Low Level Hell by Hugh L Mills
 

For anyone who enjoyed reading "Chickenhawk" this is a great read. I would particularly recommend it to the "fast and furious" as an eye opener into helicopter combat operations.
....and now that I've read it I'm looking for suggestions for a good read from all you erudite aviators out there!

"Terror in the Starboard Seat"....written by a Mozzie Navigator.....one of the funniest aviation books I have read.

"We Were Soldiers and Young" by Joe Galloway.

"Rattler 17" by Chuck Gross.

"Outlaws in Vietnam" by Dave Eastman.

"Snake Pilot" by Randy Zahn.

"Fields of Fire" by James Webb.

"A Rumour of War" by Philip Caputo.

"Everything We Had" by Al Santoli.

"Bonnie Sue" by Marion Sturkey.

"Into Cambodia" by Keith Nolan.

"A Bright and Shining Lie" by Neal Sheehan.

I second "Terror in the Starboard Seat."

"Nightfighter" by CF Rawnsley and Robert Wright, RO to John Cunningham

"Matterhorn" by Karl Marlantes

Think Like a Bird - Alex Kimball

Great stuff! Thanks SASless. I'm Off, I read Matterhorn, which I found interesting but as a work of fiction it doesn't quite have the compelling force of the narrative of a true story.

Plenty of recommendations here:

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...tary-read.html

My personal Vietnam fave is "The 13th Valley" by John M Del Vecchio, a semi-fictionalised account based around the author's experiences in country.

Rescue under Fire - the story of Dustoff, a different view of the war in Vietnam

Most definitely "terror in the starboard seat"- was still relevant in the 70's!, also a novel "Fighter Pilots" by Kelly Rollins (pseudonym) USAF fighters WW2- vietnam, and a book about early USMC F4 flying in vietnam by a USMC major? , name and title escape me- gave the book away & regret it. Remembering 2 out of 3 isn't too bad!!

A very good list of Vietnam related books....

Popular Vietnam Books

N2erk, that was "Phantom over Viet Nam" by John Trotti. Helluva a good read, I survived a weekend at a campsite with my mother-in-law thanks to that book (and some Old Milwaukee Beer!). How about some Martin Middlebrook? Great RAF history, well researched and sobering. It is also worth reading and re reading.

How about "Tail End Charlie" or "In For A Penny, In for A Pound" (Wellington ops in North Africa). There was a book entitled "Aircrew" by Bruce Lewis, a cracking book I acquired for 25 cents at a yard sale in Brampton, Ontario. There are so many great books about military flying, and we haven't even discussed "Only Owls And Bloody Fools Fly At Night" or Alan Cooper's copious works, or Sharp and Bowyer's "Mosquito".

MACV-SOG by Major John Plaster.

Although ground orientated, quite a lot is said about helos
and planes and the flying in support of the ground troops
and some amazing descriptions of what the pilots did.

Flying Through Midnight: A Pilot's Dramatic Story of His Secret Missions Over Laos During the Vietnam War, John T. Halliday

The Ravens: Pilots of the Secret War of Laos, Christopher Robbins

Both rank up there with Chickenhawk and Low Level Hell.

A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo (on SASless' list) is one of the best written and particularly moving for me, since I've been to Danang and seen the hills to the west that are the locations of the combat operations that he writes about.

54phan

Lord have mercy, you live in a country with some of the best beers ever brewed and you're drinking that crap? I wouldn't give that to my dog.

Carry on

I enjoyed "Fighter Pilot" bu Robin Olds. WWII to viet Nam.

Any of Mark Berent's novels, such as Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger and Eagle Station. :ok:

Well, I agree, West Coast. However, I was camping in the United States on this particular occasion, and had run out of the good stuff :ugh:, it having been a long weekend.

Strangely enough, I also loaned my copy of "Phantom Over Viet Nam" to someone who never returned it.

54 Phan, thanks for the memory jolt! That's the book I had in mind- excellent read. as were the rest you mentioned. :O

One Day in a Long War
 

Ive had this for years and I still pick it up now and then

A Very Good Read Indeed
 

I don't think that this has been mentioned previously on PPrunebut apologies if it has:

"Through Eyes of Blue - Personal Memories of the RAF since 1918" by AE Ross DFC is brilliant. Lots of fascinating first-person stories in individual chapters, everything from early combat in 1918 to GW2 and the Balkans, with unique 'bits and bobs' such as spinning trials in the Javelin. I recently loaned it to my 92-yr old neighbour (ex-Catalina, Beaufighter and Spitfires XI and XVI) who was delighted - said it was one of the best books he'd read and it brought back a lot of memories - not all of therm happy, though.