfully weaves in a complex cast of characters, issues and humor that will take anyone who has “been there, done that” right on a journey to the JO bunkroom, ready room, liberty and in harm’s way. And if you haven’t been there, you’ll get a great sampling of what it’s like without any window dressing. In doing so, Carroll demonstrates a keen eye for human drama as well as describing the gap of junior officer frustration and senior officer responsibility and leadership.

Punk’s War takes the reader to a carrier patrolling in the Persian Gulf during tensions with Iran and Iraq. The story begins with an early morning Alert 5 turnover during the fifth month of a six-month cruise in which interpersonal relationships are strained even in the best of times. Punk’s War is a treat for the reader — some of the characters emerge stronger, some weaker and some become frustrated as they face one other, operational challenges, career decisions and separation from loved ones.

Carroll also rewards the reader during breaks in the action with a marvelous explanation of the rites of callsign creation and a lively give-and-take between Punk and an Air Force F-117 pilot over pros and cons of their respective services.

Punk’s War is a gripping read and will, no doubt, be ideal for adaptation to the screen and worthy of a sequel or two. This reviewer was thoroughly engrossed and grateful for the discussion of the tough issues of the day for both sides of the generation gap. Don’t borrow this book from your buddy — it’s one you buy for your bookshelf to rest alongside The Caine Mutiny, The Bridges at Toko-Ri and Run Silent, Run Deep.

Spyplane: The U-2 History Declassified; Norman Polmar; MBI Publishing, Osceola, Wis., 2001; hardcover, 278 pages, illustrated. $21.95

Following World War II, the emergence of the Soviet Union as a nuclear power and the rise of the communist People’s Republic of China created the need for a high-altitude aerial reconnaissance aircraft. The need became a driving force in the late 1940s and early 1950s for the U.S. military. Existing aircraft such as the PB4Y and P2V were heavily modified for recce and snooper missions, but these propeller-driven types proved too vulnerable to interception. Several were shot down or damaged by communist fighters while on their missions. Only a plane flying above 50,000 feet would be immune from such a threat, and thus the U-2 was born. A highly sensitive program, it was not welcomed initially by all levels of the U.S. military and political communities.

While other books and magazine articles on Lockheed’s spyplane have appeared over the years, Spyplane is the first formal biography of this evocative Cold War warrior’s design and operational service from 1956 to 2000, focusing on world concerns and American programs that generated the U-2. This is not just another history of an airplane, but rather of the idea and seminal concept with which to fight the Cold War — and win!

Design and development of the U-2’s all-important camera systems are well covered, as is the aircraft’s complex fuel system, showing how hard it was to bring designer Kelly Johnson’s vision to flying reality.

The U-2’s first flight over the USSR and the Soviet reaction are described clearly and convey the urgent need for intelligence regarding Soviet ships and aircraft production programs. International activities included sorties over the Middle East, especially during the 1956 Suez War. A young pilot, Francis Gary Powers, flew a high-level mission to obtain photography of the Sinai battlefield. Polmar’s narrative describes the growing Soviet frustration at not being able to catch the intruders, which they thought were British Canberra jet bombers modified for snooper missions.

The list of intensive schedules of flights over the USSR makes for some gripping reading. The caliber and stamina of the U-2 pilots were truly unusual, although one young aviator nearly killed himself sucking on what he thought was his usual candy. To his horror, he discovered the lemon drop was actually a potent suicide pill placed in its usual pocket by an Air Force technician! Another U-2 pilot removed his oxygen mask to light up a cigarette and started a fire, requiring him to make the first ejection from a U-2.

Concern over the so-called “missile gap” of the late 1950s proved unfounded. At the time, however, fear of a growing Soviet lead in intercontinental missiles and the success of initial U-2 overflights of the USSR prompted the Eisenhower administration to make another important mission in May 1960, just before an important summit meeting between President Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev. Supported by dramatic photographs, Norman Polmar describes the Soviet destruction of this U-2 flown by Gary Powers. The event also saw the loss of a Russian MiG-19 whose pilot was killed when his interceptor was engaged by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) battery and destroyed — though it was “blue on blue,” it was the first kill by a SAM.

Digging into previously classified CIA history, Polmar reveals the hidden aspects of the U-2’s relationship with the spy agency. Careers rose and fell with the fortunes of the U-2 program. He describes early missions over Southeast Asia and the Middle East in the 1960s, the last of which raised Israeli hackles to the point that Defense Minister Moshe Dyan threatened to shoot down the offending U-2 using an American-supplied F-4 Phantom.

The author’s coverage of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis comes late in the narrative, but it provides a cogent, detailed description of this tenuous time. If the reader wasn’t alive or old enough to understand, there were a few days when most American citizens thought World War III was at hand!

For tailhook enthusiasts, there is also the story of the short-lived experiment of launching and recovering U-2s aboard carriers in 1966. At least one such operational mission was flown to observe French nuclear tests.

The last chapter describes post-Cold War operations, including the 1991 Persian Gulf War and environmental missions. With detailed endnotes and black-and-white photographs, this book is the best account of Lockheed’s Dragon Lady.

The First Hellcat Ace; CDR Hamilton McWhorter III, USN(Ret), with Jay A. Stout; Pacifica Military History, Pacifica, Calif., 2001; hard cover, 231 pages, illustrated. $29.95

While growing up I used to read Carrier War that detailed TF-58’s activities up to the end of 1944. Lavishly illustrated, it showed one picture of VF-9s “One Slug” McWhorter putting his tenth kill marking on his Hellcat. I always wondered about the man, and now I have the answers.

McWhorter grew up in Georgia and, like so many of the children of the Depression, he received his first taste of aviation while flying in a traveling air circus’s Ford Trimotor. Trips to the local airport to watch the planes continued to peak his interest. In college he joined the Civilian Pilot Training program that taught thousands of young men and women to fly, and after two years of college he joined the Aviation Cadet program and received his wings in February 1942. After fighter training he joined the newly formed VF-9, and the hard-playing, hard-flying squadron under LCDR Jack Raby first saw combat in F4F Wildcats in November against the Vichy French during Operation Torch. After returning to ConUS, the squadron was the first unit to convert to the new F6F Hellcat. Teamed with the new USS Essex (CV-9) in March 1943, the combat-seasoned squadron fought in the Central Pacific for 10 months before being relieved in March 1944. During the period, the squadron shot down 120 Japanese aircraft and LTJG “Ham” McWhorter became not only the first Hellcat ace, but also the first F6F double ace. All this in an elite squadron whose pilots included Gene Valencia and Chick Smith.

