Each of these books on the Skyraider proved
valuable in its own way. Many of the earlier books are no longer
in print and are available at used book stores or used book
sites on the internet.
Books are listed oldest at
the top, to newest at the bottom
Jackson, B. R. 1969. Douglas Skyraider. Aero Publishers, Inc: Falbrook, CA.
Soft cover...lots of b&w photos of Skyraiders in action..no color photographs...heavily Navy oriented...Line drawings and color plates in centerfold area...Navy Skyraider squadron histories...144 pages.
Soft cover...lots of b&w photos of Skyraiders in action..no color photographs...63 pages.
Lavalle, Major A.J.C.(ed.). 1976. Airpower and the 1972
Spring Invasion: USAF Southeast Asia Monograph Series,
Volume II, Monograph 3. US Government Printing
Office: Washington, D.C.
Stock no. 008-070-00369-4
Soft cover... a great look at the factors involved
with the Easter invasion of South Vietnam by forces from the
North... Several eyewitness accounts... Includes numerous
b&w photos and maps... Includes Air Force order of
battle including deployed
units... Hard to find, but a definite keeper... 113 pages.
Berger, Carl (ed.). 1977. The United States Air Force
in Southeast Asia: 1961-1973. Office of Air Force
History: Washington, D.C.
Hard cover... covers the war in SEA from start to finish... Many photographs, both b&w and color... Many early photos of the Skyraider in action... Traces the development of SAR operations using the Skyraider for protective cover... An excellent overall reference... 381 pages.
Middleton, Drew (intro.). 1978. Air War- Vietnam. Arno
Press: New York.
Hard cover... An excellent reference on all aspects of the war in the skies over Southeast Asia... Covers the history of the Rolling Thunder and Linebacker bombing campaigns over North Vietnam as well as air operations over the rest of SEA... Numerous b&w pictures and statistical tables... 361 pages.
Drury, Richard S. 1979. My Secret War. Aero
Publishers, Inc: Falbrook, CA. Part of the Wings of War
Series...ISBN: 0-8094-7950-8
Hard cover... Second publishing in 1989...A classic as far as night operations in the Skyraider go...This book is no longer in print, but was originally available in both hard cover and paperback.
Heinemann, E. and Rausa, R. 1980. Ed Heinemann: Combat
Aircraft Designer. Naval Institute Press:
Annapolis, MD.
Hard cover...The story of the life of "the Genius of El Segundo" Ed Heinemann...Heinemann designed 23 combat aircraft including the Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider...277 pages.
Rausa, Rosario. 1982. Skyraider : The Douglas A-1 Flying Dump Truck . The Nautical &
Aviation Publishing Company of America: Annapolis, MD.
Hard cover...Virtually all about USN/USMC operations in the Skyraider...Filled with war stories about significant operations in the Spad.
Sullivan, Jim. 1983. AD
Skyraider
in Action. Squadron/Signal
Publications: Carrollton, TX.
Soft cover...B&w photos and color plates in center...Very nice line diagrams showing small details...49 pages.
Turley, Gerald H. 1985. The Easter Offensive.
Presidio Press: Novato, CA.
Hard cover...An excellent account of the communist offensive in Mar-Apr 1972...Truly an eye opening, reality check for Air Force personnel like me who had no real appreciation of the magnitude of the communist attacking force...Reference made to Bat 21 SAR and the impact it had on the ground situation...305 pages.
Brace, Ernie. 1988. A Code to Keep. St.
Martin's Press: New York.
Hard cover...The story of a pilot's fall from grace as a decorated combat pilot in Korea to a disgraced aviator forced to leave the service, and of his regeneration as a civilian pilot and later prisoner of war in Vietnam... A must read if you are interested in the perserverance of the human spirit.
Francillon, Renι J. 1988. Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club: U.S.
Carrier Operations off Vietnam. Naval
Institute Press: Annapolis, MD.
Hard cover... This work is the definite answer for anyone doing research on naval aviation during the Vietnam war. Data is provided on all cruises, with all squadrons on board, and includes both aerial victories and losses, both combat and operational... Hard to find... If you find one, don't pass it up regardless of price... loaded with b&w photos...214 pages
Dorr, Robert F. n.d. 1988. Skyraider: Illustrated
History of the Vietnam War, No. 13. Bantam
Books: New York, New York.
