Good military/aviation books

[Guest Wh4tig0t]

Praetorian STARship if you want to learn about the origin of MC's (dry as hell though in parts)

Working on "The Guts to Try" about desert I, so far so good on why we have AFSOC today

[brickhistory]

"Lone Survivor" by Marcus Littrell.

Jeezus...

I learned much about that particular mission and about SEAL training, i.e., that the absolute sh1t they do in training is not just Hell Week, but the period before, and pretty freakin' tough training afterward.

to guys who can do that.

[SuperWSO]

This isn't a book, but it is very interesting reading. It is a personal account of a B-17 crew member who flew from Sep 1943 to Feb 1944. I've read numerous other books, but it never ceases to amaze me what these guys endured, and kept hacking the mission day after day... without the aid of reflective belts or PT gear.

B17log.pdf

[JS]

This isn't a book, but it is very interesting reading. It is a personal account of a B-17 crew member who flew from Sep 1943 to Feb 1944. I've read numerous other books, but it never ceases to amaze me what these guys endured, and kept hacking the mission day after day... without the aid of reflective belts or PT gear.

B17log.pdf

Yup. Back when men were men and planes were planes.

[Stitch]

Interestingly enough, I looked at the NY Times bestseller's list after you knocked it and found Horse Soldiers. Anyone read it?

About 1/3 of the way through it, awesome. Good account of what the SF (and I mean Special Forces, not the Sky Cops) did on horseback, with the aid of the locals, in the mountains of Afganistan in late 2001. Fighting a 21st century war under 3rd centruy conditions. UFB.

To the Green Berets

[BigFreddie]

"Lone Survivor" by Marcus Littrell.

Jeezus...

I learned much about that particular mission and about SEAL training, i.e., that the absolute sh1t they do in training is not just Hell Week, but the period before, and pretty freakin' tough training afterward.

to guys who can do that.

Excellent book. One of my best friends from high school went through advanced SEAL training with him. When I read this book I called my buddy to see if it was legit. He assures me it is and that when Luttrell was the only one left alive all the SEALs he knew said that he'd be the one to survive something like that. He also said he had an identical twin brother and they would often skip out on BUD/S training by having the other one take their place. You can find a lot of YouTube videos with Luttrell talking about his experiences.

And if you want the AF side of the story:

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/av/lectures.asp - you can get the HH-60 pilot's view of the recovery here.

BF

[nsplayr]

Just finished First In by Gary Schroen. Excellent, day-by-day account of the first CIA operative that inserted into Afghanistan right after 9/11. Only covers a short period of time since the JAWBREAKER team members were rotated in and out before too long, but a great read. Follow-on would be JAWBREAKER by Gary Berntsen (who took over for Schroen after he left).

[Guest Lockjaw25]

Just finished "We Landed By Moonlight," by Hugh Verity. He was one of the RAF Lysander and Hudson pilots of 161 (Special Duties) Squadron...flying into small fields in Occupied Europe, dropping off supplies and agents, and picking up agents and downed airmen. Very detailed, and a lot of amazing stories.

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but "House To House" is another gritty infantry view of the war, written by an Army squad leader about Nov. '04 in Fallujah.

[scooterkool]

Here are a few I just came across today: American Aerospace Archive

Secret Aerospace Projects of the US Navy, Volume 1: The Incredible Attack Aircraft of the USS United States, 1948-1949

The American Aerospace Archive is a new journal exploring the history of aerospace research and development in the United States, with special emphasis on lesser known prototypes and unrealized projects. Based on extensive research in government and corporate archives, the magazine covers aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and other flying machines from the 1920s through the 1950s. Each issue features numerous unpublished photos, illustrations and drawings, along with an authoritative text based on primary documents. The American Aerospace Archive is written and edited by Jared A. Zichek, an aviation historian and illustrator with many articles and several books to his credit; details concerning the latter are also featured on this website.

