Several days ago I mentioned two books.  Going Downtown by Col Jack Broughton and Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts.  I had read them both several years ago and decided to re-read them now that I am a bit older and, hopefully, wiser.

Even though I was Air Force and served with Col Broughton when he was the vice wing commander of my unit I would recommend Flight of the Intruder as a better book if you want the in the cockpit experience of flying combat over North Vietnam in an A-6 Intruder.  Coonts  goes into exquisite in the cockpit detail of flying through flak and avoiding SAMs and the teamwork between the pilot and bombardier sitting next to each other and the pucker factor when the bombardier tells the pilot to ignore the flack and missiles and start the bomb run under his direction.

Both Air Force and Navy pilots had much the same experiences bombing the north.  But Coonts does a better job of putting you in the cockpit with him as he does it.

I met Coonts several times as he was the next door of a friend of mine when I lived in Colorado.  He never talked much about his experiences and when asked always said, "Read my book."  I would add it's well worth your time.

Noel 

I agree.  Both books are worth a second or more read.  Jack Broughton's other book, "Thud Ridge" is also excellent.  If I remember correctly, "Flight of the Intruder" was made into a movie but it didn't do well at the box office because it was released on or about 9/11/01 when the focus was elsewhere.

 

Jim Driskell

Don't forget 'Rupert Red 2'.  That was Broughton's autobiography from WW2 to Korea to Vietnam to when he was flying a Grumman Goose for a friend's airline in the Caribbean.  Rupert Red 2 was his call sign.

Noel

Thanks, I just bought it.  I presume you have read Charles Blair's "Red Ball in the Sky."  I have a love affair with his Excalibur III which hangs in the Udvar-Hazy Museum at Dullas.

Jim