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MiG 17 and MiG 19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 25) | 
 enlarge | Author: Istvan Toperczer
Creator: Iain Wyllie
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.70
You Save: $9.25 (40%)
New (29) Used (8) from $9.81
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 643730
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 96
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 7.2 x 0.2
ISBN: 1841761621
Dewey Decimal Number: 959
EAN: 9781841761626
ASIN: 1841761621
Publication Date: September 25, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: R20081114232523H
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Product Description
The erstwhile enemy of the USAF and US Navy during the nine years of American involvement in the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) quickly grew from an ill-organised rabble of poorly trained pilots flying antiquated communist aircraft into a highly effective fighting force that more than held its own over the skies of North Vietnam. Flying Soviet fighters like the MiG-17, and -19, the VPAF produced over a dozen aces, whilst the Americans managed just two pilots and three navigators in the same period.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The other side of the coin July 2, 2007
I picked this book up to expand my knowledge on the Vietnam Air War, primarily the Vietnamese MiG's they used. Dr. Toperczer's work gives us a relatively neutral view (Dr. Toperczer is a Hungarian flight surgeon who has access to the Vietnamese records on the war). In this work, Dr. Toperczer tells us about the growth of the Vietnamese Air Force from two private planes to their use of MiG 17's and MiG 19's. Each of the MiG's receives a chapter of their own (the MiG 19's chapter is fairly small since it saw only limited service) and theirs also a chapter each on the mechanics and preparing for the war. In the chapters about the MiG's, Dr. Toperczer tries to balance Vietnamese claims against US records but sometimes seems to fail with the description. This failure is probably due to translation more than anything else. Points are won in this book in the Appendices where you see a breakdown of the different claimed kills and how Dr. Toperczer has tried to reconcile the differences.
Rating wise, I'd call this one a 3.5 star book. The information was off target from what I was expecting. While there are some good descriptions of actions, there's also confusion with it. Something I wish had been included with the book is a break down of which aircraft numbers flew with which regiment and division. I'd also like to see for completeness is a loss table for the MiG's. On the plus side this book does provide insight to something we haven't had access to in the past. Bottom line, I can't round up and have to go with 3 stars.
Research Information March 28, 2007
This book is technically what the researcher needs for other activities. In this case I was reviewing possible paint schemes for a museum MiG-17. It served our purpose well with the many pictures.
 Very Important piece of research May 3, 2005
An absolute wealth of information conerning the VPAF and MIG-17 (as well as MIG-19) units of the Vietnam war. Includes a very rare victory listing of VPAF pilots including which victories can be confirmed by US loss records.
A little light on the Russian contribution February 1, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Some of the best aircraft views and paint schemes of PAVN aircraft are found in this book and they are perhaps its strongest feature. This material is seldom found in compiled form in Western publications. Where the book is weakest is in its examination of the tactical utilization of MiG 17 and 19 aircraft, "cross-cultural" comparisons with American aircraft and tactics, and the role of Russian pilots and intercept controllers. The author shows a familiarity with Soviet-bloc tactical air doctrine but does not adequately describe the integration of defense systems so the reader understands how the defenses of North Vietnam worked as a system - the 17s and 19s were critical within that system. Likewise, he does not grasp the complexity of the tactical problem facing the Americans, the political restrictions on their deployment of forces, nor the capabilities and limits of their weapons systems (example: when describing the weapons carried by the adversaries, the author does not address the limitations on American tactics imposed by faulty missile systems, such as the Sparrow's 17% hit rate or the USAF Sidewinder limited coolant charge system).
Still, as an old-time model builder, having these marvelous examples is a great opportunity. For in depth coverage of the air war in S.E.Asia, readers will be best off looking elsewhere.
The real origin of "Top Gun" December 29, 2001
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
This outstanding book shows a different view about a war where less than 100 little and primitive airplanes gave some trouble to the "most powerful air force in the world". The book contains a lot of data, first hand testimonies and pictures of that unknown heroes, as well as a complete list of the "kills" obtained by these planes. The history comes from the early origins of the DRV air force to the last days of the war, including the training period in China and the Soviet Union. The book also contais more than 10 superb colour profiles featuring remarkable aircraft of that war(some of them with more than 7 victories), which are of very big interst for soviet plane's modellers. I recommend this book not only to modellers or air combat enthusiast, but also for everybody who wants to see Contemporary History from a point of view different from the american Propaganda machine.
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