After a tour as a fighter instructor at NAS Melbourne, Fla., the author joined VF-12 in July 1944 to deploy in Randolph (CV-15) in January 1945. Six months later the air group was relieved after participating in the invasions of Iwo Jima, Okinawa and strikes on Japan. During this tour the author scored two more kills, bringing his total to 12.

This superb book tells an amazing story about a Naval Aviator and fighter ace. It does not glamorize air combat but reflects on the fun, hardship and realities of war faced by thousands of young men who flew aircraft off carriers during World War II.

Skyraider: The Douglas A-1 “Flying Dump Truck”; Rosario M. Rausa; Nautical and Aviation Publishing Co. of America, 1982, 2001; hardcover, 239 pages, illustrated. $28.95

It’s good to see this fine aircraft biography reissued so long after the death of its designer, Ed Heinemann, in 1988. The author, known to everyone in the trade as “Zip,” is currently the editor of ANA’s Wings of Gold magazine, served two tours as the editor of Naval Aviation News and received the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation’s ADM Arthur Radford writing award in 2001. He has several books and magazine articles to his credit, including co-written biographies of Ed Heinemann and of R.G. Smith.

As a former Spad pilot, the author has produced a labor of love, and he obviously takes great pride in his admiration and experiences in the Douglas A-1 Skyraider he flew in Vietnam. Skyraider is not just a technical history — there are the obligatory developmental details, appendices on British and French service, as well as performance tables and bureau number schedules. But the meat of this volume is the career of the plane itself, and the experiences of the pilots and crewmen who flew her in peace and war, from the Mediterranean to Korea and Southeast Asia.

Perhaps some of the stories are better known than others, but the episodes in 1965 and 1966 wherein the old, slow Skyraider scored two kills against North Vietnamese MiG-17s have never been told in such detail. A “first” is the account of the July 1954 dogfight near Hainan Island — might sound familiar to a certain EP-3E crew today, as well as countless carrier crews of the 1960s — off Vietnam, when AD-4s of VF-54 engaged Communist Chinese Lavochkin LA-7 prop fighters and destroyed two of them. Though the event was hushed up, it served to establish a principle concerning military law on the high seas. Then there’s the first-time story of pre-1964 American involvement in Vietnam with the Skyraider when American Navy crews were training South Vietnamese airmen to fly and fight the A-1 in 1960.

Besides the well-written, entertaining narrative, there are dozens of photographs, many of which have never been published. Many models and situations are described, and many of the pictures give a good idea of just how capable, durable and big a machine the Skyraider was.

U.S. Naval Air Station Melbourne, Florida: Fighter Pilot Training Base, World War II; William R. Barnett; XLibris Corp., USA, 2001; soft cover, 188 pages, illustrated, bibliography. $16.00

This attractive, self-published book concerns Navy fighter pilot operational training and the development of the Melbourne airport (built in 1934) into a large fighter training naval air station during World War II.

With the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Navy was forced into a two-ocean conflict with the Axis. One of several problems for the Navy was training thousands of pilots and, of course, building new airfields to train these pilots. The new Navy flight training program, approved in February 1942, established the Operational Training Command to relieve the fleet squadrons from providing combat training, carrier qualification and fleet aircraft familiarization to newly winged pilots. Eight new operational training bases, consisting of a main field and two satellite fields, were built in 1942 in Florida to add to the four (Jacksonville, Banana River, Miami and Key West) already in use.

NAS Melbourne, along with its satellite fields — ALF Valkaria and Malabar — and a gunnery/bombing range at Lake Hell-’n’-Blazes, was officially established on 20 October 1942 as a fighter training base. Flight training began immediately in war-weary F4F Wildcats, replaced beginning in June 1943 by the new Grumman Hellcat. By 1944 more than 150 Hellcats were operating virtually 24 hours a day to turn out new fighter pilots. Experienced fighter pilots such as Ed Pawka, Al Vorse, Ham McWhorter and David McCampbell were among those who trained nuggets in F6Fs.

The author relates an extremely interesting history of the base and the people on it and also about the town and how it supported the war effort and personnel. Melbourne also tells the story about how Navy pilots were trained during the war and the author’s experiences of going through preflight at Athens in spring 1943, primary in the N2S, basic and advanced at Corpus Christi, and finally operational training at Melbourne beginning in June 1944. After completing operational training, he “volunteered” for night fighter training and was sent to NAS Vero Beach before joining VF(N)-52 in 1945. The war ended before his air group got into combat.

This well-written account deals interestingly about a little-known aspect of Navy flight training in WW II, most notably how the Navy sorted through thousands of candidates to find the best pilots for the fleet.

Fall 2001

Fly Navy: Naval Aviators and Carrier Aviation, A History; Philip Kaplan; Metro Books, London, England, 2001; hardcover, 256 pages, illustrated, index. $19.95

This author of five previous aviation histories has blended a fabulously rich text with beautiful illustrations and photographs to create a superb portrait of past and present carrier aviation. Making excellent use of extensive research based on archives, diaries, published memories and personal interviews with past and present aircrew, plus spending time in Pensacola and at sea aboard British and American carriers, Philip Kaplan tells an interesting, highly readable and accurate story of the history of the aircraft carrier, the aircraft, and the men and now women who sail on board and fly from their decks.

The chapters, using a masterful blend of personal stories with factual information and photographs, tell the story of the development of aircraft carriers and the carrier aircraft used, the daring World War II Royal Navy strike on Taranto in antique Swordfish biplanes, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and their kamikaze attacks, the action involved in the carrier air strikes of WW II, Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands and the Persian Gulf. Besides the air history, the book also covers RN and U.S. carrier operations around the ship and on deck, the LSO and “batsman,” flight training and women in aviation and Navy families. A chapter entitled “Sliders” covers the care, feeding and recreation of all hands.

