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Books > History > American history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War
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F-104 Starfighter Units in Combat (Paperback)
Loot Price: R519
Discovery Miles 5 190
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F-104 Starfighter Units in Combat (Paperback)
Series: Combat Aircraft
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Loot Price R519
Discovery Miles 5 190
Expected to ship within 9 - 15 working days
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The 'missile with a man in it' was known for its blistering speed
and deadliness in air combat. The F-104C flew more than 14,000
combat hours in Vietnam as a bomber escort, a Wild Weasel escort
and a close air support aircraft. Though many were sceptical of its
ability to carry weapons, the Starfighter gave a fine account of
itself in the close air support role. It was also well known that
the enemy were especially reluctant to risk their valuable and
scarce MiGs when the F-104 was escorting bombers over North Vietnam
or flying combat air patrols nearby. The missions were not without
risk, and 14 Starfighters were lost during the war over a two-year
period. This was not insignificant considering that the USAF only
had one wing of these valuable aircraft at the time, and wartime
attrition and training accidents also took quite a bite from the
inventory.
While the F-105 Thunderchief and F-4 Phantom got most of the glory
and publicity during the war in Vietnam, the Lockheed F-104
Starfighter was not given much chance of surviving in a 'shooting
war'. In the event, it did that and much more. Although built in
small numbers for the USAF, the F-104C fought and survived for
almost three years in Vietnam. Like its predecessor the F-100, the
Starfighter was a mainstay of Tactical Air Command and Air Defence
Command, with whom it served with distinction as an air superiority
fighter and point defence interceptor. This small, tough and very
fast fighter, dubbed 'The Missile with a Man in It', was called
upon to do things it was not specifically designed for, and did
them admirably. Among these were close air support and armed
reconnaissance using bombs, rockets and other armaments hung from
its tiny wings, as well as its 20 mm Vulcan cannon, firing 6000
rounds per minute. The jet participated in some of the most famous
battles of the war, including the legendary Operation "Bolo," in
which seven North Vietnamese MiGs went down in flames with no US
losses. Even as it was fighting in Vietnam, the Starfighter was
being adopted by no fewer than six NATO air forces as well as Japan
and Nationalist China. It was later procured by Jordan, Turkey and
Pakistan. The latter nation took the Starfighter to war with India
twice in the 1960s, and it also saw combat with Taiwan.
The story of the Starfighter in Vietnam is one of tragedy and of
ultimate vindication. For decades the F-104's contribution to the
air war in Vietnam was downplayed and its role as a ground attack
machine minimised. Only in recent years has that assessment been
re-evaluated, and the facts prove the Starfighter to have been able
to do its job as well or better than some of the other tactical
aircraft sent to the theatre for just that purpose.
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