Hellfire [Hardcover]

Hellfire is the name of the missile in the arsenal of weapons carried on the Apache attack helicopter. This book is the second written by Ed Macy describing his experiences flying in an Apache helicopter and fighting in Afghanistan. This book moves back in time from the first novel and covers approximately three months in the summer of 2006, during the first deployment of Macy and other pilots who had recently been trained to operate the Apache. Macy takes this opportunity to more fully fill in the reader on his childhood and entrance into the military. He also explains the accident which happened to him that meant he would never make it into the Special Air Service. So how did Macy end up flying an Apache attack helicopter? Some very good/bad luck and a royal mess-up within the military medical community. Add a whole lot of self confidence and hard work and Mr Macy was able to defeat the odds and fly that incredible fighting machine.

I read the first book, Apache, and wondered how I would like having Macy take me back in time to his first deployment in Afghanistan. Well, I liked it just fine. This book is presented in the same way as "Apache", opening with a mission of engagement in Afghanistan then moving back in time to show how Macy arrived at that point in his life. There is not a focus on one particular engagement such as the Jugroom Fort battle in "Apache". Rather, this book covers many engagements with the enemy in Afghanistan. I particularly enjoyed the incidents described when Macy was flying other types of helicopters in Northern Ireland, before his time with the Apache. After approximately 150 pages the accounts of the missions flown from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan become the focus of the action. Ed Macy has a wonderful talent for describing action. Even someone such as myself who has never served in the military can fully understand what tremendous amounts of courage, grit, determination and just plain cussedness is required for these pilots to do their job. They were constantly fighting both the physical hardships of heat and sleep deprivation and they were also always under incredible stress to do everything right. One wrong move on their part could mean loss of life or loss of their military careers. They were not really given full support from their government. As seems to be the case so often, these men were sent into life threatening conditions but were hampered by rules and regulations made by people who had never set foot in the physical circumstances pilots faced every time they fired up their helicopters. Those rules became true horror situations during warfare.

This book contains many line drawing maps of the areas in Afghanistan which comprised the British Area of Responsibility. There are also two drawings of the Apache helicopter with explanations of the locations of weaponry and mechanics. There is a Glossary of Terms which can come in very handy since Macy has written this book in the completely realistic method of military speaking. Some of the abbreviations can be confusing but the glossary is there to help remind you of what AMTAT, MAWS, or even GAFA means. This was a very satisfying reading experience for me. There were times when I was so completely engrossed in the book that I was stunned to look up and find it was long after midnight and I needed to get some sleep. But only after just one more chapter. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the inner workings of military forces. Macy pulls no punches. He shows the good, the bad and positively the ugly. I wouldn't have him do it any other way.

I've read quite a few modern and historical aviation books over the years and "Hell Fire" represents a very good account of the problems faced "in theatre" by aviators and ground crew.

While this may sound dry, Ed (now no longer flying Apaches according to the book) writes well, and spurs you on to read from cover to cover as quickly as possible.

If you live near an active Apache airfield (as I do) and see them fly locally, you get to appreciate just what these aviators do is simply amazing. Put 'apache swarm' into you tube to see more.

The book covers details on some of Ed's training before eventually reaching the "peak" of helicopter flying as he'd planned all along. Ed also manages to convey just how the rules of engagement are very restrictive in modern asymmetrical warfare.

A great read if you've not read other Apache books.

This is on behalf of my 75 yr old mother who is an avid reader of all these types of books. She said she read it twice to make sure she did not miss anything!

This was a brillant read and one of the best I have read - this one was exceptional
He goes into so much detail and you feel like you are with him on the tasks.
He didn't pull any punches, I believe it was how he described.
Refreshing to read a honest author that does not make it up to make the read better ( as some others I will not name)
I have both of his books (the other one Apache is just as good) but Hell Fire is the best.