Personal accounts from past and current pilots, aircrewmen, flight deck personnel and ships company such as Eric Brown, RN, David “Sharkey” Ward, RN, Bob Elder, Alex Vraciu, Paul Gillcrist and the CO of HMS Illustrious, to name a few, bring this book to life in providing probably one of the best and personal pictures of carrier aviation today.

Fly Navy is lavishly illustrated with exciting drawings and 200-plus black-and-white and color photographs of ships, aircraft and, most importantly, the people who man them. The author’s experience as a photographer and art director are brilliantly evident in his selection and layout of illustrations, most of which have not been seen before.

This is one the best books I have seen that provides an accurate, informative and personal portrait of carrier aviation. Happily, the book is affordably priced and may be found at Barnes & Noble bookstores across the country. Save a place for this fine volume on your bookshelf.

The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 17th Edition; Norman Polmar, editor; Naval Institute Press, 2001; hardcover, 672 pages, illustrated, index. $85.00

One of the best editions of this tri-annual regular, it nonetheless just missed two major incidents—the collision of the USS Greeneville (SSN-772) with a Japanese fishing boat in February 2001 and the midair between an EP-3E and Chinese J-8 fighter the following April. The terrorist attack in October 2000 on Cole (DDG-67) is included, but in fairly general detail. Ships and Aircraft is not meant to be a yearbook of naval current events, but rather a ready reference of naval hardware to help the reader who wants to know just what is an EP-3E, or the dimensions of Cole to supplement news reports and more in-depth treatment of these events.

One thing that distinguishes Ships and Aircraft from other publications such as Jane’s is its introductory chapters on programs and organization. These opening sections provide helpful background for the pages that follow as they describe in detail individual classes and types of ships and aircraft within the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as related civilian platforms.

The 17th edition has truly fine, well-reproduced photos. The book’s large format allows the pictures to be shown to their best advantage. Naval Aviation is described in two lengthy, in-depth chapters, giving each service’s mission, organization and individual aircraft lineup.

Though a bit expensive, this volume is a key item on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the fighting capability of our Navy.

The History of U.S. Electronic Warfare, Volumes I, II, III; Dr. Alfred Price, Association of Old Crows, Alexandria, Va.,
Vol. I: The Years of Innovation — Beginnings to 1946; (312 pages, 1984) $30
Vol. II: The Renaissance Years, 1946–1964; (391 pages, 1989) $42
Vol. III: Rolling Thunder Through Allied Force, 1964 to 2000; (609 pages, 2000) $54

When you ride the Washington Metro Yellow or Blue lines through Alexandria, Virginia, you might notice a building by the Braddock Station that says “Association of Old Crows.” That bunch with the odd name is the professional organization for Electronic Warriors, those individuals frequently known as Crows or Ravens. About 20 years ago the AOC commissioned Englishman Alfred Price to write the “official” history of U.S. electronic warfare. After a long wait, the three-volume effort is available.

The Association could hardly have picked a more qualified individual than Dr. Price to produce this series. The author, no stranger to the EW field, is a former RAF Crow and has written more than 30 books about aerial warfare, including the groundbreaking Instruments of Darkness that covered the “war of the wiggly amps” during World War II.

This series isn’t so much about technical “beeps and squeaks” as it is about a broad history of the development of EW gear, tactics and units. The threat that drove this progress is discussed at length, and each volume is full of first-person interviews from the men who designed, flew and fought in this frequently shadowy arena. Receiving coverage are both active (jamming) and passive (receiving) EW, with the second volume in particular providing fascinating insight into the problems (and dangers) of monitoring the Soviets as the Cold War developed.

It’s probably no stretch to say there is a good amount of material on the subject that has never before seen the light of day. (According to one source at AOC, the Pentagon security review delayed the last volume long enough to allow the inclusion of Operation Allied Force.) Appendices in each volume are full of reference and background material on EW gear, technical data and threat systems.

Photo sections are limited but cover the basics. The strength of these books is the detailed and heavily footnoted historical text that makes up the body. Each of the four services are covered, though not surprisingly the Air Force and Navy predominate since Vietnam as the suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) mission area grew in importance. Army ground-based EW, while covered, is overwhelmed by airborne gear. Navy-related subjects include most of the expected aircraft as well as some blackshoe systems such as the SLQ-32. The Prowler and Whale receive their due as well as the electric versions of the Skyraider and Skyknight. The section on the Linebacker strikes of 1972 include some of the best analysis of the B-52 losses to SA-2s this reviewer has seen.

As befitting such a limited-run series, the cost is not cheap. The trio goes for $100 when bought together, or a lot more separately. These works are available through the AOC either at their Alexandria office or on the Web at http://www.aochq.org (follow the pointers under “mementos”). The series is strongly recommended for anyone interested in electronic warfare or what it hath wrought.

Martin SeaMaster P6M; Stan Piet and Al Raithel; Martineer Press, Bel Air, Md., 2001; softcover, 236 pages, illustrated, appendices. $35.00

On 21 July 1955, the sleek gloss-blue, four-engine jet XP6M-1 seaplane made the first of many flights to begin what five years later was Martin Aircraft’s last chapter in seaplane production. After years of research, two well-respected authors have produced a fact-filled book on Martin’s last flying boat, the jet-powered P6M SeaMaster. The aircraft was also to be the Navy’s last seaplane project to lift free of the water, thus ending Martin’s 30 years of producing seaplanes such as the PM-1, PB2M Mars, PBM Mariner and P5M Marlin.

The book details the origin, development, construction, testing and eventual cancellation of the SeaMaster in 1960 after building 10 types of these fascinating aircraft. The information in the text is complemented with superb black-and-white and color photographs and diagrams. The SeaMaster was exceptionally active in the development of air-to-air refueling, conventional and special weapons delivery systems and advance ship/submarine and shorebasing concepts.

This is a superbly detailed book on a little-known but spectacularly beautiful Navy aircraft that, though representing the pinnacle of U.S. seaplane design, helped close the chapter on Navy flying boats.

Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak, Naval Fighter No. 56; Scott Libis; Steve Ginter, Simi Valley, Calif, 2001; softcover, 66 pages, illustrated. $15.95

Near the end of World War II it was obvious that the U.S. needed high-speed research aircraft to explore supersonic flight if it wanted to remain dominate as a world air power. To accomplish this, the government split the work between the Army Air Force and the Navy to avoid any duplication of effort. The result for the Army was the Bell X-1. For the Navy, the aircraft that was produced was the Douglas 558-1 Skystreak.

On 20 August 1947 a bright crimson Skystreak with CDR Turner Caldwell at the controls streaked over Muroc Air Base in Southern California for a new world speed record of 640 mph. Five days later LCOL Marion Carl broke Caldwell’s record by 10 mph. The Skystreak was retired in 1953, replaced by faster research aircraft.

This fascinating addition to Ginter’s Naval Fighter series is filled with plenty of interesting facts concerning this important aircraft. Aircraft development and the various variations of the Skystreak are covered in detail, and photographs and handbook illustrations abound. In addition to documenting the aircraft’s history, author Libis provides a listing of the plane’s test pilots, an account of the crash of the No. 2 aircraft, and details concerning the race to be the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. The last portion of the book lists all Skystreak flights in detail.

This is another example of Ginter’s painstaking effort to document little-known corners of Naval Aviation in enough detail to satisfy the hungriest of aviation enthusiasts. When considering the wealth of information between the covers and the book’s bargain price, there is little excuse for not having this gem in an aviation enthusiast’s collection.

Flight Song: A Novel of a Nugget Flying With the Fleet; D.E. “Butch” Bucciarelli; Xlibris Publishing, 2001; softcover, 371 pages. $16.00

Butch Bucciarelli, a veteran attack pilot, has produced the second in a trilogy describing a fictional but highly typical, energetic young Naval Aviator. The first installment, Low and Slow, deals with the adventures of a young San Franciscan paisano as he overcomes the many challenges of earning his Wings of Gold. In the current installment, ENS Dario D’Angelo receives orders to fly AD-5 Skyraiders, though he had hoped for the more glamorous jet-powered aircraft.

Our hero’s bizarre adventures continue as he is assigned to a NAS North Island-based airborne early warning squadron, suffers the standard problems in adapting to life in the fleet, but quickly asserts himself as an aggressive, competent young pilot who loves his aircraft and its mission.

Of particular interest to the tailhook-oriented is the description of flying in the venerable Able Dog, one of the fleet’s most versatile aircraft, and the relationships the hero establishes within the squadron and on the beach. There’re the inevitable love interests as well — it’s fascinating as well to read of his resourcefulness as he handles a situation in which two women he’s pursuing both show up to greet him at his ship’s arrival.

As we carrier types expect in all good novels, there is action in abundance that ranges from a ditching at sea to a low-level flight over enemy territory to a Spad-vs.-MiG engagement.

Flight Song is a fast-paced and interesting read, one that is bound to bring a smile to a Naval Aviator’s face as he enjoys the tale and recalls the fun and adventure in the way things were — and ought yet to be.

VIDEOS AND SOFTWARE

MiG Alley; Empire Interactive, San Francisco, Calif., 1999; PC flight simulation, 400MB. $42.99

I’ve been fascinated by airplanes since I was a child. In my younger days it was picture books, magazines, old movies and model airplanes. As I grew up, that fascination grew right along with me, eventually turning into a career in Naval Aviation.

In August 1998 I bought my first “high-end” personal computer and discovered that PC flight simulations were on the cusp of exceeding many of the capabilities of the military simulators I had trained in at the FRS. As an experienced military aviator, my threshold for realism and immersion in a PC flight sim is pretty darned high. Certainly for a veteran military pilot or NFO, the vast majority of today’s flight simulations equate to little more than arcade games with respect to realistic aircraft and weapons behavior.

But as the power and sophistication of modern PCs advance by leaps and bounds every few months, so too does the realism found in the latest PC flight simulations. Empire Interactive’s MiG Alley is one of those few flight sims out there that seems to get most of it right and can provide a veteran aviator with an enjoyable, challenging and realistic historical jaunt against the enemy.

Set in the first year of the Korean War, MiG Alley offers a gamer flying opportunities in the F-51, F-80C, F-84E and F-86A/E/F. In some scenarios you can also fly the MiG-15. The play includes simple missions designed to hone particular skills in air-to-air or air-to-ground mission areas in a series of campaigns that allow you to explore the capabilities and limitations of these aircraft. These games build to a highly detailed and complex campaign called “Spring Offensive” that follows the UN ground offensive of 1951 and tasks the player with managing the entire air campaign.

Folks who never got enough of strike planning at CVW Fallon dets should love this part of the game, although there is an automatic mission generator function for those few who did not. Finally, a many-v-many, instant-action mode is provided when all you want is to mix it up and flame a few MiGs with your F-86E.

MiG Alley sports a robust flight model that gives each aircraft represented in it a unique and very different feel that affects the way you employ it in combat to get the best results. In general terms, these early jets were beasts to fly when compared to the Super Hornet of today. Analog cockpits, unaugmented flight controls and low thrust-to-weight, slow-spooling engines made combat a visceral flying experience that lent new meaning to “staying ahead of the jet.” The weapons systems were equally primitive, with manual bombing, rockets and machine guns the order of the day. The one bright spot was the advent of the radar-ranging gunsight, which by today’s standards was a fairly primitive piece of kit that worked only when it wanted to.

If you’re looking to expand your understanding of the air combat environment of the Korean War in a way you never have before, MiG Alley is for you. Particularly for those Tailhookers who are now out of the military cockpit, a well-executed PC flight sim like this one is also a grand way to get a portion of that old aviation adrenaline rush back.

Don’t forget your joystick, and a throttle and set of rudder pedals wouldn’t hurt, either — if you want the maximum in game immersion and flying fun.

Winter 2001

U.S. Naval Aviation; M. Hill Goodspeed, editor-in-chief, Richard Burgess, editor; Hugh Lauter Levin Assoc., Southport, Conn., 2001; hardcover, 352 pages, illustrated. $75.00

Classic aircraft, famous ships, the leaders and shipmates of our historic past and present as well as a glimpse into the future — it’s all here. Wow, what a book!

U.S. Naval Aviation is the work of Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, specialists in large-format illustrative books. They produced this one in conjunction with the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and have cooked up a winner.

