Squadron/Signal Publications

Vietnam Scrapbook: An Army Helicopter Pilot's Combat Tour

by  Robert Steinbrunn

Reviewed By  Howie Belkin, IPMS# 16

MSRP: $19.99 ISBN: ISBN 978 897475655 Website: www.squadron.com 80 pages softcover; 200 color photos Mention Robert Steinbrunn's name and awesome IPMS National Convention Best of Show award winning models come to mind. If you compete against him or read Fine Scale Modeler magazine, you know he can build virtually every kind of model better than most of us ever hope to become. Mention "Vietnam" and most people know of it as "the Helicopter War" and of all helicopters, the Bell UH-1 "Huey" is its icon. This book puts the two together and we learn that Bob Steinbrunn was a 'Nam Huey pilot, flying both UH-1C model gunships with the A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cav "Ruthless Riders" and later the UH-1H 'slicks' with the 189th Assault Helicopter Company, 52nd Combat Aviation Battalion "Ghostriders" supporting the 4th Infantry Division in II Corps Central Highlands, from 1967 thru 1968. Best of all, Bob was a modeler with a camera who beat the odds and came home. This is not a 'how to build Huey models' book, it is Bob's Vietnam Scrapbook, filled with some 200 amateur color photos, most of which should capture the interest of figure painters, a/c and armor modelers alike. Before I left for 'Nam, my friend, fellow IPMS member and WWII vet Joe Lynch, advised me to get a camera and take pictures of my aircraft so I could accurately model it when I came home. I remember clear as day, Joe said "You'll never remember details like serial numbers without pictures." I did become a door gunner with C Co, 227 AH.B., 1st Air Cav's "Ghostriders" but didn't buy a camera until the very end of my tour, and only have a handful of photos as a result. Bob did it right! He not only took photos of the aircraft he flew, he took photos of everything a modeler could want. For instance, he shot photos of the instrument panel of virtually every aircraft he saw on the ground. That includes helicopters as small as the OH-13 to the huge CH-54, and a rare photo of the underside of a CH-34. He shot many interiors and weapon systems as well. There are also excellent photos of fixed wing aircraft like the Cessna O-1 and O-2, a photo essay of "the flight of a lifetime" in a Skyraider and a few photos of the CIA's secret "Air America" aircraft. The photos include details of interiors and armament, as well as well weathered exteriors. Armor modelers will find one of a kind photos like a U.S. 105mm Howitzer with the 4th I.D. and the Arty unit's insignias on the gun shield as well as a photo of a sandbagged, 360 degree gun pit. Vehicles include an M88, an M48, an ARVN M24, a civilian Tow Truck, a GM of Canada C-15TA armored car leftover from the French, a destroyed jeep, a M35A1 with a .50 cal mg and an M113 receiving its Snoopy mascot. A captured Russian DShKM ".51 cal" (yes, .51 cal) photo is aptly captioned "rightly feared". Bob shows revetments, hooches, bunkers, Vietnamese homes, and includes photos of firebases. He modestly tells what a typical day was like, provides a few facts and stats and recommends a source for more information. He doesn't state that 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life* (Bob flies Emergency Medical Service in an Augusta Bell A-109E "Power" and has flown over 15,000 hours!) or that a whopping 15% of American deaths in Vietnam were chopper crewmen - 2nd only to grunts.** And that chopper crews were among an elite few who had a price on their heads. Bob 'keeps it real' and acknowledges the loss of friends who didn't survive their tour. He only hints at the war's politics and prejudicial press as that was not the intention of this book. Since the "War on Terrorism" once again has the mainstream media working to undermine our troops' efforts and force a psychological loss or stalemate upon the U.S. from within, there are many lessons learned from Vietnam that should not have been forgotten. Bob suggests you check the Vietnam Flight Crew Net website, www.vhfcn.org (recommended by the History Channel) to separate fact from fiction. I've noted a few more below. I highly recommend you add this to your book collection if you have any interest in modeling or the history of The U.S.'s Vietnam War. Osprey recently released U.S. Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam by Gordon Rottman, a Special Forces specialist in Vietnam but not a pilot himself. This complements Bob Steinbrunn's book having more text and fewer photos, but it thoroughly explains the flight training process and the entire experience of 'Nam chopper pilots (vs Bob's focuses on his own personal tour). Vietnam Scrapbook is available everywhere Squadron/Signal Books are sold or you can contact them at www.Squadron/SignalPublications.com, 1115 Crowley Dr., Carrollton, TX 75006-1312. Thanks to Bob and Squadron/Signal Books for the review sample. And Bob: Welcome Home!! Note: there are numerous books on Vietnam, Helicopters, Gunships and other aspects of Nam, many published by Squadron/Signal. There are just some of the books that were written by or about helicopter pilots, crews and their missions: Chickenhawk. Crew Chief. CW2. Firebirds. Taking Fire Winged Sabers, the 1st Cav in Vietnam. Chopper.