USS Saratoga (CV-3): An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927-1946

Book Description

Originally laid down as one of six giant battle cruisers, the Saratoga survived the 1922 Washington Disarmament Treaty's cutting torch through her conversion to a new and seemingly benign type of vessel-the aircraft carrier. She reported for fduty off Long Beach, CA in 1927 and for the next twelve years trained the men who would eventually fight World War II. One of only three carriers on duty at the outset of World War II, Saratoga, at one point, was the sole American carrier available to Naval Aviation. She suffered two torpedo attacks and a horrifying kamikaze attack, and was reported sunk many times by the Japanese. Refitted as a night-attack carrier, then relegated to the role of training carrier, Saratoga survived the war only to be sacrificed in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. No carrier, or ship, played a greater role in developing the men and tactics that became the massive force that United States Naval Aviation., over 200 b/w photographs, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

USS Saratoga is the best book for pictures and history........1999-04-28

This a great book in terms of pictures and the history of the USS Saratoga. It is about as complete a book on this ship that you will find. From the moment she was created to the day she was sunk in Bikini Atoll's lagoon by the US weapons tests, this book covers it all in GREAT detail.

Average customer rating:

One of the Great Aviation Books
Best buy yet.
One of the best of the genre
Sierra Hotel!
Full Afterburner

Once A Fighter Pilot
Jerry W. Cook , and Jerry Cook
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071399208

Book Description

* The true adventure tales of a U.S. Air Force fighter who flew more than 400 combat hours while on duty in Vietnam
* Provides a rare insider's glimpse into the world of the flying elite, detailing their education, training, emotions, and day to day experiences
* Poignant, sometimes funny, brutally honest, always exciting, and an eye-opening look at one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history.

Customer Reviews:

One of the Great Aviation Books.......2007-03-15

Jerry Cook's "Once A Fighter Pilot" is one of the books that occupies a small section of my shelf reserved for truly extraordinary books written by pilots. Many fighter jocks are good at BFM, formation, gunnery, instrument flying, and other skills, but the ones who can evoke strong emotion through the written word are scarce. My military flying career is past, but this book takes me right back into the cockpit, in a way few books do.

This book is the real deal, folks.

Best buy yet........2006-04-18

I first saw this book in a local bookstore and saw the cover. I didnt really now what it was about, but when I read it it was the best book yet. It is on my Absolute Favorite list.Since I bought the book I have read it over 5 times, and find something new each time. It has also made me want to be a fighter pilot in our Air Force. A must read for anyone.

One of the best of the genre.......2006-03-13

I've read "Once a Fighter Pilot" more than once, and greatly enjoyed it each time. It's an intriguing mix of stories about flying in Vietnam, flying at MacDill AFB while the F-4 was just becoming available, and many flight instructor tales. (And sometimes the flight instructor stories are scarier than the ones about flying in Vietnam!) He's opinionated, open, honest, and to the point.

I consider this to be in the top 5% of its genre because it covers such a broad area and does it well. There are perhaps better and/or more detailed autobiographies specifically about flying in Vietnam, but this one is one of the few which really covers Air Force life during the 60s. I also like the overall style, it's a series of short tales in chronological order rather than a more continuous work.

It's a fun read--you won't regret it.

Sierra Hotel!.......2005-11-10

If you want to get an idea of what it was like to be a fighter pilot during this time frame, this book is one heck of a place to start! Let me assure you, it is the way it was.

Highly recommended!!

Full Afterburner.......2003-08-25

I've had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Cook and I can tell you he is what an aerial warrior is all about. This means he appreciates not only the firepower that is his responsibility, but also the restraint that is necessary as well. Above all, being a pilot myself, I can viscerally place myself in his rapt descriptions of aircraft performance and raw power. His situational "awareness" and extraordinary flying skills easily flow off the page, and speak to the incredible edge that must be developed and maintained to fight and survive in ACM environments.