The first thing you notice is the cover — a heavy, cloth binding with deep gold lettering and a massive circular crest on the front. It’s a big one too, more than 14 inches tall and 10 across. And visual impact doesn’t begin to address what’s inside.

Between the book’s covers you’ll find about every aspect of Naval Aviation imaginable — lighter-than-air, Marines, Coast Guard, helos and even some (but not too much) land-based patrol. But let’s face it — the centerpiece of our trade is the carrier and, just like in real life, it dominates everything else around it. You’ll find a lot of familiar faces here, the heroes of days gone by, as well as a lot of the not-so average and everyday players that fill out the team that keeps U.S. Naval Aviation going and has led it to victory at sea.

This book could be subtitled Only the Best, as in the areas of writing, photography and artwork the editors have gone out of their way to find uniquely qualified individuals to portray our business in the finest fashion.

Coverage includes the expected subjects, such as carriers, aircraft and men, as well as the less obvious, like flight gear and uniforms. Each of the 14 chapters is written by a different individual, many of whom should be familiar to this audience. ADM Leighton “Snuffy” Smith and VADM John “Black” Nathman contributed. Barrett Tillman, Dave Parsons and Peter Mersky also cover areas of their expertise, and they grabbed former Blue Angel and newly minted RADM Pat Walsh to write about what it means to be “An Ambassador in Blue.”

The photography reproduced exceptionally well in most cases, and the captions are pointed and informative. The variety and quality of the photographs cannot be overstated, particularly since they’re not always subjects you might expect. For instance, two different inflight shots of SB2U Vindicators, one pre-war Navy and the other in Marine gray, are eye-popping in detail and interest. There are many more such examples.

Caption errors are few and generally show an attention to detail rarely found in a book with this level of illustration. The works of Bob Lawson (not all properly credited, unfortunately), Ted Carlson and some superb official work are featured, and very few of the photos are split across the “gutter” as in many other productions.

The artwork displayed is from some of the more great men who have inspired us with their genius on canvas, including Grinnell, Dietz, Wilbur and the incomparable R.G. Smith.

Rest assured, this is certainly not just another “Tomcat and Hornet” effort. In a field seemingly full of half-baked picture and coffee-table books on carriers and the Navy, this one really stands out. Be advised, it’s not inexpensive. But the best don’t usually come cheap. The publisher states that discount houses like Costco will be selling it if you’re looking for a bargain.

United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II; Mel Shettle, Jr.; Schaerte Publishing Co., Bowersville, Ga., 2001; hardcover, 179 pages, illustrated, index, appendix. $35.00

This, the author’s third book on World War II Naval Aviation air stations, is a treasure. Wartime fields such as Miramar, Cherry Point, El Toro, Santa Barbara, Ewa, Mojave and El Centro are documented together with older Marine Corps air stations — St. Thomas, Parris Island, Quantico and others. This thoroughly researched book outlines the history of each field, how it was used and what squadrons and aircraft it operated. More than 170 excellent photographs, most not seen before, complement the text.

In addition to facilities and fields, the book also details the Marine’s development of dive bombing and the use of the SBD and SB2C, its barrage balloon and glider programs, the Women Reserve and its contributions to Marine Aviation, and Marine multi-engine night fighters. Also included are brief biographies of famous Marine World War II aviators such as Pappy Boyington, John Glenn, Joe Foss, Tyrone Power, Ted Williams and Ed McMahon.

Mel Shettle, in an excellent effort as an author and historian, has put together a worthy addition to his first two books on Navy air stations during WW II.

MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War; Istvan Toperczer; Osprey Publishing Ltd., New York, N.Y., 2001; softcover, 96 pages, illustrated. $18.95

No. 25 of the popular Combat Aircraft series from Osprey, this book will serve to shed new light and open new questions on the shadowy history of Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF). Beginning with a history of the early formation of the VPAF, the author, a flight surgeon in the Hungarian Air Force, tells of North Vietnam’s pilots’ first training and aircraft. He also wrote Air War Over North Vietnam (Squadron/Signal, 1998). This larger-format book was an all-inclusive history of the VPAF from 1949 to 1977.

Of course, the main focus of the new book is the Vietnam air war, and it is in this area that knowledgeable readers will be the most interested and the most critical. It’s plain that Dr. Toperczer has included more than a little communist propaganda — perhaps mainly misinformation — maybe in exchange for having gained such widespread admission to North Vietnamese pilots, files and photos. However, he does try to walk a tight line to ensure a true history.

The photos and color profiles are quite interesting, although some are repeated from the early Squadron/Signal book. Others are new and add to the book’s appeal. Iain Wyllie’s cover painting is also well done. There are line general-arrangement aircraft drawings and several short appendices showing unit facts and kill claims against the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

Perhaps the full, true story of these encounters will never be written. The information on both sides is often unclear and conflicting. For instance, describing the loss of the VA-212 A-4E flown by LTJG Al Crebo in April 1967, the author counters the U.S. claim that the Skyhawk was hit by a missile. This battle-damaged Scooter was the subject of one of the best-photographed combat air actions of the early war by virtue of stunning pictures of Crebo’s mortally wounded aircraft as he struggled to return to his carrier. (Douglas and Ed Heinemann sure built ’em tough!) Ultimately, he ejected and was rescued.

The author writes that Crebo’s A-4 was hit by MiGs, and he even offers the name of the VPAF flight leader. In 1982, this reviewer received a letter from a pilot who was flying on Crebo’s wing on the way back to Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31). Stephen R. Gray maintained the damage came from an SA-2 missile. There are other instances of either confusion or lack of facts, again on both sides, and if nothing else, it leaves much room for research and spirited discussion.

Although they served in the greatest numbers throughout the world during the Cold War, MiG fighters have not had the major exposure, at least in English, that their Western counterparts have enjoyed. This volume and the closely following book on VPAF MiG-21 units should rectify that situation to an extent. In the meantime, this new title is an excellent addition to literature on the air war in Southeast Asia.