Soft cover...Good basic history of the Skyraider in use by the U.S. Navy and Air Force during the Vietnam War. Profusely illustrated with B/W and color photos...160 pages.
Dorr, Robert F. 1989. Douglas A-1 Skyraider,
Osprey Publishing Ltd., 59 Grosvenor Street, London W1X9DA.
Soft cover...Covers the entire history of the Skyraider with lots of B/W (some color) photos. Contains a lot of data on service in Vietnam...200 pages.
Hard cover... A great look at the beginning of the Linebacker I bombing campaign over North Vietnam as recounted by no fewer than 106 participants in the action on Day 1 of the campaign...The rescue of Roger Locher is covered in which the Sandys played a key role...217 pages.
Soft cover...Both b&w and color photos...More Air Force stuff than the Birdsall or Jackson book...Covers entire Vietnam war period...112 pages.
Soft cover... Although it is difficult to take seriously any historical reference book written by authors using pseudonyms, it is a useful work nonetheless... Covers a great deal of the "missing chapter" of the story of the USAF Skyriader, and this is the one thing that saves it... Poor quality b&w photos, similar to Xerox quality... Used one of my personal photos without my permission and attributed it to someone else... In print...100 pages.
Hard cover...Bob Rahn was one of the first Douglas test pilots to wring out the XBT2D, the prototype Skyraider. Read about how he dropped a bomb through his own propellor... Filled with anecdotes about his military flying career and his work as a fighter test pilot...175 pages.
Smith, Roger G. 1998. Guppy Pilot.
Western Oregon Web Press:Corvallis, OR.
Soft cover (8.5 x 11)... A new book written by a former AD-5W "Guppy" pilot... I just received the book so will post the review when I have finished it... 236 pages.
Whitcomb, Darrel D. 1998. The Rescue of Bat 21.
Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, MD.
Hard cover... This book covers all aspects of the SAR for Bat 21 including the significant problems caused by the creation of a hugh no fly zone (except for SAR forces) that greatly hindered support for friendly ground
forces under attack by the invading North Vietnamese forces.
Hobson, Christopher Michael. 2001. Vietnam Air Losses:
USAF, USN, and USMC Fixed-wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast
Asia 1961-1973. Midland Publishing, Hinckley,
England. 288 pages
Soft cover.
This book is not just about the Skyraider, but it covers every
one of the USN and USAF A-1 Skyraider losses during the Vietnam
War. But wait... there's more! It covers EVERY fixed-wing loss
for all three United States "air" forces during the entire war.
It has proven to be my go-to source when researching losses
Mutza, Wayne. 2003. The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam: The
SPAD's Last War. Schiffer Publishing: Atglen, PA.
216 pages.
Hard Cover,
coffee-table size. As a
former combat Skyraider pilot, I absolutely recommend Wayne
Mutza's book "The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last
War" as the definitive book on the history of the Douglas
A-1 Skyraider. From the
earliest days of the Skyraider following WWII to the current
time, Mutza covers it all. His book is richly illustrated with
rare photos that are the work of years of research. To top it
off, his book
is supported with
first-hand stories of Skyraider veterans told in their own
words. I knew as soon as I read the stirring introduction that
I was in for a treat. As soon as you think you know all about
a subject, a book like
this comes along. Then
you realize that you only thougt you knew it all. As one who
has studied the Skyraider and those who flew her, this is a
must read. I only wish I had it to refer to when I built my
Skyraider websites
Marrett, George J. 2003. Cheating Death: Combat Air
Rescues in Veitnam and Laos. Smithsonian Books,
Washington and London. 225 pages
This is a
definitive work for combat search and rescue in 1968. Marrett
goes to great lengths to describe not only what the mission was,
but what was at stake.This work goes above and beyond the
typical combat
narrative by describing
his feelings and frustrations while flying one of the most
honorable missions in the entire Vietnam War, combat search and
rescue.
