Callsign: Spectre

Callsign: Spectre

Author: Jeff Noecker

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2011-04-29

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1462004849

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Callsign: Spectre is the true story of a young man from a small town in Pennsylvania who grows up and enlists in the United States Air Force at nineteen. Nearly forty years after the fact, Jeff Noecker recounts his combat flight experiences from the Vietnam War flying in an AC-130 Spectre gunship. The story follows him from his initial air force training to being accepted into an unusual Special Operations unit. What sets this story apart from the others that have been written about Vietnam is the Spectre gunship that Noecker flew in on his missions. While the US Air Force was flying hundreds of F-4s, F-105s, B-52s, OV-10s, O-2s, A-7s in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, there were only fourteen AC-130A Spectre gunships in theater and only one squadron that flew them—Noecker’s squadron. There were even fewer than fourteen when the program began in 1968; the first few flew out of a base in Vietnam. The stories contained here resemble a diary, presenting both personal anecdotes of Noecker’s and of stories he heard over the course of his time in service. Some of these may seem a bit farfetched, but Noecker sticks to the facts as much as possible. Unbelievable as some of the stories sound, his tales of his time in the air are unmistakably true. After being "live" for a year, I find that one piece of data was incorrect in the original printing. This has been corrected and a small amount of other data has been added. The corrections appear in the second printing of both hard and soft covers which are available now and will be available in ebook format very soon.


Book Synopsis Callsign: Spectre by : Jeff Noecker

Download or read book Callsign: Spectre written by Jeff Noecker and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-04-29 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Callsign: Spectre is the true story of a young man from a small town in Pennsylvania who grows up and enlists in the United States Air Force at nineteen. Nearly forty years after the fact, Jeff Noecker recounts his combat flight experiences from the Vietnam War flying in an AC-130 Spectre gunship. The story follows him from his initial air force training to being accepted into an unusual Special Operations unit. What sets this story apart from the others that have been written about Vietnam is the Spectre gunship that Noecker flew in on his missions. While the US Air Force was flying hundreds of F-4s, F-105s, B-52s, OV-10s, O-2s, A-7s in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, there were only fourteen AC-130A Spectre gunships in theater and only one squadron that flew them—Noecker’s squadron. There were even fewer than fourteen when the program began in 1968; the first few flew out of a base in Vietnam. The stories contained here resemble a diary, presenting both personal anecdotes of Noecker’s and of stories he heard over the course of his time in service. Some of these may seem a bit farfetched, but Noecker sticks to the facts as much as possible. Unbelievable as some of the stories sound, his tales of his time in the air are unmistakably true. After being "live" for a year, I find that one piece of data was incorrect in the original printing. This has been corrected and a small amount of other data has been added. The corrections appear in the second printing of both hard and soft covers which are available now and will be available in ebook format very soon.


Air Force Magazine

Air Force Magazine

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Air Force Magazine by :

Download or read book Air Force Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War

Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War

Author: Phil Haun

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-11-30

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1009364189

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This book introduces a much-needed theory of tactical air power to explain air power effectiveness in modern warfare with a particular focus on the Vietnam War as the first and largest modern air war. Phil Haun shows how in the Rolling Thunder, Commando Hunt, and Linebacker air campaigns, independently air power repeatedly failed to achieve US military and political objectives. In contrast, air forces in combined arms operations succeeded more often than not. In addition to predicting how armies will react to a lethal air threat, he identifies operational factors of air superiority, air-to-ground capabilities, and friendly ground force capabilities, along with environmental factors of weather, lighting, geography and terrain, and cover and concealment in order to explain air power effectiveness. The book concludes with analysis of modern air warfare since Vietnam along with an assessment of tactical air power relevance now and for the future.


Book Synopsis Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War by : Phil Haun

Download or read book Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War written by Phil Haun and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-30 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces a much-needed theory of tactical air power to explain air power effectiveness in modern warfare with a particular focus on the Vietnam War as the first and largest modern air war. Phil Haun shows how in the Rolling Thunder, Commando Hunt, and Linebacker air campaigns, independently air power repeatedly failed to achieve US military and political objectives. In contrast, air forces in combined arms operations succeeded more often than not. In addition to predicting how armies will react to a lethal air threat, he identifies operational factors of air superiority, air-to-ground capabilities, and friendly ground force capabilities, along with environmental factors of weather, lighting, geography and terrain, and cover and concealment in order to explain air power effectiveness. The book concludes with analysis of modern air warfare since Vietnam along with an assessment of tactical air power relevance now and for the future.