Douglas A-4A/B Skyhawk in Navy Service, Naval Fighters No. 49; Steve Ginter; Steve Ginter Publications, Simi Valley, Calif., 2001; softcover, 177 pages, illustrated. $29.90

Prolific aviation author Steve Ginter has branched off into other subjects in the last few years such as his recent “Air Force Legends” series, but his raison d’etre remains U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, with an emphasis on carrier aircraft. With Douglas A-4A/B Skyhawk in Navy Service, he’s done it again, turning his attention to the earliest fleet models of the noble Scooter.

The layout is familiar: a brief introduction with photos of the prototype and pre-production aircraft undergoing flight tests and evaluation, followed by 34 pages of technical details, photographs and diagrams. You want to know the specifics for painting that A4D-1 you have parked in the back yard? The information’s here, along with crisp, cleanly produced photos of all the flight, control and weapons systems.

After a brief summation of the A4D-2, Ginter moves into the unit histories, 57 of them, starting with NATC Pax River and running through every fleet and T&E operator before ending with Fleet Air Gunnery Unit, Pacific. The Reserves are even represented toward the end of the book — the Navy called up VA-776 at NAS Alameda and VA-831 at NAS New York during the Pueblo Crisis in early 1968, and both operated the A-4B.

There are a few surprises as well. This reviewer had never heard of the Naval Aircraft Torpedo Unit (NATU), but was familiar with some of the more esoteric operators of “Heinemann’s Hotrod,” including the Naval Aircraft Special Weapons Facility at Kirtland AFB, N.M., (great patch!) and the two anti-submarine fighter squadrons, VSF-1 and VSF-3 at NAS Alameda. Otherwise, it’s fleet, fleet, fleet with lots of photographs mixed in with brief squadron histories, cruise summaries and squadron emblems. Particularly interesting are the photos of VA-72 — in 1956, the first A4D-1 operator — doing its carquals with an “L” tailcode for CVG-7. The air group shifted to the more familiar AG the following year.

There remain the occasional glitches found in other Naval Fighters publications. Most of the time he refers to squadrons as establishing and disestablishing, which is the correct terminology, but once in a while the odd “Attack Squadron XX was commissioned on …” sneaks in. Still, the overall effort is outstanding, and the books in this series keep getting better with every edition.

Once again, Ginter’s produced an excellent effort that will allow both the fan of tailhook aviation and the veteran Black Knight, Challenger, Boomerang, Waldoman, Bronco and Rampager to recall how it was in the good old days. If you’re into Douglas products, attack aviation and/or the classics of early carrier jet aviation, this is a must-have book.

Flying With Iron Angels: Carrier Air Group 14 and USS Wasp (CV-18); Charles Houston; Charles Houston, Fresno, Calif., 2001; hardcover, 480 pages, illustrated, appendices, index. $40.00

Many today can’t begin to appreciate what transpired in the Pacific during WW II and the sacrifices made by those defending our country against a determined foe. However, a great deal of information is beginning to surface as WW II veterans and their children are unlocking these memories.

Iron Angels is an account of Air Group 14’s deployment in USS Wasp (CV-18) from January to November 1944. CVG-14, made up of VF-14, the Iron Angels, VB-14, VT-14 and later VF(N)-77C, flew combat in strikes on Marcus and Wake Island, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the invasions of Guam and the Marianas, strikes on Palau, Iwo Jima, the Philippines and Manila, Okinawa, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the sinking of Yamato.

The author, a VF-14 plankowner with four kills, uses daily diaries, action reports and memories of air group veterans to tell the story of his air group during six months of intense combat. The format has its rewards, as it is interesting to read two or three personal accounts of the same action and observe different perspectives.

Not only does the interesting narrative cover combat operations, but it also details life in the squadron and aboard ship, as well as Navy flight training and techniques for day and night carrier landings.

Iron Angels is one of the finest self-published books this reviewer has seen. Professionally done, it is appealingly designed and filled with sharp photographs, maps and outstanding combat art. Iron Angels tells not only about the grimness of war, but also about the brotherhood, good humor and devotion to duty that binds young men together in time of conflict.

Sea Legs; RADM Paul T. Gillcrist, USN(Ret); Writer’s Showcase, New York, N.Y., 2000; softcover, 366 pages. $18.95

This is the third release in a series by this familiar author and Tailhook member RADM “Gator” Gillcrist. Following Feet Wet and Vulture’s Row, Sea Legs is yet another trove of stories from the admiral’s sea chest of memories.

According to the book’s epilogue, Sea Legs contains stories that didn’t make it in his earlier works. While described as “vignettes” in the text, the reader probably can be forgiven for thinking that more than a few of these stories were first told in a ready room with the more traditional fleet introduction: “This is no s#@*.”

Some of these pieces are howlers. His series of stories from his days at El Centro’s Fleet Air Gunnery Unit (FAGU) in the mid-’50s includes a plethora of jewels — like how he talked the Federales into giving him back a jet another pilot had “lost” in Mexico, for instance. Or the time he jumped a division of FJ-3 Furys near El Centro in his F9F Cougar with only 500 pounds of JP remaining, just to prove a point. Not all of them are funny — in fact several are head-shakers. If nothing else, they’ll point out how much things have changed in the Naval service over the last half century.

This work spans the years and runs from pranks at the Naval Academy through combat in Vietnam to the end of his last tour at the Pentagon. It’s not a hard read — Gillcrist is a great story teller and a joy to spend time with. Anyone with a love for sea stories and any sense of history should enjoy this one.

With Hostile Intent; Robert Gandt; Signet, New York. N.Y., 2001; softcover, 368 pages. $6.99

Bob Gandt is known for a half-dozen nonfiction books, including the well-regarded Bogies and Bandits that tracked an FRS class through Hornet training. In his first novel he builds on that knowledge to produce a solid tale about modern carrier aviation, warts and all.

The venue is the Roadrunners of VFA-36 embarked in USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) during a Persian Gulf deployment. In a well-plotted series of subsets, Gandt ties in a dedicated Iraqi Fulcrum CO opposed by heroes and heels on the American side. Some may seem stock characters, but all play a role: an ambitious, egomaniacal squadron CO, his alcoholic exec, a long-suffering ops o, a couple of female aviators, a tough-as-nails CAG, and an all-too-realistic, one-dimensional Navy undersecretary intent on advancing himself at the expense of anyone else. For intrigue there’s an estranged journalistic couple: he’s a despised mouthpiece for Saddam by day and a valuable HumInt source by night; she’s a gorgeous TV personality in love with a Hornet pilot.

