Fly By Knights

Air Force A/B/RB-26 Air Commando Missions in the Vietnam War

Author: Roger D. Graham

By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. The personal recollections of 37 pilots and navigators tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos.

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Summary

By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. The personal recollections of 37 pilots and navigators tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos.

Description

By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. World War II-era Douglas B-26 light bombers proved effective in close air support and interdiction, beginning with Operation Farm Gate in 1961. Forty B-26s were remanufactured as improved A-26 attack aircraft, which destroyed hundreds of North Vietnamese supply vehicles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1966-1969. The personal recollections of 37 pilots, navigators, maintenance and armament personnel, and family members, tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos.

Critic Reviews

“Graham, with help from fellow Air Force flyers, has constructed a roller-coaster ride of stories about daring feats, successes and screw-ups, unimaginable events, close calls, and losses…well-written”—VVA Veteran
“This is an accurate historical collection of remembrances by Nimrod combat crews, their training and combat missions, and their loved ones. It is a book worth reading.”—Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

About the Author

Roger D. Graham is a 1963 graduate of the Air Force Academy, attorney, navigator-bombardier, retired Air Force colonel, retired Lockheed Martin attorney and author. He lives in Acworth, Georgia.