Angles of Attack, An A-6 Intruder Pilot's War

by Peter Hunt

From the carrier launch in total darkness to the gut-dropping rolls through enemy antiaircraft fire, Peter Hunt puts you in the pilot’s seat for the flight of your life.

Moments after the first Gulf War began, attack pilot Pete Hunt was catapulted into the night sky from the deck of the USS Ranger. For the next six weeks, Hunt executed dozens of bombing missions into Kuwait and Iraq, including all-weather low-level attacks, A-6 Intruder missions so hazardous that they would never be flown in combat again. Whether Hunt was dropping laser-guided bombs on precision targets, supporting the Marines on the ground, or conducting attacks along the infamous “highway of death,” America’s mission was clear – to force the invading Iraqi army out of Kuwait.

Operation Desert Storm - America’s first full-scale conflict since Vietnam - proved to the world that the U.S. military was still battle-ready after decades of Cold War and set the stage for military interventions for years to come. Hunt’s gripping depiction of A-6 Intruders in combat is a thought provoking account of what America asks of her military every day.

This…Gulf War memoir is excellent; it really does put the reader in the cockpit...Peter Hunt’s enthusiastic account is one of the best of the type this reviewer has read in recent years.
Peter Mersky, The Hook – Journal of Carrier Aviation Book Review, February 2003.

Genres: Military Fiction

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2002

Reviews

[Katherine Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descriptive and revealing

The author provides great detail about the complexities of life aboard an aircraft carrier and the weariness borne from continuous cycle of operations in a theatre of war. The challenges, the laughs, the anxiety and the boredom are all brought to life in this book so that you can almost smell the musky damp mixed with the jet fuel. A thoroughly entertaining book - the kind that can only been written by somebody who has been there and done it.

[Kmag54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heads down: great book about a technical wonder

Smashing tome about one of our best war craft ever. She was a indispensable military asset for decades, almost entirely unsung. Really interesting account of blow by blow challenges of fighting the A6, carrier life and workforce. Astute, engaging and quite a ride. An appropriate and detailed tribute tribute to the jet and her aviator warriors.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book primarily because it was by an A-6 pilot - I've always liked the Intruder. I have to admit that my reaction to this book is colored by all of the memoirs I've read by Vietnam combat pilots and that's not really fair to this author.

The author openly talks about his fears throughout the book which caused a negative reaction in me. I took a step back and reflected on my memories of Desert Storm. I recalled that there was a great deal of apprehension about fighting Iraq. I seem to recall that, at the time, they had a very large (I can't remember how they ranked, 4th largest?) army, had a great deal of recent combat experience from the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, a demonstrated history of using chemical weapons and a large arsenal of Soviet weaponry. Since this was the first major conflict since Vietnam and the first for the all-volunteer force, there was a ton of apprehension about how bad it would be. I had a Marine Reservist friend who was called up for DS - my time in uniform was over by that point but I spent a great deal of time in the Gulf in the late 1980s. We had a long talk before he left about his fears and concerns about the prospect of combat. I think us Gen Xers were just more comfortable than the Baby Boomers who fought Vietnam in expressing fears and doubts openly. I haven't read any more recent memoirs by Millennial or Gen Z writers to see how they compare.

I also think my reaction is colored by living through twenty years of Iraq II and Afghanistan - DS almost seems rather quaint in comparison. I couldn't sympathize with his complaints about being at sea for so long, however - I did longer stretches when we were not at war.

This book provides an excellent view of the role of Navy attack in Desert Storm. It's nowhere near as exciting as some Vietnam-era memoirs simply because the US so dominated the airspace over Kuwait and Iraq that the threat environment was greatly reduced. Additionally, the war was over in a matter of weeks - Vietnam lasted so long that Ed Rasimus wrote two memoirs: his first tour in the mid-60s in F-105s and his second in the early-70s in F-4s.

I think since there wasn't as much "action" to write about this author was forced to include much more about the administrative routine, which slowed the narrative. Guys like Ed Rasimus, Ken Bell and Jerry W. Cook had tons of stories from a long war to create a more "action-packed" read.

I would recommend this book even though I only gave it 3 stars. It's not a page-turner but you will gain a great deal of insight into the A-6 in combat in the 1990s.

[Kevin Meenaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the perspective of the first night flying into Iraq in Desert Storm, as well as how the decisions were made to transition from low combat aviation to higher altitudes. As an A-6 pilot myself, I enjoyed the reminiscing, as well as the insight to what goes on between flights.

Anyone looking to understand the behind the scenes of a pilot in combat will get a lot from this book. And if you’re looking for some amazing teamwork, partnership and trust stories, Angles of Attack is great for that.

On top of that, Pete Hunt is an exceptional human being.

[C Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

The book was interesting. I was very disappointed when there was a build up to his first combat experience and then nothing was written about it. I almost stopped reading at that point.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. As usual, it's a very niche read, but if you happen to enjoy the subject of naval attack aircraft on deployment during a war, give this book a chance.
The author/pilot definitely has the skills necessary to write, and did a great job with this memoir. It's incredibly detailed, going over the work up to deployment aboard the carrier, the stages and phases of the cruise, what it's like to be a carrier pilot, and finally, flying combat missions in Dessert Storm. As detailed as it is, there aren't any parts that drag. Everything fits together nicely, and there's plenty of personal reflection and humanity throughout to indicate that these guys are all human.
Considering there aren't many first hand accounts from Intruder pilots that aren't fiction, I suggest reading this to get an idea about a plane and mission that are long gone.

[Greg D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great detail and description, plenty of humor and I really liked the writing style. Hunt is quite a pilot and reading about the war-time tactics AND how he can land this thing on a pitching carrier at night in bad weather....awesome.