It was with much anticipation that I started reading this particular book. I've always had something of a fascination with the 'other side' in the Vietnam War, and though there have been books that cover the men and machines of the North Vietnamese Air Force, here was a book that promised to shed more light on the subject .

As we all know, much of what's come before has been from the American point of view. Much of this is due to not having any sort of access to North Vietnamese records and the surviving pilots to get their side of the story. In this book, author Boniface interviews a considerable number of surviving pilots from that conflict, to provide a counter to what has previously been done. In with his research are references to a number of books, both Western and Vietnamese. There is even a thank you to a hobby shop where the author was allowed to "...read books without having to pay for them". What seems to be missing are any sort of official documents or records about the conflict - primary references - that might add more credence to some of the statistics in the book. 

The only reason I bring this up is that the information that differs from what has already been published on the subject comes mostly from the memories of the interviewed pilots. While the information is a fascinating read as to how the VPAF operated, a person's memory is the least exact means of obtaining accurate data. A few other errors crept in like identifying a MiG-17 as a MiG-21, thinking that an EB-66 was a version of the A-3 Skywarrior when all they have in common are a general shape, and some others one finds along the way. Nothing really major to those that know, but one that makes it appear that the book may have been rushed into print.

Now that this is all out of the way, I have to say that I found the book to be a most interesting read. I especially enjoyed the interviews with the pilots as they discussed their tactics and training against US aircraft, something that changed as the years went on. And perhaps this would be as good a reason to pick this one up as any. It is not at all unusual for each side in a conflict to have conflicting information on the outcome of a battle. After all, each side only sees things from their perspective. This book provides the other side of things and should be read in that light.

It was particularly interesting to learn of the various mishaps and the difficulty they had using the early Atoll heat seeking missiles. It also seems that the hierarchy of leader and wingman was not as strictly followed, allowing those who 'had the shot' to take it. I found the sections on dealing with the B-52s to be of great interest. The VPAF (Vietnamese People's Air Force) was not trained in night fighting nor was it equipped properly for the job. Yet they used every opportunity to try to intercept and shoot down B-52s when they switched to night tactics. Another area of interest was with their operation of the MiG-19. Few realize that this type was used operationally, and while not the best at its job (the nimble MiG-17 claimed the most victories and the MiG-21 the easiest to fly), it was available and used sporadically.

In amongst the book are a number of superbly drawn color profiles as well as photos taken from a variety of sources, many of which have not been published before. There are also a number of photos of various VPAF aircraft on display throughout Vietnam as well as some commonly seen images of USAF types and personalities.

Overall, it is a book that just does not quite meet the expectations that I had when going into it. It is not a bad book and as I mentioned earlier, provides a perspective of things that one does not often read. If one has an interest in the subject and would like to have the VPAF side of things, then it is worth adding to your library.

October 2008

Review book courtesy of Specialty Press, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Visit their website at the link above or call them at 1-800-895-4585

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