Philip D. Chinnery

An accurate but very dry accounting of the history of US Air Force Special Operations, as they came to be currently known. Orgins began in the Pacific Theatre during WWII which were a version of British commandos and the Jedburghs. Officially came into being in 1987 and existed as a separate Air Force Command in 1990. A strange coincidence with one of the Air Commandos was that one of the last men to die before the Japanese surrendered to end WWII was Major Gordon who had earlier rescued a show more fellow pilot in Burma. Gordon was the boyfriend of Elizabeth Short or sadly known as Los Angeles' tragic The Black Dahlia. The book covers Vietnam, Laos and Cambodian operations which spells out clearly that Vietnam was a US regular forces military assistence engagement while the Laotian and Cambode actions were CIA directed. To me, this makes clear the whole rationale for the Vietnam War and why the US military forces were blamed for the "loss" of the war. The Son Tay Raid is covered by participants, including their suspicion at those sending them not verifying their own intelligence. An informative section on the Grenada battle, the complications of removing Noriega from Panama, and the futility of leaving Saddam Hussein in power by George HW Bush. This book was written before the 2nd Gulf War to invade Iraq by the younger Bush.
I loved this historical record, not for its dryness but because he states the truth from informed and survived experience. His opinion of the Vietnam War, I found to be one of the highest placed versions of events that correctly assessed who was at fault for what occurred there. show less

A stunning collection of photographs of mothballed and scrapped American aircraft at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona. Aircraft are stored here after de-commissioning, in case they can be re-sold, re-deployed, or re-activated according to the international market in warplanes and political imperatives of the day. They have their glass areas covered with a plastic compound so that the desert sun doesn't damage the aircraft interiors or cause fires to start; and then they are left, awaiting their show more fate. Sometimes they are rescued for further service, or to stand under more enlightened care in a museum; but other aircraft get gradually stripped of spare parts to keep others in service. The end result is a location that is a haven for aviation fans and offers a lot of opportunity for photographers to examine effects of decay and weathering. This album and Chinnery's sequel, 'Desert Air Force', concentrate on the aviation side of things; I would have liked to see more artistic pictures looking at detail in close-up and focussing on matters of shape, colour and pattern as the aircraft slowly decay, but no matter. This is still a very impressive book. show less

It was America's longest, most withering war, as hellish in the air as it was on the ground. But little has been told of the airmen who fought, who died, who lived and dared to remember...until now. Three dozen airmen tell their secret stories of the air war in Vietnam the only way it ought to be told: in their own words. In this brutally accurate picture of brave men fighting a tragic war-a portrait that touches upon every branch of the armed forces-aviation journalist Philip D. Chinnery show more finally honors the heroes who have been nearly forgotten. show less

More stunning photographs of scrapped and mothballed aircraft at Davis Monthan. Slight tendency to concentrate on spotting odd and interesting types, but none the worse for all that.