These too: U.S. Naval Air Superiority: Delevelopment of Shipborne Jet Fighters - 1943-1962

Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet, 1948-present

[brickhistory]

Riding Rockets by Col Michael Mullane.

NASA class of 1980 astronaut - RF-4C backseater, Shuttle Mission Specialist - did three trips.

Good, humorous descriptions of the selection process, the life of an FNG astronaut, some behind the scenes NASA gossip, great descriptions of training, the fear/exhileration (sp?) waiting to launch, and the wonder/grossness of being in space.

[Guest acemom]

About 1/3 of the way through it, awesome. Good account of what the SF (and I mean Special Forces, not the Sky Cops) did on horseback, with the aid of the locals, in the mountains of Afganistan in late 2001. Fighting a 21st century war under 3rd centruy conditions. UFB.

To the Green Berets

I just finished Horse Soldiers yesterday. I don't usually read non-fiction but it was a great read and really taught me what was going on in that region after 9/11. A great read for the Mom of an Air Force pilot!

[Guest J-wax]

Just finished the audiobook version of Raid on the Sun by Rodger W. Claire about Israel puttin' the smack down on Saddam's nuclear reactor/weapons program in 1981. The author spends a fair amount of time painting the personal side of the story by talking about the individual pilots who carried out the assault, which added an interesting aspect to the book. His delving into the wildly complex web of arms deals, political friction, and international cloak & dagger paints an intriguing and sometimes ironic picture. A prime example is how the French were the lead partners with both the Israeli reactor at Dimona (the base of their still publicly denied nuclear weapons program) and the Iraqi reactor that was ultimately destroyed. Also, a major lesson from the book is that Israel cares about one thing-Israel

As much as I like the book, there are some errors Claire could have easily avoided, especially regarding some general facts about the F-16 that even a non-Viper guy like myself could spot. He calls the afterburner "thrusters" and at one point says the pilot "shoved the stick into afterburner". I guess the Israeli F-16s had a combined control stick/throttle...let me know how that works out for ya! Some technical vetting would have done his book a world of good, as those errors were distracting.

Nonetheless, I definitely recommend the book. In fact, it wouldn't have hurt to lengthen it a bit, but I doubt it will be the last book on the subject.

Edited July 30, 2009 by J-wax

[Steve Davies]

Strongly recommend The Junior Officers' Reading Club.

Whilst the book is written by a British Officer and contains a little bit of a laborious discussion of about his training at Sandhurst, it has some excellent insights into fighting and the ANA in Helmand Province, and also sings the praises of the A-10 and F-15E communities.

[Guest Flyin' AF Hawaiian]

Just finished The Night Stalkers by Mike Durant, the Army pilot who was shot down over Mogadishu. Great read about the 160th SOAR guys.

[tac airlifter]

Just finished Jawbreaker by Gary Bernsten, lead CIA guy directing SOF and Northern Alliance against the Taliban for the frist 6 weeks of OEF. Great read, and if anyone wants to know exactly when we had the chance to kill OBL and didn't at Tora Bora, this guy has the details. Sad ending since we decided on our own to stop persuing the enemies, but great read by a real hero.

[Steve Davies]

Just finished "We Landed By Moonlight," by Hugh Verity. He was one of the RAF Lysander and Hudson pilots of 161 (Special Duties) Squadron...flying into small fields in Occupied Europe, dropping off supplies and agents, and picking up agents and downed airmen. Very detailed, and a lot of amazing stories.

I have read that one, too.

My ex-Girlfriend's Grandfather was featured in the book - Lysander pilot who went missing over France and never came back.

[Mitch Weaver]

Already mentioned:

- Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

- With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge

- A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo - story of a Marine Lieutenant during the beginning of Vietnam. If Luttrell's anti-media tone resonates with you, then you'll appreciate the latter chapters of this book.

- The Rise of the Fighter Generals by now retired MGen Worden. It's SAC's epitaph, and a freebie from AU press.