At the center of the multi-layered conflict is CDR Killer DeLancey, Roadrunners’ skipper, and his ops o, LCDR Brick Maxwell. There’s bad blood between them dating from Desert Storm when DeLancey claimed a MiG kill achieved by a pilot immediately KIA. Since then DeLancey has run his score to four over Kosovo and Iraq, and has ace fever. CAG and the XO know him for what he is but can’t displace him since he’s a pet of the undersecretary. It leaves the squadron badly fractured by split loyalties.

With combat ops pending, the Roadrunners receive two women Naval Aviators: tall, raunchy Spam Parker and short, retiring B.J. Johnson. Parker quickly alienates everybody but the CO, giving him the romp of his life and thereby forcing him into her camp. Before he knows it, DeLancey has been compromised and cannot get rid of a weak pilot. Johnson, living in Parker’s shadow, is hard pressed to survive the brutal reality of ready-room life. Her only ally in the squadron is ops o Maxwell, who becomes exec when his friend Devo Davis is killed on a flight with Parker.

From there on it’s a roller coaster ride: raw sex, unrequited romance, professional back stabbing, innovative murder, back-alley shootouts, a ramp strike, a multi-bogey furball and an intentional blue-on-blue. Suffice it to say that the Fulcrum driver is among the most sympathetic characters in the book — a good guy who happens to have different paint on his jet. It’s a satisfactory twist to an enjoyable tale.

Above and Beyond; Charles Patrick Weiland; Pacificia Press, Pacificia, Calif., 1997; hardbound, 290 pages, illustrated. $29.95

This is a well-told story about the author’s Marine Corps experiences in WW II. His love of aviation got him into the Civilian Pilot Training program in college in the fall of 1939 and the Marine Aviation Cadet program in June 1940. After receiving his wings at the newly opened NAS Miami in May 1941, he and many of his contemporaries were plowed back as instructors at Pensacola. After building up his flight time and flying skills, the author was assigned in April 1942 to Marine Observation Squadron 251 flying the F4F-3 Wildcat.

VMO-251 was transferred to American Samoa in mid-1942 prior to the Guadalcanal invasion where the squadron served as a replacement pool for the undermanned squadrons in combat for the next six months. After shooting down a Japanese Zero over Guadalcanal, Weiland returned to MCAS El Toro in May 1943 and transitioned to the F4U Corsair. He assumed command of VMF-452 and began a series of adventures at MCAS Mojave getting his squadron in shape to go overseas. On Christmas Day 1944, the squadron was immediately ordered to join Air Group Five assigned to USS Franklin (CV-13). Quickly training for carrier work, the air group deployed, only to be decimated by a kamikaze hit on Franklin after one day of combat.

The author’s highly readable story is illustrated with many seldom-seen photographs. The story is one of dedication and insight into forming a squadron in the middle of the desert and taking it to war.

I highly recommend this book as another of the excellent recent personal accounts of WW II.

Spring 2002

Fire on the Hangar Deck; CAPT Wynn F. Foster, USN(Ret); U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., 2002; hardcover, 175 pages, illustrated. $26.95

The Navy suffered three horrific carrier fires during the Vietnam War. That on board USS Forrestal (CVA-59) in which 127 died became the best known due to the extensive film footage shot during the event and the subsequent Navywide training film, “Trial by Fire.” Enterprise (CVA(N)-65) suffered a major flight deck fire off Hawaii in 1969 with the loss of 27 sailors. But the first of these was Oriskany (CVA-34), which had a hangar deck fire in 1966 while in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Oriskany was among the most valiant carriers of the post-World War II period, yet it remains one of the more obscure despite its eight combat cruises in Korea and Vietnam. On 26 October 1966 a mishandled magnesium flare started a fire that was to kill 44 and injure many. This book is an account of that event.

Wynn Foster, a.k.a. “CAPT Hook” and former CO of Oriskany-based VA-163, is uniquely qualified to write about this subject. This work, an expansion of his earlier article in the Wi ’88 issue of The Hook, benefits from access to the official JAG report and additional years to interview survivors. Twenty-four pages of photographs include four ship’s diagrams that aid greatly in the understanding of the event.

It’s a quick read — Foster doesn’t waste words on speculation or by “pointing the finger,” but tells the story of two unsupervised and undertrained 19-year-old sailors who caused the disaster while the carrier was trying its damnedest to keep pace with the heavy tempo of combat operations off Vietnam. Included is story after story of men who awakened to find their ship on fire, and their heroic efforts to save it, or frequently their own lives as well. Also described is the quick death of pilots and aircrew who died in their racks due to events beyond their control. Facing SAMs over Haiphong is one thing, but a fire at sea is something no one signs on for.

The author describes in detail the series of investigations that followed this event in which the ship’s skipper, CAPT John Iarrobino, correctly emerges as a hero who succeeded in saving a ship that could well have been lost that morning.

Anyone having sailed on a Navy ship can verify that damage control training is almost a religion. And it pays off — ships such as Cole (DDG-67), Samuel Roberts (FFG-58) and Stark (FFG-31) were saved because of the time, effort and sweat the service invests in this area. If it’s true that such training is written in blood, then the lessons learned during the ordeal of Oriskany and her sister carriers has paid off handsomely.

This is an excellent book, and well worth a read.

U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of World War II; Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson; Motor Books Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn., 2001; softcover, 128 pages, illustrated, bibliography. $24.95

The authors, both well-respected historians, have produced another interesting, well-written and beautifully illustrated book on Naval Aviation during the Second World War.

Screaming out of heaven in a near-vertical dive, flying low to attack enemy warships or providing air support to the Marines on a Pacific island, the VT and VS/VB aircraft, whether in carrier air groups or based ashore, played a pivotal role in victory in the Pacific. This photo history covers not only the principle dive and torpedo bombers of WW II — the SBD Dauntless, SB2C Helldiver, TBD Devastator and TBF/TBM Avenger — but also touches upon their predecessors — the Curtiss SBC and SB3C, Vought SB2U Vindicator, Northrop BT-1, Brewster SB2A Buccaneer and Great Lakes BG-1.

