Vietnam was the last major conflict in which the United States had determined opposition in the air. The two Iraq wars were pretty well turkey shoots where the enemy was either very poorly trained, not willing to engage US aircraft or shot down while fleeing. In Vietnam, the opposition was fighting for what they  felt was their way of life, so encounters during this conflict were generally quite intense.

Over the years there has been considerable discussion on who shot down what during what time. The means for confirming a claim can be involved and sometimes claims were not awarded for a variety of reasons, including political in the case of a plane shot down over Chinese territory.

In this book, author McCarthy goes through all the records and files to provide us with a chronology of MiG kills, including those which were not officially honored. Each entry includes some data on the aircraft, a photo of the plane in question (often post-war if a wartime image was not available), and a description of the action. All of this is prefaced by chapters on air combat in Vietnam in general, the armament used by both sides and how combat claims were credited. There are also two appendices on North Vietnamese MiGs and a full listing of US air combat victories by date. One thing I was pleased to find out during reading the book is how many USAF F-4 MiG killers are still extant in museums or on display.

If you are as I, you'll find this book to be not only a superb read, but a great reference that you'll bring out time and time again. Like all of Specialty Press' books, this one is excellent and one that I can highly recommend to you. 

July 2009

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

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.