AD Skyraider Units of the Korean War cover

Description

The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War, overshadowed in fame by the new jet fighters that captured the public imagination. Too late for combat in World War II, the AD had replaced Dauntless, Helldiver, and Avenger dive- and torpedo-bombers from that conflict on carrier decks during the late 1940s and was on hand to react to the surprise North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950.

This book tells the story of the carrier-based U.S. Navy squadrons and the three land-based U.S. Marine Corps AD units that flew combat missions against the North Koreans and Chinese. Drawing from personal interviews with AD pilots, the authors paint a harrowing picture of the deadly combat of this often forgotten air war. Included in this volume are the AD night attack and electronic countermeasures crews who harassed the enemy lines of communications after dark. Supporting the text are a number of previously unpublished private photographs that bring the stories of these pilots to life. Finally, the book contains extensive appendices that detail every unit deployment by carrier, air group, Skyraider model, and tail code, as well as detailed lists noting every Skyraider lost in the war.

Table of Contents

The Able Dog /First Blood /Countering the Chinese Wave /Stalemate and Strangle /Blasting the Grid /Back to Interdiction /Night Hecklers, Nukes, 'Gators' and 'Guppies' /'Bulldogs' over Korea /'Cherokee Strikes' /Appendices /Colour Plates Commentary /Index

Product details

Published Feb 16 2016
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781472812643
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 45 b/w; 55 col
Dimensions 248 x 184 mm
Series Combat Aircraft
Short code COM 114
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Rick Burgess

Rick Burgess is a retired naval flight officer who…

Author

Warren Thompson

Warren Thompson has been an avid military aviati…

Illustrator

Jim Laurier

Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives i…

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