The proposed replacements of these aircraft, such as the Douglas BTD-1, the Grumman TB3F that became the AF Guardian and Vought TBU Seawolf, are not forgotten. Also included are the short-lived Martin BT Mauler and the Douglas XBT2D-1, which evolved into the highly successful AD/A1 Skyraider.

The book uses 200 great photographs (half of which are in color) together with pilot and aircrewmen quotes and anecdotes to tell the story of dive and torpedo bombers in action during WW II. Other aspects of the war, such as the evolution of carrier air groups and how the VT and VB aircraft were used during the various campaigns, are also covered.

As a bonus, the land- and sea-based patrol bombers such as the PBY, PB2Y, PB4Y, PV, PBM and PBJ are also recognized for their role in long-range reconnaissance and attack missions.

This book is a splendid companion to the authors’ Carrier War and must not be overlooked as a resource or for the pure enjoyment of reading a story well told.

U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers, 1965–’70; Brad Elward and Peter Davies, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, England, 2001; softcover, 96 pages, illustrated, appendix. $18.95

This new title, No. 26 in Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series, is the first of a two-volume set. The second, to be published later this year, will deal with Navy (and the few Marine) F-4 MiG killers from 1971–’73. Following this highly successful series’ format of text, photos, a folio of color profiles and various appendices, Elward’s and Davies’ book discusses in detail many of the kills achieved by F-4 Phantom crews in the first half of the air war over Southeast Asia.

Several of the engagements have never been described in such detail, such as the first F-4 kill and loss on 9 April 1965 involving VF-96’s LTJG Terrance Murphy and ENS Ronald Fegan. These two young aviators engaged Communist Chinese MiG-17s and shot one down, but were themselves shot down in an incident that was hushed up until recently. Details were only hinted at but never confirmed, and the dogfight probably formed the basis for the “classified … it could end my career” fight described by Tom Skerrat to Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” in which Maverick’s father was shot down and killed.

The first official kills by VF-21 on 17 June 1965 are also recounted, with the confirmation of a second kill by LT Dave Batson and LCDR Rob Doremus. In fact, the first appendix lists a surprisingly short list of Navy F-4 kills of 14, with one noted as never having been officially confirmed — 9 May 1968, a crew from VF-96 that included CAPT John Heffernan, an Air Force exchange pilot, with LTJG Frank Schumacher as his RIO. Unfortunately, service rivalries might have gotten in the way. It wouldn’t have been the first time, and even the F-8 community might have been susceptible to this type of denial when the kill involved an aviator from outside the Navy.

There is the obligatory but nonetheless interesting discussion of problems with the over-restrictive rules of engagement and with the air-to-air missiles, namely the AIM-7 Sparrow and especially the early models of the AIM-9 Sidewinder. Even the Israelis had trouble with the AIM-9B, realizing that unless the shooter was directly behind the target, the Sidewinder’s success was not assured. At the time, they much preferred a well-placed half-second of gunfire and trained to that highly demanding weapon’s requirement.

The photos are great, although the book’s format sometimes results in pictures being smaller than most would like. The color profiles by Jim Laurier are also well done, and are in keeping with most of the profile artwork throughout the series.

A color folio also includes four maps showing route paks, MiG-kill locations and MiG bases.

One of several mistakes describes Ronald “Mugs” McKeown as “shown here in his Admiral’s dress blues” when he is obviously wearing an O-5’s three stripes. Small points aside, this new addition to an open-ended series of great, affordable references adds a lot to the growing literature on the Vietnam air war.

Douglas A-4E/F Skyhawk in Navy Service, Naval Fighters No. 51; Steve Ginter; Steve Ginter Publications, Simi Valley, Calif., 2001; softcover, 169 pages, illustrated. $29.90

While a fair number of books have appeared over the years concerning the A4D Skyhawk, there’s always room for more as additional details emerge on specific models of the A-4. Steve Ginter’s 51st volume in his long-running Naval Fighters series covers the Navy’s operation of the E and F models of “Heinemann’s Hot Rod.”

An incredible 40 squadrons flew the A-4E, A-4F or the J52-P-408 powered “Super Echo” and “Super Fox,” plus fleet replacement squadrons, the centers, the Blue Angels and even one representative from the reconnaissance/heavy-attack community, RVAH-3.

The first 61 pages cover the development of the aircraft known as the A4D-5 before Robert Strange McNamara got mightily confused in 1962. Ginter has as usual nailed the layout that is heavily illustrated with detailed photographs and illustrations from NATOPS and other manuals.

The Douglas A-4E/F Skyhawk incorporates a lengthy section on weapons and ordnance carried by the aircraft, almost a catalog of the air-to-ground — and occasional air-to-air — weaponry of the period. From there the pub delves into mud-mover ordnance as well as mines and the internal 20mm guns.

We next turn to the squadron histories with emblems and beaucoup photos of the aircraft, from the good old days of full color to the subsequent subdued fleet and adversary squadron markings. The sequence is familiar: Ginter provides a brief history of each unit with its establishment date and continues to concentrate on its use of A-4Es and/or Fs. The fleet composite squadrons, VCs -1, -2, -5, -7, -12 and -13, occupy about two to three pages each with the combat squadrons receiving the majority of the coverage. Also presented are the adversary and instrument RAG units such as VA/VF-43 and -45, VF-101/-171 Det Key West, VF-126 and VA-127.

Notably, the only reserve operator listed is VA-776 out of NAS Dallas, but the text explains it was called up for the Pueblo crisis in 1968 with A-4Bs and immediately shifted to A-4Es. As we remember, the era of the Pueblo call-up was not the Naval Air Reserve’s shining moment, but lessons learned led to the reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve.

In a possible oversight, there is no mention of VC-8 or VC-10, both of which one would think had flown the A-4E/F. However, a little research reveals that VC-10 briefly operated an EA-4F during the late 1980s but otherwise operated TA-4Js, while VC-8 flew A-4Cs and continues to fly TA-4Js. In fact, despite the formal “retirement” of the noble Scooter from TraCom, VC-8 continues to fly the Navy’s last examples out of NavSta Roosevelt Roads.

Overall, it’s another o