One Day in a Long War: The Greatest Battle of the Vietnam Air War

by Jeffrey Ethell, Alfred Price

'I COULD SEE THE TRACERS FLYING BY THE CANOPY. THE MIG WAS HAULING. SO I BROKE DOWN INTO HIM AND HE OVERSHOT. I REVERSED COURSE, PUT MY NOSE ON HIS TAILPIPE AND SQUEEZED THE TRIGGER ...'

On May 10th, 1972, the US forces launched the most intense full-scale air attacks the Vietnam War had ever seen. It marked day one of Operation LINEBACKER. And it was a day for heroes.

From the close-quarter dogfights with MiGs that inspired the movie Top Gun and attack jets dodging SAMs on daring low level strikes, to the courageous efforts of the search and rescue helicopter crews sent in to pick up downed pilots, ONE DAY IN A LONG WAR brings to life the Vietnam air war like never before.

Drawing on extensive aircrew interviews, cockpit voice recordings and official documents, ONE DAY IN A LONG WAR deserves to take its place alongside classics like Chickenhawk, Thud Ridge, Low Level Hell, Guts 'n Gunships and The Ravens.

'Puts the reader in the cockpit for some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Vivid, dramatic and exceptionally well written. A masterclass in combining ground-breaking research with page-turning action' Rowland White, Author of Vulcan 607

‘A complete picture … staggering’ Air Force Magazine

‘The Vietnam air war comes alive … truly hard to put down’ Denver Sun

‘A masterpiece. A fitting tribute to every veteran of the Vietnam war’ South Bend Tribune

‘This is the Vietnam book that many of us have been waiting for’ Warbirds Magazine

‘A sharply focused and richly detailed reconstruction of a single day’s aerial combat over North Vietnam’ Kirkus Reviews

‘In a class by itself … the most exciting air-to-air combat narrative ever written’ Richmond News Leader

‘It’s all here’ Navy Times

For fans of Top Gun, The Flight of the Intruder, Viper Pilot, Devotion, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Air America and M*A*S*H.

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2019

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely superb, puts you there in multiple cockpits, seems well researched and as such seems largely balanced in its approach.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed account of the air strikes flown into North Vietnam on a single day in 1972. The book describes these strike packages, which were flown from Air Force bases in Thailand and Navy carriers off the coast, in terms of their composition and the threats they faced from ground-based missiles, small arms, and flak. The authors give blow-by-blow explanations of various air engagements with a look at the pilots’ skills, maneuvers, and air-to-air weapons used. The end of the book provides a final analysis of the day’s events with a summary of sorties flown, aircraft shot down, ground targets destroyed, and how the surviving air crews went on to live their lives after the end of the war. Although many view the U.S. war in Vietnam as senseless and unnecessary, the air war over Vietnam and the professionalism and courage of the men who fought it created a foundation for the valuable capabilities that exist in the U.S. today in tactical military aviation. An excellent read!

[Joe Papastathis]

Nice Resd

I truly enjoyed the tactical section of this book providing accounts of air crews in combat however if found the last section of the read too full of the statistical data for my reading pleasure.

[Everett Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

One for the enthusiast

An in-depth study that, although written over 30 years ago, is truly worth reading IF you have more than a just passing interest in the Vietnam War. Very detailed; I read it over two days while on holiday and consider it well worth the time.

[William M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I flew A4’s from the deck of USS Intrepid during this conflict so could relate to the actions portrayed in this wonderful read

[Rahat Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best air war books I've ever read

Clear, concise and detailed, espec6with regards to the tactics used on May 10th. A must read for all Vietnam War fanatics.

[Danielle H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Great job showing me how much they would have to plan every single attack according to the situation. Americans can be proud of our guys that fought that day.

[Jeff Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice readin

Author does a decent job of getting the pilots perspectives in this project. The air battles were complex and at times chaotic.