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Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945
![Korea (Paperback): Carlos R Smith](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/2399093130806179215.jpg) |
Korea
(Paperback)
Carlos R Smith
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R393
R324
Discovery Miles 3 240
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Based on audiotapes he recorded during the war and sent home to his
family, Randy Zahn’s Snake Pilot recounts his experiences flying
AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the Vietnam War. First deployed in
Vietnam in 1967 and loaded with a formidable arsenal of weaponry,
the Cobra was the first helicopter designed from inception as an
attack aircraft. It dramatically changed the nature of the war in
Vietnam by offering the Army, for the first time, its own powerful
and highly accurate weapons platform for close-air-support
missions. Randy Zahn arrived in Vietnam shortly before the 1970
U.S. invasion of Cambodia, one of the most impressive
demonstrations by the Cobra in the war. He describes his stunning
transformation from a naive, middle-class teenager from southern
California to a hardened killer during his tour in Vietnam. Unlike
the pilots who flew the fast-moving strike jets, Zahn experienced
the war“up close and personal,” witnessing the grisly effects
of the Cobra’s firepower on enemy soldiers. The author does not
glorify killing but rather explains in sharp relief the
kaleidoscope of emotions associated with combat: fear, revenge,
hate, remorse, pity, and even ecstasy. He captures many of the
ironies and nuances inherent in Vietnam, especially during the
final years of the conflict. Zahn displays a sensitivity rarely
found in memoirs written by battle-hardened warriors. This human
element, combined with the vast amount of archival research and
interviews with members of his former unit, ensures that Snake
Pilot will become the definitive account of the role helicopters
played in Vietnam.
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