ON YANKEE STATION: THE NAVAL AIR WAR OVER VIETNAM. by Nichols, John B., Cdr. USN (Ret.) and Tillman, Barrett - 1987

Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987. 179 pp, large 8vo (9 1/4" H). B&w photographs, maps, diagrams. "Combining vivid personal narrative with historical and operational analyses, this book takes a candid look at U.S. naval airpower in the Vietnam War. Authors John B. Nichols, a fighter pilot who flew some 350 missions off carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin, and Barrett Tillman, an award-winning aviation historian, make full use of their extensive knowledge of the subject to detail the ways in which airpower was employed in the years prior to the fall of Saigon. Confronting the conventional belief that airpower failed in Vietnam, they show that on the rare occasions when it was applied correctly, airpower was effective, but because it was most often misunderstood and misapplied, the overall results proved catastrophic. Calling their book a cockpit view of the war with the benefit of fourteen years of hindsight, the authors impart a compelling sense of what it was like to fly from Yankee Station between 1964 and 1973 and provide important lessons for those who may become involved in future conflicts. At the same time, they add considerable facts to the permanent war record." Faint erased pencil mark on half-title page, very light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, tiny scuff on front board. Dust jacket has minor edge wrinkling. . Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good+.