Kontum

Kontum

Author: Thomas McKenna

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2011-09-01

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 0813134013

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In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive. Almost all of the American forces had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American advisers to the South Vietnamese armed forces. The 23rd ARVN Infantry Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands. They were surrounded and attacked by three enemy divisions with heavy artillery and tanks but, with the help of air power, managed to successfully defend Kontum and prevent South Vietnam from being cut in half and defeated. Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. In Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, Thomas P. McKenna fills this gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent engagement. McKenna, a U.S. infantry lieutenant colonel assigned as a military adviser to the 23rd Division, participated in the battle of Kontum and combines his personal experiences with years of interviews and research from primary sources to describe the events leading up to the invasion and the battle itself. Kontum sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. McKenna’s book is not only an essential historical resource for America’s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival.


Book Synopsis Kontum by : Thomas McKenna

Download or read book Kontum written by Thomas McKenna and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2011-09-01 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive. Almost all of the American forces had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American advisers to the South Vietnamese armed forces. The 23rd ARVN Infantry Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands. They were surrounded and attacked by three enemy divisions with heavy artillery and tanks but, with the help of air power, managed to successfully defend Kontum and prevent South Vietnam from being cut in half and defeated. Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. In Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, Thomas P. McKenna fills this gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent engagement. McKenna, a U.S. infantry lieutenant colonel assigned as a military adviser to the 23rd Division, participated in the battle of Kontum and combines his personal experiences with years of interviews and research from primary sources to describe the events leading up to the invasion and the battle itself. Kontum sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. McKenna’s book is not only an essential historical resource for America’s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival.


Taking Fire

Taking Fire

Author: Kevin O'Rourke

Publisher: Casemate

Published: 2013-09-28

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1612001262

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American military special operations forcesÑRangers, SEALs, and othersÑhave become a well-recognized and highly respected part of our popular culture. But whom do these elite warriors look to in their times of greatest need: when wounded on the battlefield, cut off deep behind enemy lines, or adrift in the expanse of the worldÕs oceans? They look skyward, hoping to catch a glimpse of their own personal guardian angel: a U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper (PJ) who lives, and sometimes dies, by the motto that others may live. Taking Fire provides an up-close look into the heroism and mystique of this little known segment of the Air Force Special Tactics community by focusing on one of the most dramatic rescues of the Vietnam War. It was June 1972 and Capt. Lynn Aikman is returning from a bombing mission over North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom is jumped by an enemy MiG and shot down. He and his backseater Tom Hanton eject from their crippled aircraft, but Hanton lands near a village and is quickly captured by local militia. Badly injured during the ejection, Aikman lands some distance from the village, and there is a chance that he can be recovered if American rescuers can reach him before the enemy does. Now on the ground and drifting in and out of consciousness, Captain Aikman looks up and suddenly sees his guardian angel in the form of USAF Pararescue Jumper Chuck McGrath. As Sergeant McGrath is preparing to hook the downed pilot to a hoist line, he sees it fall to the ground. Hostile fire on the hovering Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter has damaged the hoist mechanism causing the operator to cut the line. While circling A-1 Skyraiders strafe the militia to keep them away from Aikman and McGrath, the helicopter crew races to come up with a plan. ItÕs getting dark, and theyÕll only have one chance. Taking Fire is an exciting, highly dramatic story of life and death over North Vietnam. Much more than a chronicle the events of 27 June 1972, the book gives the reader an up-close look at the little known world of the U.S. Air ForceÕs elite aerial rescue force.


Book Synopsis Taking Fire by : Kevin O'Rourke

Download or read book Taking Fire written by Kevin O'Rourke and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2013-09-28 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American military special operations forcesÑRangers, SEALs, and othersÑhave become a well-recognized and highly respected part of our popular culture. But whom do these elite warriors look to in their times of greatest need: when wounded on the battlefield, cut off deep behind enemy lines, or adrift in the expanse of the worldÕs oceans? They look skyward, hoping to catch a glimpse of their own personal guardian angel: a U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper (PJ) who lives, and sometimes dies, by the motto that others may live. Taking Fire provides an up-close look into the heroism and mystique of this little known segment of the Air Force Special Tactics community by focusing on one of the most dramatic rescues of the Vietnam War. It was June 1972 and Capt. Lynn Aikman is returning from a bombing mission over North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom is jumped by an enemy MiG and shot down. He and his backseater Tom Hanton eject from their crippled aircraft, but Hanton lands near a village and is quickly captured by local militia. Badly injured during the ejection, Aikman lands some distance from the village, and there is a chance that he can be recovered if American rescuers can reach him before the enemy does. Now on the ground and drifting in and out of consciousness, Captain Aikman looks up and suddenly sees his guardian angel in the form of USAF Pararescue Jumper Chuck McGrath. As Sergeant McGrath is preparing to hook the downed pilot to a hoist line, he sees it fall to the ground. Hostile fire on the hovering Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter has damaged the hoist mechanism causing the operator to cut the line. While circling A-1 Skyraiders strafe the militia to keep them away from Aikman and McGrath, the helicopter crew races to come up with a plan. ItÕs getting dark, and theyÕll only have one chance. Taking Fire is an exciting, highly dramatic story of life and death over North Vietnam. Much more than a chronicle the events of 27 June 1972, the book gives the reader an up-close look at the little known world of the U.S. Air ForceÕs elite aerial rescue force.


