At the height of the Cold War, America’s most elite aviators bravely volunteered for a covert program aimed at eliminating an impossible new threat. Half never returned. All became legends. From New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton comes one of the most extraordinary untold stories of aviation history.Vietnam, 1965: On July 24 a USAF F-4 Phantom jet was suddenly blown from the sky by a … from the sky by a mysterious and lethal weapon—a Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM), launched by Russian “advisors” to North Vietnam. Three days later, six F-105 Thunderchiefs were brought down trying to avenge the Phantom. More tragic losses followed, establishing the enemy’s SAMs as the deadliest anti-aircraft threat in history and dramatically turning the tables of Cold War air superiority in favor of Soviet technology.
Stunned and desperately searching for answers, the Pentagon ordered a top secret program called Wild Weasel I to counter the SAM problem—fast. So it came to be that a small group of maverick fighter pilots and Electronic Warfare Officers volunteered to fly behind enemy lines and into the teeth of the threat. To most it seemed a suicide mission—but they beat the door down to join. Those who survived the 50 percent casualty rate would revolutionize warfare forever.
“You gotta be sh*#@ing me!” This immortal phrase was uttered by Captain Jack Donovan when the Wild Weasel concept was first explained to him. “You want me to fly in the back of a little tiny fighter aircraft with a crazy fighter pilot who thinks he’s invincible, home in on a SAM site in North Vietnam, and shoot it before it shoots me?”
Based on unprecedented firsthand interviews with Wild Weasel veterans and previously unseen personal papers and declassified documents from both sides of the conflict, as well as Dan Hampton’s own experience as a highly decorated F-16 Wild Weasel pilot, The Hunter Killers is a gripping, cockpit-level chronicle of the first-generation Weasels, the remarkable band of aviators who faced head-on the advanced Soviet missile technology that was decimating fellow American pilots over the skies of Vietnam.
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Must read for fans of the wild weasels or for anyone interested in how we failed so miserably in SE Asia. (If you don’t try to win, you won’t)
This is a story about a modern day Knight and his journey to protect his honor and live to fight another day!
I have an acquaintance who flew F-4 Wild Weasel missions in Vietnam. This book gave me a better understanding of what he did, how he did it, and the danger he faced on every mission. OH! Yes, I agree with all the political comments Mr. Hampton made through the book!
I wish the politicians sat in those planes instead of on their uncaring, self centered, ego building, mind fogged, indecisive butts.
Great book. I was there.
Very well written. Extremely interesting.
For all us old SEA vets this is a good story on how the Wild Weasels came into being.
A good history of the Weasels and their deadly fight against surface to air missile sites in Vietnam. A must read for any military aviation enthusiast.
I’ve alway thought these guys had the largest cohonies in the world, I aerial refueled them in Vietnam.. after reading this book I know they do/ did. Thanks for their service..
My favorite Vietnam aviation book so far.
It’s a great read particularly for those familiar with Wild Weasel and Bolo.
Inspirational history of pilots and tactics of Vietnam anti-SAM missile units. Author was a Wild Weasel himself, lending credibility to all here. There is also brief history of the country showing how we wound up in a losing war that could have been avoided or won militarily. Perhaps dense for casual reader, but outstanding history.
If you want to know the equipment and tactics used for air defense suppression , over Hanoi and environs, this book is where to get it. Also provides a healthy dose high G and high speed maneuvering from the cockpit. Lots of detail and a pretty good history of the decisions and strategies employed by both Hanoi and Washington.
Great insight to fighter pilots in Nam. Fine piece of history with objective view of the politics of the war
Based on interviews of survivors.
I chose this book because I knew of the Wild Weasel program but little about the actual tactics. Some of the earliest Electronic Warfare Officers (aka: Crows; Ravens) recruited for the program were from the B-58 Hustler force at Little Rock and Grissom. Their recruitment was very mysterious; reporting to a hotel room in Las Vegas and sworn to absolute secrecy. The plan was eventually known by the rest of us on the B-58 crews, but remained pretty secret. Even the recruits knew little about the plan at that time. I learned that I knew seven of those lost.
This book demonstrates the difficulty of the Wild Weasel missions and the extreme bravery of the men who flew them. It also served to tell me what happened to my friends who were the initial cadre of Wild Weasels. A good read; it makes you appreciate the difficulty of killing SAMs and surviving to fly again. Good stuff!
As A pilot, I found that the author has great and accurate descriptions of flying high performance jets. Takes one back to incredibly scary and at the same time vivid and cherished memories. His information on our political leaders at the time tells a sad tale of people who used up young men’s lives for their own gain. We knew it was going on, but did our duty anyway.
All the technical jargon and acronyms interfered with the enjoyment of this book. The historical part was great.
I expected a factual story on the tactic(s) how to defeat SAM’s. What this is, is a book with a few facts and lots and lots of filler words, sentences and paragraphs. A total waste of even $1.99.
This is a true story of the bravest of the brave of our air forces! Amazing Heroes!