The Vietnamese Air Force, 1951-1975 - An Analysis of Its Role In Combat and Fourteen Hours at Koh Tang: USAF Southeast Asia Monograph Series Volume III, Mongraphs 4 & 5 (Paperback)

This manuscript presents an objective review of the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) and the role played by the U.S. Air Force in the VNAF's short 14-year life span. To provide the necessary perspective to this complex project, the author presents a comparative analysis of successes and failures of airpower during the three major enemy offensives of 1968, 1972 and 1975. The conclusions touch upon some of the most fundamental doctrinal principles of airpower and highlight areas that must be carefully considered in any future employment. These two monographs provide the student of airpower with an excellent case study in the tactical employment of air resources at two widely separated points in the spectrum of conflict. For the general reader, they provide a vivid and substantive discussion on the use of combat air power and should give some understanding of the magnitude and complexity of an airpower operation, large or small.