Mikesh, Robert C. 2005. Flying Dragons: The South
Vietnamese Air Force. Shiffer Publishing Lt. Atglen,
PA. 224 pages
Hard Cover,
coffee-table size. The inner jacket tells the story, "This
book contains the most complete history of the South Vietnamese
Air Force (VNAF) that surviving records and accounts can
convey." And I agree! I
purchased this book while
I was doing research for writing a book about USAF and VNAF
Skyraider units. I had a fairly good handle on the USAF units,
but certainly was lacking when it came to VNAF Skyraider units.
But this book covers ALL
the aircraft flown by the VNAF during their 20 year existence.
Along with the numerous VNAF Skyraider pilots I spoke with, this
book proved worth its purchase price. The original volume
of the same title tells a
less complete but similar story. If you search for it, be sure
you get the 2005 edition.
Burgess, Richard R. and Rausa, Rosario M. 2009. US Navy
A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey
Combat Aircraft - 77. Osprey Publishing Limited. Oxford,
England. 96 pages
Soft cover.
All about Navy Skyraiders covering the period from 1960 to 1968.
Dunaway, Don. 2012. Another Side of That
War. XLibris Corporation. 144 pages
Soft
cover. After a great job describing in significant detail
about why the A-1 Skyraider was so well suited for the CAS and
SAR missions, Dunaway proceeds to describe his activities prior
to his tour in Southeast Asia.
He was assigned to the
602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando) first at Udorn RTAFB, and
later at Nahkon Phanom RTAFB. He describes the situation of
being a fighter squadron separated physically from its parent
wing
and how all that changed
with the move to NKP in mid 1968.
Hukee, Byron E.. 2013. USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider
Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Combat Aircraft - 97. Osprey Publishing
Limited. Oxford, England. 96 pages
This is the book that I worked on for more
than two years. The USAF units were already known to me, but
the VNAF units requited much more research. I was able to
contact many former USAF pilots who served as
VNAF advisors flying the
A-1 Skyraider.
O'Rourke, Kevin and Peters, Joe. 2013.
Taking Fire: Saving Captain Aikman: A Story
of the Vietnam War. Casemate Publishers,
Philadelphia, PA and London, England. 216 pages
This is a
story I know something about as I was one of the participants in
this rescue... in fact, I was the first Sandy on the scene on 27
Jun 1972 when two F-4 Phantoms were shot down deep in North
Vietnam by two
separate MiG 21s.
My Sandy wingman, Capt Lee
Mazzarella and I directed the rescue of Maj Craig Miller,
the pilot in Valent 03. I have written about mission, as I have
for all of my 138 combat missions in the A-1 here
in my
A-1 Skyraider Combat
Journal.
Soft cover, 370 pages. An all inclusive
look at search and rescue operations in SEA covering all
aspects of SAR... Command and Control, Sandy and Jolly Green
operations, FAC operations in support of SAR. A must read.
Soft cover...a 10 page pamphlet with many photos and a brief history of the aircraft.
These are excellent on-line references from the Naval
Historical Center's website
Grossnik, Roy A. United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C.
Not only Skyraider material, but information about all things Navy. If it flew or floated and was operated by the Navy, you will find it here. Simply an outstanding reference!
Grossnik, Roy A. Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Volume 1 The History of VA, VAH, VAK, VAL, VAP and VFA Squadrons . Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C.
Perhaps the definitive volume regarding Naval aviation squadrons and their histories. To attempt to track the lineage of Naval aviation squadrons can be nothing but frustrating... especially for an Air Force guy! This reference solves that problem.
These two "books" were published on CD-ROM and are made available from the Naval Historical Center's website in Adobe's "Portable Document Format" (.pdf) which preserves formatting and greatly compresses their size for quicker downloading. You will need the Acrobat Reader, downloadable free from Adobe, to view the book's pdf files.
Read about Major Bernie Fisher and Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III who were both awarded the Medal of Honor for Skyraider missions in SEA.
VNAF A-1 Skyraiders - Images and serial numbers
VNAF Veteran's Association - Northern California Chapter
4th Allied POW Wing - Vietnam POWs
8th Tac Fighter Wing "Phantom's Lair"
12th Tac Fighter Wing Association
PJs in Vietnam NEW LINK
