One Day in a Long War; May 10, 1972, Air War, North Vietnam

New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1989. First Edition [stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Gary Meyer (Jacket illustration). xviii, 217, [3] pages. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index. Includes Authors' Note, Acknowledgments, and The Witnesses. Also includes Prologue: Southeast Asia, Spring 1972, March 30-May 9; Chapters include Morning, May 10, Midnight--7:A.M.; Target Haiphong, 6:45-9:15 A.M.; The Action Around Hanoi, The Opening Phase, 8:00--9:50 A.M.; The Action Around Hanoi, the Opening Phase, 8:00--9:50 A.M.; The Action Around Hanoi, Softening the Defenses, 9:40-10:00 A.M.; The Action Around Hanoi, the Paul Dourer Bridge Strike, 9:55--11:30 A.M.; The Action over Hi Dung, 11:00 A.M.--2:15 P.M.; The Afternoon Action, and Later, 3:15 P.M.--Midnight; Man on the Run, May 11--June 2; The May 10, 1972, Action Analyzed; Afterward; and Conflicting Evidence. Also includes Glossary; Appendix A: Aircraft Types in Action on May 10, 1972; Appendix B: 8th Tactical Fighter wind F-4 Crews Who Took Part in Attacks on the Hanoi Area of May 10, 1972; Appendix C: O.S. Navy Task Groups off North Vietnam on May 10, 1972; Appendix D: North Vietnamese fighter and Antiaircraft defense Units on May 10, 1972. The authors record firsthand accounts of almost one hundred eyewitnesses, analyzes cockpit voice recordings, and draws from official documents, many declassified for the first time, to tell this story. This book is a definitive reconstruction of the most intensive air combat day of the Vietnam conflict. Jeffrey Ethell (1947-1997) was an American aviation author and pilot who wrote extensively on aviation and military matters. Starting at a remarkably young age, Ethell, published an extensive series of technical studies of WWII-era aircraft and eventually authored 60 books and over 1,000 magazine articles covering all aspects of aviation. His works on color photography of the World War II era brought to life an era which too many thought had only been filmed in black and white. While attending college in Tennessee in the 1960s, Ethell received several research grants from the National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and went on to guest lecture extensively at numerous colleges and academic institutes. His co-authored study of the first American daylight attack on Berlin has often been compared to the works of Cornelius Ryan and Stephen Ambrose in presenting a balanced account of one of the most pivotal events of World War II, the first daylight deep penetration raid against the capital of Nazi Germany. He was featured in the PBS Nova documentary "Top Gun Over Russia" about the military aircraft of the former Soviet Union, and appeared as an expert commentator on numerous documentaries. His extensive collection of World War II color photographs was made available online after his death.

Alfred Price FRHistS, ( - January 29, 2017) was a popular author on aviation and related topics. He wrote over 40 books and 200 magazine articles. Price served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircrew officer. Price received his Ph.D. in history from Loughborough University. After his retirement from the air force, Price wrote extensively on aviation and military topics. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Derived from a Kirkus review: A sharply focused and richly detailed reconstruction of a single day's aerial combat over North Vietnam. Aviation writers Ethell and Price tracked down scores of US airmen who participated in the 1972 resumption of air assaults on Hanoi and neighboring strongholds; they also interviewed the British consul and two French journalists, who witnessed the raids from ground level. President Nixon renewed attacks on northern targets shortly after Communist forces launched spring offensives in South Vietnam, which encountered scant opposition, owing mainly to US troop withdrawals. While the authors make clear that the May 10 engagements were fast and furious, they stress that the dawn-to-dusk action was in no way decisive. Their realistic appraisal of the day's importance in a drawn-out conflict does not, however, devalue the exploits of the Air Force and Navy pilots who conducted the raids. All told, American planes flew over 400 sorties to attack or support attacks on transportation centers in North Vietnam on May 10, 1972. In addition to bombing runs, there were escort, reconnaissance, electronic-countermeasures, refueling, rescue, and allied missions. The North Vietnamese resisted incursions into their air space with missiles, more than 40 MIG fighters, and conventional ground fire. Four US craft were shot down (with four of eight crew members surviving), and the North Vietnamese lost 11 MIGs, including several to carrier-based graduates of the Navy's Top Gun training program. While extensive, the damage inflicted on bridges and other primary targets was not crippling, in large measure because high-tech ordnance performed poorly. Drawing on personal recollections, official documents, and other primary sources, Ethell and Price vividly convey the excitement as well as terror of what it was like to wage air war in the unfriendly skies of North Vietnam. The riveting text includes 65 photographs, plus helpful maps, drawings, and a wealth of tabular material, including post-battle casualty reports.