Each pilot and bombardier/navigator sat side by side in an
all-weather jet built for low-level bombing runs, precision
targeting, and night strikes. Their success--and their very
lives--depended on teamwork in flying their versatile A-6
Intruders. And when the North Vietnamese mounted a major offensive
in 1972, they answered the call.
Carol Reardon chronicles the operations of Attack Squadron 75,
the "Sunday Punchers," and their high-risk bombing runs launched
off the U.S.S. Saratoga during the famous LINEBACKER campaigns.
Based on unparalleled access to crew members and their families,
her book blends military and social history to offer a unique look
at the air war in Southeast Asia, as well as a moving testament to
the close-knit world of naval aviators.
Theirs was one of the toughest jobs in the military: launching
off the carrier in rough seas as well as calm, flying solo and in
formation, dodging dense flak and surface-to-air missiles,
delivering ordnance on target, and recovering aboard safely.
Celebrating the men who climbed into the cockpits as well as those
who kept them flying, Reardon takes readers inside the squadron's
ready room and onto the flight decks to await the call, "Launch the
Intruders " Readers share the adrenaline-pumping excitement of each
mission--as well as those heart-stopping moments when a downed
aircraft brought home to all, in flight and on board, that every
aspect of their lives was constantly shadowed by danger and
potential death.
More than a mere combat narrative, Launch the Intruders
interweaves human drama with familial concerns, domestic politics,
and international diplomacy. Fliers share personal feelings about
killing strangers from a distance while navy wives tell what it's
like to feel like a stranger at home. And as the war rages on,
headlines like Jane Fonda's visit to Hanoi and the Paris Peace
Accords are all viewed through the lens of this heavily tasked,
hard-hitting attack squadron.
A rousing tale of men and machines, of stoic determination in
the face of daunting odds, Reardon's tale shines a much-deserved
light on group of men whose daring exploits richly deserve to be
much better known.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!