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Piecemeal

The Best Books

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Last week I was in a secondhand book shop and picked up a copy of 'Tornado Down' by John Nichols and John Peters. F**K, I've forgotten what a good read that was! :biggrin:

I've decided to go online to Amazon and pick up some budget books. I've already added 'Palace Cobra' by Ed Rasimus to my shopping basket. Anyone else got some suggestions?

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Since you have one book by Rasmius i would suggest a second (if you don't have it already) "When Thunder Rolled"

 

"Thud Ridge" by Jack Broughton is a classic as is "100 Missions North" by Ken Bell. Away from Vietnam, "Angles Of Attack" by Peter Hunt is a good one about flying an A6 during ODS. "Ironclaw" by Sherman Baldwin is a bit different, being the experiences of a Prowler pilot in ODS.

 

I'll check some more in my book collection and add more titles later.

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I'm planning on getting 'When Thunder Rolled' as soon as I get a top up on my 3v card. Unfortunately I had to buy (plz don't laugh at my misfortune) a 'Little House In the Prairie' DVD box set for my wife's upcoming birthday.

 

:sad: Siiiiiigh...............the things we do and the sacrifices we make to keep them quiet, eh?

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The Rolling Thunder series (Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Phantom Leader, Eagle Station and another one that I can't remember the name of) by Mark Berent are really good reads, and the facts and dialogue are pretty accurate, historically and flying-wise, despite the books being fiction. You can really tell they were written by a pilot.

 

Yeager, Chuck Yeager's (auto)biography, is also a good read, it covers everything from WWII to breaking the sound barrier and even more.

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 Yeager, Chuck Yeager's (auto)biography, is also a good read, it covers everything from WWII to breaking the sound barrier and even more.

I agree, that was a great read!

 

I must recommend Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts. The guy flew in A-6's so the novel has a real authentic feel to it.  :yes:

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Recommend to all Tomcat lovers picking up Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye-Bye, Baby! Lots of great photos and great stories. An awesome coffee table book.

Edited by gbnavy61

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A selection of Vietnam pilots' stories:

 

The Heart of a Man: A Naval Pilot's Vietnam Diary by Frank Elkins: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Man-Naval-Pi...m/dp/1557502242

 

Pak 6 by Gene Basel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pak-Six-Story-Skie...5634&sr=1-1

 

Phantom over Vietnam by John Trotti: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phantom-Over-Vietn...5667&sr=1-1

 

Over the Beach by Zalin Grant: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Over-Beach-Air-War.../ref=pd_sim_b_5

 

Bury Us Upside-down by Rick Newman & Don Shepherd: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bury-Us-Upside-Dow...ref=pd_sim_b_13

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I recommend Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. It's a good read for me.

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Keep those recommendations coming folks :good:

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Red Storm Rising and Hunt for Red October. Both must haves!

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"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art Of War" by Roger Coram is a must. Amazing what Boyd did with an F-100. All of us at this site use what he formulated everytime we dogfight.

 

"Black Aces High" by Robert Wilcox is the best book on actual F-14 combat operrations. The opening chapter has a Tomcat outflying a West German flown Mig29 in a training scenario.

 

"Scream Of Eagles", also by Wilcox is THE best book concerning US Navy tactical changes that led to the permanant retention of TOP GUN.

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Guest toad2

'The Few' by Alex Kershaw was a pretty good read. It follows a handful of American pilots who shunned the amnesty laws and went to fight with the RAF during the BoB. At 5k, you're both in and out of the cockpit.

Edited by toad2

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Might as well also mention the one I'm reading now, The canvas Flacons by Stephen Longstreet. If you're into WWI aviation stories.

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I've mentioned it before in another thread but i highly suggest "Termite Hill", 'Lucky's Bridge" and "Tango Uniform" by Tom Wilson. These are a trilogy and i suggest them strongly to anyone that even has the slightest interest in F-105 operations in Vietnam.

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This was one i had in mind but i forgot the ttile and author.

 

It's for the Spad drivers out there. It's "My Secret War" by Richard Drury and it has everything you want to know about Skyraider missions over the Ho Chi Minh trail.

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As previously mentioned, "Boyd" is a must... (Note the formula on my sig banner...)

 

Adding to the list, Robert Johnson's "Thunderbolt" is a classic...

 

"Report of the Joint fighter Conference: NAS Patuxent River, MD 16-23 OCT 1944" published by Schiffer, contains great insights into what military pilots of WWII actually thought about what they flew in a massive side-by-side fly-off conference...

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Guest pfunkmusik

"Air Power at Sea" by John Winton.

 

pfunk

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The copy of 'When Thunder Rolled' that I ordered has just popped in my letter box :clapping: . Looks like I've got more than one good reason to go to bed early with my missus tonight, eh? :wink:

Apart from Ed Rasimus's other book, 'Palace Cobra', I also ordered two of the 'Osprey Combat Aircraft' book series; namely 'F-4 Phantom Mig Killers 1965-68' and 'Arab MiG-19 & MiG-21 Units in Combat'. Has anybody else read any of the 'Osprey Combat Aircraft' series?

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