The AIR WAR in VIETNAM

This fine book, which contains both black and white photographs and illustrations, tells the story about American air power in Vietnam and the aircraft used for this very purpose as well.

In the middle Nineteenth Century the West was ’ opening up ’ the East to trade. The British had secured Hong Kong in 1843 and the French thought that they should have a similar base. The opportuity to acquire a base presented itself soon enough. French missionaries had been in Vietnam for a number of years, and a French admiral, upon hearing that a missionary ha been arrested by the Vietnamese, decided to intervene. This was the beginning of an almost total domination of Vietnam by the French.
During the Second World War, the Japanese occupied Vietnam and used it as a base for their raids but left a puppet French government in charge of internal affairs. During the Potsdam Conference in 1945, one of the topics of discussion was the post war disposition of Vietnam. The decision which the conference reached was : The British would occupy the country north to the 16th parallel and disarm the Japanese. The Chinese would do the same south to the 16th parallel. Vietnam was then turned over to a Nationalist government.
The French were not to be denied and finally managed to reoccupy in the late fall of 1945. Despite the Communist victory over the French at Dien Bien Phu ( 1954 ), the same year, the United States and Ngo Dinh Diem ( designated to lead the government in the South ) had refused to sign the Geneva accord. Five years later, North Vietnam officially decided to launch a guerilla war against the South with the intent of eventually taking over the government and uniting the country under communist rule. So began the war against the Việt Cộng. The United States was obligated by the Southeast Asia Treaty, which it had signed, to provide active military support. This book is a chronicle of the American use of the mightiest array of air power the world has ever seen.

Lou Drendel ( 1937 ) was born in Aurora, Illinois ( United States of America ). He traces his interest in aviation to a childhood filled with model airplanes. Lou Drendel's aviation activities include the winning of senior parachutist wings during a tour of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, a brief fling at skydiving and gaining his commercial pilot's license. His main interest is the depiction of aircraft and airmen in action in his paintings. Lou Drendel's paintings have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Time - Life Publications, Berkely Books, The Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society, EAA Warbirds Magazine and in the 60+ books he has authored on military aviation for Squadron / Signal Publications and for ARCO Publishers. He has also authored and published The Lima Lima Flight Team : The Life and Times of the World’s First Civilian six - Ship Formation Aerobatic Team, and three new Kindle books : B - 25 Mitchell Illustrated, Aviation Art of Lou Drendel II and P - 47 Thunderbolt Illustrated.

( sources : The AIR WAR in VIETNAM, The AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AVIATION ARTISTS )