Book Description

Listen to a short interview with Jeffrey A. Engel
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane

In a gripping story of international power and deception, Jeffrey Engel reveals the "special relationship" between the United States and Great Britain in a new and far more competitive light. As allies, they fought communism. As rivals, they locked horns over which would lead the Cold War fight. In the quest for sovereignty and hegemony, one important key was airpower, which created jobs, forged ties with the developing world, and, perhaps most importantly in a nuclear world, ensured military superiority.

Only the United States and Britain were capable of supplying the post-war world's ravenous appetite for aircraft. The Americans hoped to use this dominance as a bludgeon not only against the Soviets and Chinese, but also against any ally that deviated from Washington's rigid brand of anticommunism. Eager to repair an economy shattered by war and never as committed to unflinching anticommunism as their American allies, the British hoped to sell planes even beyond the Iron Curtain, reaping profits, improving East-West relations, and garnering the strength to withstand American hegemony.

Engel traces the bitter fights between these intimate allies from Europe to Latin America to Asia as each sought control over the sale of aircraft and technology throughout the world. The Anglo-American competition for aviation supremacy affected the global balance of power and the fates of developing nations such as India, Pakistan, and China. But without aviation, Engel argues, Britain would never have had the strength to function as a brake upon American power, the way trusted allies should.

Airlift Military Air Transport: The Illustrated History (Osprey Aerospace)

Average customer rating:

Often Forgotten About , Yet So Essential.

Airlift Military Air Transport: The Illustrated History (Osprey Aerospace)
Richard Townshend Bickers
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing (UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1855326930

Book Description

The first military air drops were initiated by a critical ground situation at Kut-el-Amara in Mesopotamia (now Iraq). Twenty ssupply sorties were flown on 14 April 1916 dropping 3500lbs of food to the beleaguered troops. Between the wars air transport was to be developed as a main method of supply and support to the major nation's empires and colonies. During World War II aircraft were not only used as a suppy method but as a strike weapon, carrying paratroops and their equipment . These aircraft also towed another strike transport aircraft - the glider.

Customer Reviews:

Often Forgotten About , Yet So Essential........2003-05-31

We all like to glamorise the Airforces of the world with their high technology driven fighters and the glory days of old. But we seldom spare a though for the now major element in every airforce's inventory - airlift transport.

We move through to the present day and the future with even bigger aircraft on the drawing boards. It's hard to see nowdays life without these heavy transports to move entire divisions and their equipment around the world to be ready for action within hours, let alone relief aid.

Richard Townshend Bickers takes us through the history of military air transport that has always been around since guns were placed on airframes a little under 100 years ago.

Illustrated with lots of pictures from all side during the major conflicts we get to see some familliar aircraft in military guise as well as some rare gems such as the Budd Conestoga and the high winged Douglas DC5, both aircraft a much superior design than the ubiquitous Douglas DC3/C47. The fact that mass production was the only reason that the C47 succeeded is proof of this.

Book Description

Cobra! is a comprehensive, meticulously researched and fully documented history of Bell Aircraft Corporation and their piston engine fighters built during the Great Depression and through World War II. While the story centers on techincal aspects of the various fighters, significant attention is also devoted to those key individuals who conceived, built and flew these innovative designs. In addition to aircraft development, Cobra! surveys the combat use of the P-39 and P-63 fighters in the hands of American, French, Italian, and Soviet pilots. The story continues after World War II when a number of Bell surplus fighters were successfully modified for air racing. Birch Matthews is also the author of Wet Wings & Drop Tanks: Recollection of American Transcontinental Air Racing 1928-1970, and Mustang: The Racing Thoroughbred(with Dustin W. Carter). Both books are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.)., over 700 b/w and color photographs, line drawings, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

The best book on a US WW2 aircraft company.......2000-06-16

You can tell that this book has been a labour of love for the author Birch Matthews, and tells the history of the Bell aircraft company during WW2. It is probably the best source of information on Bells important P39 and P63 aircraft, but also covers the history of a then small company at the end of the depression,and the build up to the huge stains of producing thousands of aircraft during the war. It also covers all of the WW2 Bell experemental aircraft and the development and production of the P39 and P63 over this period, as well as overseas users of its fighter aircraft, such as the RAF, Red Air Force and the French. Published by Schiffer publishing, this like all of their books, are of high printing quality and good value for the price.

Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation

Average customer rating:

Rare history
Aircraft Carrier Operations

Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation
James L., III Holloway
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1591143918
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Product Description

Adm. James Holloway describes this book as a contemporary perspective of the events, decisions, and outcomes in the history of the Cold War Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet confrontation that shaped today s U.S. Navy and its principal ships-of-the-line, the large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Without question, the admiral is exceptionally well qualified to write such an expansive history. As a carrier pilot in Korea, commander of the Seventh Fleet in Vietnam, Chief of Naval Operations in the mid-1970s, and then as a civilian presidential appointee to various investigative groups, Holloway was a prominent player in Cold War events.

Here, he casts an experienced eye at the battles, tactics, and strategies that defined the period abroad and at home. Holloway's first-person narrative of combat action conveys the tense atmosphere of hostile fire and the urgency of command decisions. His descriptions of conversations with presidents in the White House and of meetings with the Joint Chiefs in the war room offer a revealing look at the decision-making process. Whether explaining the tactical formations of road-recce attacks or the demands of taking the Navy s first nuclear carrier into combat, Holloway provides telling details that add valuable dimensions to the big picture of the Cold War as a coherent conflict. Few readers will forget his comments about the sobering effect of planning for nuclear warfare and training and leading a squadron of pilots whose mission was to drop a nuclear bomb.

Both wise and entertaining, this book helps readers understand the full significance of the aircraft carrier s contributions. At the same time, it stands as a testament to those who fought in the long war and to the leadership that guided the United States through a perilous period of history while avoiding the Armageddon of a nuclear war.

Customer Reviews:

Rare history.......2007-08-15

Very few admirals (or generals for that matter) pay much attention to history. (Examples abound, including recent events.) But Jim Holloway not only reads and writes history--he lived it as well. From his spellbinding account of the shootout in Surigao Strait to the bombardment of Haiphong 28 years later, his career both aloft and afloat would fill a book whether or not he became chief of naval operations.

Holloway's memoir is divided into numerous segments providing both the personal and the overall perspective of events in wars hot and cold. Probably the most illuminating portion is his extremely detailed description of Korean War operations, to a degree this reader has not previously seen.

There is plenty of other significant material including development of nuclear powered aircraft carriers (Holloway commanded USS Enterprise) and the post-Vietnam doldrums when the fleet's human and materiel condition had been permitted to degrade to alarming levels. However, his busy post-retirement career has benefitted everyone interested in nautical lore, especially the Naval History web site.

In an era when active-duty admirals think that Douglas Devastators flew alongside Grumman Bearcats, when a Canadian Spitfire ace knows more about carriers than many naval officers, Holloway's book comes as a refreshing change.

Aircraft Carrier Operations.......2007-05-28

Admiral Holloway's story begins with a destroyer torpedo attack on a battleship during the Battle of Suriago Strait in WW II. At the time Holloway was a lieutenant assigned as the gunnery and torpedo officer in the destroyer USS Bennion. There is a rule of thumb in the Navy that a destroyer making a torpedo attack on a battleship in a sea battle has a life expectancy of less than five minutes before being sunk. You can imagine the feelings of the crew aboard Bennion realizing as they turned in to attack that many of them probably had less than five minutes to live.

Less than a week after that battle Lieutenant Holloway departed for flight training. His parting comments to the commanding officer were "In the past 48 hours we have silenced two shore batteries, shot down three Zeros, battled a Japanese cruiser, sunk a destroyer by gunfire, and torpedoed a Japanese battleship. I think I'm ready to try something new."

The book goes on to describe Holloway's experience in flight training and eventual assignment as operations officer of a carrier air task group where he flew as a pilot with Fighter Squadron 111 in combat in Korea. Later in the war he served as executive officer and then commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 52. His descriptions of flying in that war are as detailed, readable and understandable as any air combat stories I have ever read. The intensity of the naval air campaign in Korea is little understood or appreciated. An example is that one of the squadrons in his task group, VF-653, lost 12 of its 26 pilots during his 1951-52 tour.

