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I just received "Beyong the wild blue" which is a book on the history of the USAF written by retired Col. Walter J Boyne and this looks like a great book to me.
I will start reading it as soon as I can find some time but also, I'd like to recommend it to you all....
It's an interesting book, but it's also very much a history done from the AF point of view with their institutional filters firmly intact. Just something to be aware of when you read it.Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenix80
Would you plz expand on that further?
What I mean by that is that the author tends to slant many of his statements into the "it's a wonderful Air Force" framework. For example, the section about Linebacker II contains no discussion about the flaws in the initial planning of the campaign, or how those flaws were corrected. He also makes the very sweeping conclusion (in line with what could be called the official Air Force view) that had Linebacker II happened years before, North Vietnam would have halted its aggression. This is a very flawed claim that ignores the history of Vietnam and other important factors (like the nature of NVN's involvement in the South, the lack of good targets for strategic air attacks in NVN, the international reaction that would have followed such heavy bombardment no matter when it was conducted), and the international circumstances (Nixon's diplomatic moves with both the Soviet Union and China...something that did NOT exist during the Kennedy or Johnson administrations).
It's an entertaining read, but not what I would call a serious history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Blair
Interesting viewpoint. Thanks for it.
But was it not the fault of the Johnson and Nixon administration by not letting the air operations to go fully ahead? I understand that those administrations halted the air campaign several times and allowed the North Vietnamese to regroup...
May be I am mistaken...