Douglas AD and A-1 Skyraider: Books - History and Deployment
A book on Douglas AD or A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft? Explore here illustrated books on the history, construction and deployment of Douglas attack aircraft.
Douglas A-1 Skyraider Manual (1945-1985) - The legendary US post-war single seat-attack aircraft (Haynes Aircraft Manual)
The Douglas Skyraider enjoyed a long and successful combat career with the US Navy and US Marine Corps flying off aircraft carriers in the Korean War (1950-53); during the Vietnam War (1964-72) with the US Navy, USAF and South Vietnamese Air Force as a close air-support aircraft; with the French Air Force in the Algerian War of the 1960s, and with mercenary pilots in the 1970s during the civil war in Chad. Centrepiece of this manual is Kennet Aviation's AD-4NA Skyraider, G-RADR, a combat veteran with a richly documented service history.
Author Tony Hoskins is a Deputy Chief Engineer of Kennet Aviation, a specialist warbird restoration company whose aircraft include Douglas Skyraider G-RADR. As well as undertaking aircraft restoration in his Sussex workshop, Tony also collaborates with other warbird operators.
Author:
Tony Hoskins
Specs:
192 pages, 28 x 21.5 x 1.4 cm / 11 x 8.5 x 0.55 in, hardback
The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War despite the emergence of new jet fighters that captured public imagination. Built to replace the World War 2 workhorses like the Dauntless, Helldiver and Avenger diveand torpedo-bombers, the Skyraider operated numerous combat missions from carrier decks and from US Marine Corps land bases throughout the conflict.
Drawing from personal interviews with AD pilots, the authors paint a harrowing picture of the deadly combat of this often forgotten air war as pilots took on Chinese and North Korean forces during daring night attacks and whilst outnumbered in daytime attacks.
Contents: Stemming the Communist Tide - Enter the Chinese - Close Air Support-Protecting the Troops - Interdicting the Roads and Railways in North Korea - Memorable Mission Accounts of the Pilots - Appendices.
Author:
Rick Burgess, Warren Thompson
Specs:
96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
Nicknamed the 'flying dump truck', the A-1 was a key component in naval air wings from the end of World War II into the 1960s, allowing the aircraft to play its part in the escalating conflict in Vietnam. Both A-1 attack and EA-1F airborne early warning aircraft saw action in Southeast Asia from 1960 through 1969, when the last examples were finally retired from carrier decks. The A-1s in particular bombed targets in both North and South Vietnam, despite the aircraft being highly vulnerable to enemy flak and fighters. Co-written by a two-tour Vietnam War combat veteran in the A-1, this is the first book that focuses exclusively on the aircraft's service in Vietnam.
USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey)
USAF Skyraider units were originally tasked to serve as quasi-training units for the fledgling VNAF. Equipped only with the two-seat models of the Skyraider, American pilots were required to have VNAF 'observers' in the aircraft for every mission. Eventually, this arrangement was changed as enough Vietnamese pilots were trained to man their own squadrons, while USAF squadrons were tasked with close support for US ground forces. Eventually, no fewer than four USAF and seven VNAF Skyraider units saw service in Vietnam. Additionally, one A-1 training squadron flew from Hurlburt Field, Florida, throughout the Vietnam War era. In the ten years that this squadron was active, nearly 1000 USAF and 300 VNAF pilots were trained in the Skyraider. While the core mission of all Skyraider squadrons was Close Air Support (CAS), other missions were accomplished at various times. Among these were Search and Rescue (SAR), night interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh trail, helicopter escort and special forces support to name but a few. Each of these missions took full advantage of the Skyraider's ability to deliver a variety of munitions in close proximity to friendly forces while inflicting heavy casualties on enemy forces.
Contents: Introduction - Skyraider and its ordnance - Original Skyraider units - Follow-on Skyraider units - Final Skyraider units - Appendices.
Author:
Byron E. Hukee
Specs:
96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
Illustrations:
photos and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:
Osprey Publishing (GB, 2013)
Series:
Combat Aircraft (97)
ISBN:
9781780960685
USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War
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