Development and employment of fixed-wing gunships 1962-1972

Development and employment of fixed-wing gunships 1962-1972

Author:

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published:

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1428993649

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Book Synopsis Development and employment of fixed-wing gunships 1962-1972 by :

Download or read book Development and employment of fixed-wing gunships 1962-1972 written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Development and Employment of Fixed-wing Gunships, 1962-1972

Development and Employment of Fixed-wing Gunships, 1962-1972

Author: Jack S. Ballard

Publisher:

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Development and Employment of Fixed-wing Gunships, 1962-1972 by : Jack S. Ballard

Download or read book Development and Employment of Fixed-wing Gunships, 1962-1972 written by Jack S. Ballard and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


U.S. Marines in Vietnam

U.S. Marines in Vietnam

Author: George Ross Dunham

Publisher: Marine Corps Association

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13:

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Spine title: U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1973-1975.


Book Synopsis U.S. Marines in Vietnam by : George Ross Dunham

Download or read book U.S. Marines in Vietnam written by George Ross Dunham and published by Marine Corps Association. This book was released on 1990 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spine title: U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1973-1975.


U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Dunham, G.R., Quinlan, D.A. The bitter end, 1973-1975

U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Dunham, G.R., Quinlan, D.A. The bitter end, 1973-1975

Author: United States. Marine Corps. History and Museums Division

Publisher:

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Dunham, G.R., Quinlan, D.A. The bitter end, 1973-1975 by : United States. Marine Corps. History and Museums Division

Download or read book U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Dunham, G.R., Quinlan, D.A. The bitter end, 1973-1975 written by United States. Marine Corps. History and Museums Division and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Call Sign Rustic

Call Sign Rustic

Author: Richard Wood

Publisher: Smithsonian Institution

Published: 2013-06-04

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 158834343X

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President Richard Nixon could not keep American ground troops in Cambodia beyond June 1970 without authorization from Congress, which was not forthcoming. Not wanting to desert the anti-communist Lon Nol regime, he ordered top-secret, round-the-clock air support over Cambodia, and the Rustics were born. Author Richard Wood flew as one of the Rustics, a group of forward air controllers who played a major part in staving off both the North Vietnamese and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerilla forces. This three-year air war was so secret—managed directly from the White House—that there are no official records of it. Wood bases his book on his own experiences and those of the other pilots and Cambodians who participated in the operation. He recounts the Rustic's daring missions and portrays the friendships that developed between the pilots and the Cambodian field troops, commanders, and radio operators, who fought with courage and dedication. The loss of American air support after August 15, 1973 eventually contributed to the fall of Cambodia and the horribly dark period of its history that will live in infamy as “the killing fields”.


Book Synopsis Call Sign Rustic by : Richard Wood

Download or read book Call Sign Rustic written by Richard Wood and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2013-06-04 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President Richard Nixon could not keep American ground troops in Cambodia beyond June 1970 without authorization from Congress, which was not forthcoming. Not wanting to desert the anti-communist Lon Nol regime, he ordered top-secret, round-the-clock air support over Cambodia, and the Rustics were born. Author Richard Wood flew as one of the Rustics, a group of forward air controllers who played a major part in staving off both the North Vietnamese and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerilla forces. This three-year air war was so secret—managed directly from the White House—that there are no official records of it. Wood bases his book on his own experiences and those of the other pilots and Cambodians who participated in the operation. He recounts the Rustic's daring missions and portrays the friendships that developed between the pilots and the Cambodian field troops, commanders, and radio operators, who fought with courage and dedication. The loss of American air support after August 15, 1973 eventually contributed to the fall of Cambodia and the horribly dark period of its history that will live in infamy as “the killing fields”.