Specialty Press

MiG Killers: A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973

by  Donald J. McCarthy, Jr.

Reviewed By  Keith Pruitt, IPMS# 44770

MSRP: $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-58007-136-9 Website: www.specialtypress.com 160 pages, 288 color and black & white photographs, 8 illustrations, Hardbound, 8˝" x 11" MiG Killers tells the story of the US Air Force and Navy flight crews who battled, and won victories over, the Soviet-built MiG fighters used by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. With vivid descriptions, this book details each and every battle and victory over the enemy MiG fighters. The book is not really arranged in chapters, but is designed as more of a chronological record. It details each victory by date, including information on the US and enemy aircraft involved, the pilots and crew, the narrative description of the battle, and, sometimes, what happened to the victorious aircraft during and after the war. There are photographs of each of the aircraft, along with the names and information of the men who flew them to victory. Although the photographs are not the detail-oriented "walk-around" type, there are some nice photographs of the aircraft in flight, on the tarmac or deck, and during refueling. For me personally, the most interesting portions were those concerning the lesser-known aircraft that shot down MiGs during the conflict…the A-1 Skyraider and the B-52 bomber. Yes, there were two MiG kills credited to B-52 tailgunners! For an aircraft enthusiast, or a Vietnam-era history buff, this is a great book to have in the library. For the scale modeler, and especially those interested in the aircraft of the Vietnam War, there is plenty of inspiration to be found on these pages. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I highly recommend it, both as a historical reference and a pleasurable reading experience. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Marie Ray and Specialty Press, and to IPMS/USA, for this review sample.