Post by corsair67 on Nov 12, 2007 14:58:52 GMT 12
Rampant Raider: An A-4 Skyhawk Pilot in Vietnam - Stephen R. Gray
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Naval Institute Press (November 8, 2007)
ISBN-10: 159114342X
ISBN-13: 978-1591143420
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
I received this book from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and finished reading it on Saturday.
As a member of Light Attack Squadron 212 s "Rampant Raiders," Stephen R. Gray writes about his experience of learning to fly T-34 Mentors, T-2 Buckeyes, F-9F Cougars and F-11 Tigers through to flying actual combat sorties in A-4E Skyhawks from the deck of an aircraft carrier over North Vietnam in 1967. Stephen Gray reveals the lessons he learned first at the Naval Aviation Training Command and then in actual combat flying the Skyhawk from USS Bon Homme Richard in Vietnam.
There are some great anecdotes in this book which drive home how tough learning to become a Naval Aviator really is, and once he joined his squadron for combat, how hamstrung the US military was by all the restrictions placed on them by the US Govt during the Vietnam War. For example, the US pilots could shoot the North Vietnamese MiGs down once they were in the air, but they couldn't bomb them on the ground - lest it might cause North Vietnam to withdraw their aircraft across the border into China!
It's also interesting to read that the US was very lacking in good intelligence about what the SA-2 surface-to-air missiles could and couldn't do, and therefore the tactics to use to avoid being shot down by one. VA-212 went into combat in 1967 believing that 3,500ft was a safe envelope to avoid the SA-2. Unfortunately, it turned out that this was a complete fallacy, and VA-212's pilots had to quickly change their combat tactics if they were to survive their tour!
Whilst I enjoyed this book very much, I also found I was somewhat disappointed with the ending, as Lt (jg) Gray went back to Vietnam for another tour in 1968, but there's no mention of that period of his combat experience in this book. I think this is an unfortunate omission as it would have been interesting to see how he handled his second tour and what the squadron as a whole learnt from their combat experiences in 1968.
But then, maybe he's leaving himself open for a sequel?
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Naval Institute Press (November 8, 2007)
ISBN-10: 159114342X
ISBN-13: 978-1591143420
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
I received this book from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and finished reading it on Saturday.
As a member of Light Attack Squadron 212 s "Rampant Raiders," Stephen R. Gray writes about his experience of learning to fly T-34 Mentors, T-2 Buckeyes, F-9F Cougars and F-11 Tigers through to flying actual combat sorties in A-4E Skyhawks from the deck of an aircraft carrier over North Vietnam in 1967. Stephen Gray reveals the lessons he learned first at the Naval Aviation Training Command and then in actual combat flying the Skyhawk from USS Bon Homme Richard in Vietnam.
There are some great anecdotes in this book which drive home how tough learning to become a Naval Aviator really is, and once he joined his squadron for combat, how hamstrung the US military was by all the restrictions placed on them by the US Govt during the Vietnam War. For example, the US pilots could shoot the North Vietnamese MiGs down once they were in the air, but they couldn't bomb them on the ground - lest it might cause North Vietnam to withdraw their aircraft across the border into China!
It's also interesting to read that the US was very lacking in good intelligence about what the SA-2 surface-to-air missiles could and couldn't do, and therefore the tactics to use to avoid being shot down by one. VA-212 went into combat in 1967 believing that 3,500ft was a safe envelope to avoid the SA-2. Unfortunately, it turned out that this was a complete fallacy, and VA-212's pilots had to quickly change their combat tactics if they were to survive their tour!
Whilst I enjoyed this book very much, I also found I was somewhat disappointed with the ending, as Lt (jg) Gray went back to Vietnam for another tour in 1968, but there's no mention of that period of his combat experience in this book. I think this is an unfortunate omission as it would have been interesting to see how he handled his second tour and what the squadron as a whole learnt from their combat experiences in 1968.
But then, maybe he's leaving himself open for a sequel?
