On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War over Vietnam

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Summary: If you were there, it will tell you what you did!
Review: I was LCDR meteorologist on USS Coral Sea during the same period as CDR Nichols. Through his book, I am able to understand many of the discrepancies in aerial warfare that I saw and did not understand at the time. I saved several to many pilots lives with my "not too optomistic" forecast during the "cratchin conditions" in the winters in Tonkin Gulf in 66 and 67. If I can locate CDR Nichols, I will personally shake his hand. I visited Vietnam, and Hanoi in 1995, and found absolutely no hostility, and found very little battle damage. After all, I briefed many Alfa strikes to Hanoi and I wanted to see what we had done, My daughter now lives in Hanoi and her husband is building a luxery hotel for western tourist and Japanese tourist. She lives on a Hanoi cul-de-sac and all the neighbors are very friendly and they share food, baby sitting and shopping sprees. Isn't it funny how the times change? I love it... Wildbill

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Summary: Pirate: Wings Folded
Review: John Nichols, callsign "Pirate," folded his wings in September 2004. OYS remains his testament to those naval aviators who follow in his slipstream.

I never had a better friend. And neither did anyone else.

Rating:
Summary: A masterwork of objective analysis.
Review: This book avoids a lot of the moralizing and arm waving about the Vietnam Air War and the tactical and strategic failures that occurred. The most impressive thing is the laundry list of key elements of air superiority. It is clear, concise, unambiguous, without the usual stridency that I've seen in several other books. Get a copy of this book, it should be required reading for all aviation buffs and people interested in national security.

Rating:
Summary: Required reading
Review: This book on the naval air war over Vietnam should be required reading not only for all military pilots, but for every military and civilian official who is involved in planning strategy, tactics, or military weapon procurement.
But don't get the idea it's a boring book; besides giving the reader a clear view of what happened in the air over Vietnam, the author makes his points in a very readable fashion, not by preaching but by simply pointing out what we did, and why we could have done so much better -- in the conduct of the war, in providing better (often SIMPLER) equipment, and in better training.
It's definitely worth obtaining from an out-of-print dealer or from your library. Even if you have no connection with the military, this will expand your understanding of that period in US history.

Rating:
Summary: A masterwork of objective analysis.
Review: This work is a clear-headed, no holds barred look at the Vietnam air war from the naval perspective. Don't let its even tone fool you. It cuts to the bone and damns by simple observation, with no need for editorializing by the authors. It points up the facts, fictions, failures and achievements of the naval air war against North Vietnam in a quick, easy style, with superb organization and excellent supporting material in the appendices. Any student of the Vietnam air war who misses this title is not a serious person. It is required reading on the subject, and should be complemented by Marshal Michel's "Clashes" for the USAF side of the story.

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Summary: Authors of the book announce the publisher has let it lapse
Review: When John Nichols and Barrett Tillman produced this book from Naval Institute Press, their hope was that it would serve to prevent in the future some of the more egregious errors committed in the air war over North Vietnam. Our hope was realized when, at the end of Desert Storm, we heard from a Hornet squadron that they had taken several copies of OYS to combat as a "reality check" on tactics and rules of engagement. The squadron CO said that they brought all their jets back without a hole in any of them--we'd done our job! Waning interest in Vietnam generally has led to reduced sales, and Naval Institute informs us that it probably will declare the title out of print. Therefore, we want to let readers know that they should obtain copies while still available. Barrett Tillman and John B. Nichols