[bfargin]

I just finished Roger Ball about Navy Captain "Hawke" Smith's career. It will piss you off as you see the Navy does like the AF and promote self serving numbnuts, while they screw over the leaders/commanders who take responsibility, protect their people and actually lead from the front. Hawke started as a RIO in F-4s and after one cruise went back to pilot training and then flew F-4s, A-4s, F-5s, F-14s and who knows what else during his career.

He ended up only getting to fly 1 combat sortie during VietNam and then went from there to serve as Top Gun's commander. He helped mold fighter tactics to prepare Navy and Marine air crews for actual close in dissimilar air combat. Deals with the average Navy pilots attitude that since their new fighter was so technologically superior to other stuff out there that ACM wasn't that crucial.

It deals with his whole life from personal stuff, family etc, to his dreams of making a difference in the lives of his people. A good read and some interesting stuff on the F-14 acquisition program (he was a part of that program for 3 years+). The end of the book kind of left me hanging since it just ends as he is about to take command of a new squadron after leaving Top Gun. I ended up googling him to find out some more information about him just to appease my curiosity.

[Guest sog]

I'm a big fan of non-fiction aviation stuff, especially autobiographies. Here are a few of my favorites:

- Yeager (by chuck yeager, WWII ace and test pilot)

- Into the Teeth of the Tiger (by Donald Lopez, a WWII ace in the india-burma-china theater)

- Carrying the fire (By fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut Mike Collins)

- I Could Never Be So Lucky Again (Jimmy Doolittle, who flew during WWII, led the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, test pilot and early on aviator and engineer)

- The Spirit of St. Louis (by Charles Lindbergh. nuff said.)

There are a handful of others, but those are the ones I've read most recently. EVERYONE should read the ones by Yeager and Lopez, in my opinion; those are two of the best books of all time.

[donkey]

Anyone read Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds or know of any other good books on Robin Olds?

[Fud]

This book comes out on April 13, 2010. I cannot wait!

[brickhistory]

DEFCON-2 by Norman Polmar and John Gresham.

Mostly tactical account of the Cuban Missile Crisis - what the American and Soviet crew dogs were doing getting ready to "go toe to toe in nukler combat" to quote Maj. Kong.

While the sabres rattling over Cuba were held by POTUS and Kruschev, an off-course U-2 over Alaska was intercepted by MiGs who were met by nuclear-armed F-102s sent to bring back the U-2. USAF and Soviet captains could have started the Big One.

And a Soviet diesel sub loaded a nuke-tipped torpedo before deciding to surface after being tagged by the USN. Likewise, a USN LCDR or his Soviet counterpart could have kicked it off despite what Moscow and Washington wanted.

[ClearedHot]

Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam A great book about the bloodiest single-day battle in American history.

A Bell for Adano A Pulitzer Prize winning novel about fighting the Fascist Insurgency in Italy during WWII.

A Peace to End All Peace A great book if you want to truly understand why the Middle East is such a mess today.

[MKopack]

Anyone read Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds or know of any other good books on Robin Olds?

This book comes out on April 13, 2010. I cannot wait!

I agree, I'm looking forward to it more than I have any other book.

My Christmas present to myself this year, came in the mail on Monday from the estate auction. Not really worth anything much as hat pins, but a lot more to me knowing from whose hat they came.

I also really recommend "Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht" by Bob Dorr and Thomas Jones. It's the story of the 365th Fighter Group as they fought their way across Europe - think 'Band of Brothers', but with P-47 Thunderbolts. Very well written, puts you not only in the cockpit strafing at prop height, but on the ramp with the maintainers as they struggle to rebuild what came home from the missions for the next 'go'.

Mike

[pedaler]

"WE": By Charles A Lindbergh. Just finished it and was amazed by Lindbergh's personal story. Barnstorming, parachuting, wing walking, Early mail carrier, and the details of being an air cadet in the 1920s. Doesn't go into too much detail of the famous flight but focuses on his life story.