Warthog (P)
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- "Exhilarating, fast-paced narrative." -Publishers Weekly
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A valentine for one of the ugliest, albeit most lethally effective, warplanes ever built--as well as for the men who flew them during the Desert Storm campaign. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred A-10 pilots who served in the Persian Gulf during the 1990-91 hostilities, Smallwood (himself an aviator and Korean War vet) offers riveting perspectives on aerial combat. Setting the stage with an informative briefing on how, in the 70's, the Air Force developed the A-10 (a.k.a. Warthog'') as a means of supporting ground troops with massive firepower, he moves into anecdotal vignettes detailing the ways in which so-called hog drivers'' and their commanders whiled away the weary hours of the calm before the storm in Saudi Arabia's inhospitable clime. At the heart of his narrative, however, are vivid accounts of how A-10s accomplished their tank-busting missions and then some once the battle was joined. Tasked, among other objectives, to take out missile launchers and artillery emplacements far behind the front lines (assignments normally reserved for jet fighters), the slow-moving, heavily armed Warthogs were credited with over half the bomb damage inflicted on Iraqi forces and installations. Employing improvisational tactics, A-10s also flew reconnaissance and assisted in rescues of coalition pilots; they even scored air-to- air kills, downing a couple of enemy choppers. Indeed, the plane's ungainly Gatling-gun platform performed so well that pilots demanded their craft be redesignated RFOA-10'' (for reconnaissance/fighter/observation/attack'').
"An absorbing tale of how a decidedly ugly duckling became a military hero of some consequence." "Kirkus Reviews"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an briliant book, even if you don't like the A-10 (which I love). It tells that story of how a ugly, slow plane became a swan during the Gulf War. You get an understanding of how it must have been to fly the Hog, on missions it wasn't designed for. As I said earlier, if you have just the smallest interest in aviation, you have to read this book, and if you like the A-10 - well then you MUST read this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As another has commented, I find this a difficult book to put down. The author states early and clearly that this will be unapologetically emotional text, but I had hoped for the same level of 'colour' with a greater fraction of hard detail and design insight. all in all rewarding, fun reading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I could not put this book down. If you like action with not-too-much boring background info and dialog in between, you will be happy with this book. The beginning of the book does have background information on the plane and the Desert Shield build-up, but soon enough it gets rocketing. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Warthog rules OK?
This is a good book which details the significant contribution made by this particular airplane in the skies over Iraq. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Budcus
A great read
This was a great read about the pilots of this iconic aircraft anfd the aircraft itself, my only criticism would be that it was a bit short, especially given the price.
Published 9 months ago by Mr. I. C. Crow
Excellent
There are far better reviews on the book on here already, so I shall confine myself to saying that if you wish to find out about the war that literally saved the A-10's career then... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Flyboy
Tedious
Good historical detail. A concatenation of interviews of it seems half the pilots who went to the gulf. The author quotes them ad infinitum. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by NoFiction Buff
Very well written and informative - hard to put down
I got this book because my son has recently been assigned to train in an A-10. I was very impressed with Mr. Smallwood's writing style. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 1999
One of the most accurate & complete books about gulf war ops
Bill Smallwood did a great job of capturing the true nature of A-10 operations in Desert Storm.
As a former hog driver and 40 combat mission pilot during Desert Storm (511th FS)... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 1999
Wonderful nonfiction account of A-10's in Desert Storm
I am in the Air Force, and an admitted Warthog devotee. If you like the aircraft, this is the penultimate book for you, and even if you don't, this is definitely worth a read for... Read more
Published on 13 July 1998
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