MiGs OVER NORTH Vietnam - The Vietnamese People's Air Force in Combat, 1965 - 1975 ** LIKE NEW **

MiGs over North Vietnam relates, for the first time, what it was like to experience life as a fighter pilot of the Vietnamese People's Air Force (VPAF) flying MiG 17s and MiG 21s against the USAF during the Vietnam War. All accounts have been taken from exclusive interviews with former North Vietnamese pilots, Vietnamese archive sources, and the personal diaries of pilots, radar operators, aircrew, and eyewitnesses. Acclaimed pilots, such as Major Pham Ngoc Lan, recount how he shot down the very first American aircraft over North Vietnam, as well as his experiences throughout the entire Vietnam air war. The author traces the air combat of the VPAF fighter force from the 'Rolling Thunder' period in 1965 to the 'Linebacker' raids of 1972. There is also a first-time analysis of the great air battles of May 1972, known as the 'Dien Bien Phu of the skies' by the Vietnamese. The book reveals, for the first time, what it was like for the pilots and citizens during the Christmas bombings of Hanoi in December 1972. Also included are the exploits of the North Vietnamese night fighters, such as Dinh Ton, Pham Tuan, and Vu Xuan Thieu, and how they shot down B-52 bombers over Hanoi. Input comes from chief radar operators such as Le Thanh Chon and Le Thiet Hung, detailing how they directed the VPAF's MiGs to their targets.

The book features personal interviews with Major General Nguyen Nhat Chieu (six victories) and Colonel Nguyen Van Bay (at least seven victories). In their own words, they tell the author what it was like to fly MiG jet fighters in combat against American F-105s, F-4s, F-8s, and B-52s, and how the VPAF evolved and adapted its tactics throughout the conflict. There is also the most up-to-date victory and loss list, charting 102 victorious pilots as well as data on aircrew losses.

Find out why MiG 17s were known as 'snakes' and how 'rice-pounding' tactics shot down an American aircraft. Complementing the narrative text are twenty-six detailed color aircraft profiles, showing the unusual and unorthodox camouflage patterns worn by the VPAF's MiG 17s, MiG 19s, and MiG 21s. The book is profusely illustrated with many rare photographs of the pilots and their aircraft.

MiGs over North Vietnam offers an insightful, revealing, and often thought-provoking reassessment of a previously little-known aspect of air power during the Vietnam War.

Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover