The United States Navy (USN) Fighter Weapons School was established in 1969 in an attempt to stem US losses in the air war over Vietnam. Soon dubbed ‘Top Gun’, the school taught dogfighting skills to a generation of pilots who were reliant on missiles and technology, and the training turned the tide of the air war.
From 1965 to 1968 the US mounted Operation Rolling Thunder, part of its war with the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). The US was supporting the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in its campaign to stem a North Vietnamese invasion, a conflict that was all part of the wider Cold War. A bombing campaign was started in an attempt to undermine the North’s military capabilities and political will, but the supposedly primitive North Vietnamese air defences proved a tough nut to crack. Soviet and Chinese support allowed them to build an impressive ground-to-air missile and anti-aircraft gun defence system, and also provided small numbers of modern jet fighters. To the surprise and alarm of the US, these proved highly effective and USN. and US Air Force (USAF) air-to-air combat losses mounted.
Denne historien er fra Issue 105, 2022-utgaven av History of War.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ?  Logg pÄ
Denne historien er fra Issue 105, 2022-utgaven av History of War.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg pÄ
COUPS & CHAOS
How the French armed forces lost the war in Algeria and almost destroyed French democracy in the process
BATTLE OF ALGIERS
When the Front de libĂ©ration nationale FLN) took its war to the streets of the capital, Franceâs military responded with merciless wrath
THE RISE OF ALGERIAN RESISTANCE
How the anti-colonialist struggle around the globe helped inspire Algeriaâs liberation movement to organise and fight back
ROOTS OF REVOLUTION
A century of French occupation led to a genocide in Algeria that provoked one of the bloodiest showdowns of the modern age
DWIGHT W BIRDWELL
In the opening hours of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive, this Specialist Five led his armoured cavalry detachment in repulsing a fierce communist assault against Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon
THE FIVE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP
Phillips OâBrien discusses how this quintet of national leaders impacted the course of the Second World War
Great Battles FLODDEN
On the morning of 9 September 1513, King James lV of Scotland stood atop Flodden Hill with what seemed an insurmountable advantage over the English. Yet by the day's end he would lay slain and his army shattered
FERDINAND 'THE BLOODY'
Known for his brutal martial punishment and execution of his own men, Ferdinand SchĂ©rnerâs ruthlessness was matched only by his devotion to Nazi ideology
AIRBORNE UNDER SIEGE ARNHEM
For nine days the heroic 1st Airborne fought desperately, waiting vainly for relief that never came
SCANDINAVIA UNDER ATTACK
Hitlerâs forces smash through Denmark and Norway ina grim foretaste of the terrible fate awaiting the rest of Western Europe
