Crimson Sky

by John R. Bruning; John M. Taylor

• ISBN13: 9781574881585
• ISBN10: 1574881582
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-07-01
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

The Korean War, like the American Civil War, was a crossroads in military history. It was the last hurrah for one generation of tactics and technology and the proving ground for the next. What emerged was a hybrid not seen since. In Korea's unique combat environment, fascinating and significant battles took place that would profoundly affect the future of air warfare. Crimson Sky examines in detail, twenty of the most interesting aerial actions of the war in such missions as the first air rescue of a downed pilot; the Battle of Carlson's Canyon; the first dogfight of the war (between Yak-9s and F-82s); and the death of the first African-American naval aviator, Jesse L. Brown. More than exciting accounts of military missions, however, Crimson Sky is about the people who flew them, about their experiences and emotions as they performed an extremely dangerous duty nearly a half century ago.

Table of Contents

Map	vi	(3)
Preface	ix	(3)
Introduction	xii
PART ONE. THE SHOESTRING AIR WAR	1	(74)
1 The First Jet Kills	1	(10)
2 The Birth of Combat SAR	11	(11)
3 Fighting 53 Goes to War	22	(17)
4 Into the Tiger's Jaws	39	(18)
5 Home by Christmas	57	(6)
6 The Finest Kind of Honor	63	(12)
PART TWO. FROM STRANGLE TO STALEMATE	75	(52)
7 Carlson's Tigers	75	(7)
8 The Bridge Busters	82	(6)
9 The Battle of Carlson's Canyon	88	(5)
10 The Dam Busters	93	(12)
11 Night Intruders	105	(11)
12 A Fighter Pilot's Heart	116	(11)
PART THREE. MISSION TO NAMSI	127	(40)
13 Prelude to Black Tuesday	127	(6)
14 MiG Trap	133	(9)
15 Death Ride to Namsi	142	(8)
16 Horizontal Flak	150	(17)
PART FOUR. THE FIGHTER PILOT'S WAR	167	(46)
17 Payback	167	(13)
18 More Guts than the Law Allows	180	(10)
19 Stalemate in the Air	190	(5)
20 The Edge of Disaster	195	(8)
21 The Soviet Riddle	203	(5)
22 The Hybrid War	208	(5)
Glossary	213	(2)
Notes	215	(4)
Bibliography	219	(2)
Index	221	(11)
About the Author	232