Aircraft Carriers at War could well have been titled A History of the US Navy in our Time. Admiral Holloway next describes many of the naval operations during the cold war where his assignments included command of Attack Squadron 83 whose mission was delivery of nuclear weapons. The operations of such squadrons are described in easily understood terms.

The most significant operational descriptions in the book are included in Holloway's command tour of the nuclear powered attack aircraft carrier Enterprise during the Vietnam War. We seldom read descriptions of carrier operations by carrier commanders and this book has the best description of carrier warfare I have ever read. The command responsibilities and day to day operations of a carrier captain are clearly described and explained.

The remainder of the book is the most important historically as Holloway describes his operational experiences as an admiral in command of various fleet components and his Washington assignments leading to his selection as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The description of his tour as CNO gives seldom revealed insights into the inner workings of the Department of Defense and the relationship of the service commanders with the president and congress.

Aircraft Carriers at War is a historical review of naval operations in our time including three hot wars, the cold war and numerous international incidents written by a participant rather than an observer. Admiral Holloway is generally considered the most knowledgeable and dedicated proponent of aircraft carriers in our time and this book clearly reflects his knowledge and experience.

You may have noted this is not an entirely unbiased review. I confess that I commanded an attack aircraft squadron and an attack aircraft carrier at the same time as Admiral Holloway and we sometimes operated together.

Aviation Century War and Peace in the Air (Aviation Century)

Average customer rating:

A solid stand-alone survey.
Aviation Century War and Peace in the Air

Aviation Century War and Peace in the Air (Aviation Century)
Ron Dick
Manufacturer: Boston Mills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1550464302

Book Description

The closing volume of an internationally acclaimed series.

"Any readers interested in the history of flying will treasure [this series of] profusely illustrated books."
- Booklist

War and Peace in the Air, the final book in the acclaimed five-volume Aviation Century series, explores the influence of aviation in the major wars and minor conflicts since World War II. The authors also examine the dangers of flight, including airborne disasters, accident investigations and threats from terrorism, and speculate on the myriad ways in which aviation will change in the near and far future. Included are:

The introduction of the jet engine and the changes it brought in training, logistics and administration
Improvements in weaponry, avionics and aircraft systems in the transformation of basic bombers and fighters
The history of flight safety, from the first air fatality in 1908 to the disaster-prevention tactics introduced to defeat modern terrorist threats
Profiles of 21st century aircraft, plus the future in aviation -- including collision avoidance systems, computer-driven air-traffic control, and the return of supersonic travel.

Rare archival photographs and newly photographed color images add to the entertaining and informative text. All the current photographs have been shot on site or in museums, collections or the field.

Customer Reviews:

A solid stand-alone survey........2007-03-12

The Aviation Century series concludes with this fifth, final volume in a series that explores aviation after World War II. Archival and original images of planes accompanies facts and historical events in the aviation world, with chapter considering how military aviation translated to civilian life, flight safety issues, and possible future changes. Libraries with the other volumes must have this concluding chapter, while military libraries will find it a solid stand-alone survey.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Aviation Century War and Peace in the Air.......2007-03-08

A literary and visual treat - we mailed a copy to friends in Sweden. It is world wide in scope and deals with the universality of aviation's impact on the nations of the entire earth.

