L&S and others,
Re Vietnam there are a couple of good boks covering the US perspective of the air war. Try 'Scream of Eagles' by Robert K. Wilcox (about the formation of Topgun) and 'On Yankee Station' by Cdr John B. Nichols and Barrett Tillman (about the USN air war). Another less known book which I found astounding in its analysis of the Vietnam air war is 'Clashes' by Marshall L. Mitchell III, printed in 1997 in the USA. The detailed (at times day-by-day) breakdown of combat results and changing tactics, along with political and man-management decisions in the U.S. corridors of power, explained a lot to me about the kill ratios between USA and NVNAF. You may find it a useful adjunct to your research. It's a clinical and analytical kind of'Thud Ridge' using declassified combat reports as its basis.
The most amazing ineptitude, in my mind, was the decision by USAF planners not to send anyone (except volunteers) for a second tour to the conflict until everyone had a 'combat tour'. This resulted in poorly trained (ie F-4 interceptor conversion with NO ACM!) ex-transport pilots being sent to strike Nth Vietnam with less than 100 hours on type! The book is riddled with accounts of aircraft losses and crew bailout/capture/death because they departed controlled flight in the first breakturn of an engagement. Couple these factors with the convoluted Rules of Engagement (ROE) applied by politcal masters and the whole story is another sobering lesson in how not to fight.
Maybe that's all obvious, but the best equipment/weapons and bravest of dedicated crews is no use if you are forced to play into the hands of the enemy, in this case largely by their own side!
As an ex-fighter pilot though, let me say that every fighter pilot, even a rookie, has one more thing in their favour if they have manoeuvrability AND all the rest...that lesson was reinforced me on more than one occasion! But it can still all come back to the old adage, 'I'd rather be lucky than good!'
ps good thread