Publisher's Weekly Review
Bell, a retired Air Force brigadier general, offers an engrossing account of his missions against heavily defended targets in North Vietnam at the controls of an F-105 fighter-bomber. His powers of description are outstanding: air-combat buffs will thrill to his knuckle-whitening recall of the 1966-1967 action as he searches for ways to confuse the defenses (MiG fighters, surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft fire) and deliver bombs at night in bad weather. Bell also recounts his between-missions experiences, which include his abduction by a band of Thai thugs and various R&R adventures. His is the first air-combat memoir from the Vietnam War to describe the intense and unpredictable social life of Air Force pilots on a Southeast Asian base--in this case the Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base north of Bangkok, where the 355th Tactical Figther Wing was stationed. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
The story of the F-105s flying against North Vietnam in the first half of the Vietnam War has been told before but seldom as well or as clearly. Career air force pilot Bell flew his 100 missions in the Thunderchief during 1966-67. In the process, he rose from wingman to force leader, underwent virtually every experience (other than being shot down) that a pilot could have, and acquired an intimate knowledge of the opposition, his fellow pilots, and the ponderous but rugged "Thud." All of this knowledge he has put into his book that yet comes across as an extraordinary tale plainly told. Highly recommended to any military or Vietnam collection. ~--Roland Green
