One Day in a Long War: May 10, 1972 Air War, North Vietnam
Based on cockpit recordings and interviews, this is a minute-by-minute narrative of the opening day of Operation Linebacker, a Navy/Air Force aerial onslaught against targets in North Vietnam. Participants (and some eyewitnesses on the ground) describe the attacks on bridges and stockpiles, while the leading edge of the attack--reconnaissance aircraft, flak-suppressing missions, search and rescue, airborne command and control--is also recounted. Since many of the operation's Navy pilots were graduates of the newly established "Top Gun" course at Miramar Naval Air Station in California, their performance on 10 May '72 confirmed the cost-effectiveness of this training beyond doubt. On the other hand, that day also saw the greatest loss of U.S. aircraft of any 24-hour period in the Vietnam War. Stories of the pilots who were shot down, either by MiG fighters or by surface-to-air missiles, include that of Air Force Captain Robert Locher, who survived 23 days on the ground before being rescued in a risky helicopter operation. Photos.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.