B-2A Spirit Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft)

Average customer rating:

THE BEST BOOK OUT THERE ON THE B-2 SPIRIT

B-2A Spirit Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft)
Thomas Withington
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1841769932
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

The B-2A ‘Spirit’ was an aircraft conceived to fight the Cold War but which has proved invaluable to both the ‘New World Order’ and more recently the ‘War on Terrorism’. The combination of low-observability, precision strike, range and payload flexibility has made the ‘Spirit’ the weapon of choice when America hits its enemies at the start of a campaign. Spirits have fired the first shots of Operation ‘Allied Force’ over Kosovo and Serbia, as well as operations ‘Enduring Freedom’ and ‘Iraqi Freedom’. Despite the tremendous cost of the aircraft – each unit is literally worth its weight in gold – the B-2 has had an impact on modern warfare which has vastly exceeded this small force of 21 bombers. Developed in utmost secrecy, the B-2’s gestation saw the use of new computer design and manufacturing techniques and ultra-modern synthetic materials making it the most revolutionary aircraft in terms of design and performance. This book examines these incredible aircraft.

Customer Reviews:

THE BEST BOOK OUT THERE ON THE B-2 SPIRIT.......2006-09-26

There are a number of good books out on the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber - for example Bill Sweetman's INSIDE THE STEALTH BOMBER and Steve Pace's B-2 SPIRIT: The Most Capable War Machine on the Planet - but Thomas Withington's book breaks new and exciting ground by focusing on the aircraft's performance in actual combat. It's one thing to be a tremendously expense Cold War relic, but it's quite another to be a liable first strike capability in today's day and age. The combination of stealth low-observability, precision strike, long range, and payload flexibility makes the B-2 Spirit the weapon of choice at the start of hostilities. The book covers three campaigns - Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom - and describes this aircraft's remarkable performance and some of it's short comings. This is a remarkable book packed with a lot of new information, good pictures, and great airwork. It's a must read for anyone interested in America's projection of global air power.

The Ford Tri-Motor, 1926-1992 (Schiffer Aviation History)

Average customer rating:

The Ford Tri-Motor, 1926-1992 (Schiffer Aviation History)
William T. Larkins
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0887404162

Book Description

A large number of people in the United States had their first airplane ride in a Ford Tri-Motor during the 1920s and 1930s, a plane that remains to this day a fine example of engineering, planning and production. It was the application of a modified assembly line production by the world's largest automobile manufacturer to a continuously refined design, backed by extensive advertising and publicity concerned with safety, at a time when such dependability and safety was crucial, that put Ford ahead of all of its competitors. The all-metal construction, stressed so much by the Ford advertising campaign of the late 1920s, proved its worth in later years. The life span of the average airplane in the 1920s was relatively short and so it is not surprising to find the Ford Company timidly stating in their 1929 advertising that "no Ford plane has yet worn out in service." This new book by aviation historian William T. Larkins is the most complete information available on the Ford Tri-Motro, and includes information on design, contruciton, model designations, a cross-indexing of U.S. and foreign registrations, a cross-index to military Ford Tri-Motors, accident summaries, Ford factory employees and Ford Tri-Motor pilot listing., over 520 b/w photographs, 8 1/2" x 11"

Lockheed Secret Projects: Inside the Skunk Works (Motorbooks ColorTech)

Average customer rating:

Amazing Aircraft
Great Overview

Lockheed Secret Projects: Inside the Skunk Works (Motorbooks ColorTech)
Dennis R. Jenkins
Manufacturer: Zenith Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0760309140

Book Description

Since 1943, scores of remarkable military aircraft and aviation technologies have rolled out of the hangars occupied by Lockheed's top-secret Skunk Works program. This in-depth look at the famous research-and-design teams pioneering work reveals the nuts and bolts behind production and experimental aircraft.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Aircraft.......2003-07-27

It is truly amazing what the Skunk Works will attempt to design. From the first operational US jet fighter, to the first operational Mach 2 airplane, to UAVs and suborbital spacecraft (the X-33) ... Skunk Works has tried it all. Normally they succeed, and that is what most books are about. But this one actually takes you into some of the programs that have failed. Although fairly small, it is in full color and contains lots of great information. Highly recommended.

Great Overview.......2003-07-05

If you want the ultimate (but slightly out of date) book on the Skunk Works, look at the Jay Miller work. However, if you want a good overview that is fairly current, then this is the book for you. It includes data on the UAVs and X-33 that Skunk Works was developing prior to their cancellation. Lots of great photos, mostly in color.

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