Airlift/Troop Carrier Reading and Book Store
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PRODUCTION LISTS
LOCKHEED HERCULES, by
Lars Olausson, Self-published - Lars has produced several
production lists of the C-130/L-100 series. Contact him at PO Box 142,
S-530, 32 Satenas, Sweden - Email larso@alfa.telenordia.se
PROFILE BOOKS
C-130, The Hercules, by
M.E. Morris, Presidio Press, 1989 - An excellent C-130 profile
book written by the late Mo Morris, who flew C-130s with the Navy.
C-130 HERCULES, by
Arthur Reed, MotorBooks, 1984 - Profiles the airplane from
development to the early 1980s. Has many excellent pictures.
LOCKHEED HERCULES, by
Francis K. Mason, Patrick Stephens, 1984 - Describes all aspects of the development and deployment of the Hercules.
Many pictures, some historic.
The C-130, by
Lou Drendel, Squadron Publications - Mostly pictures, with brief narrative.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Its Variants, Chris
Reed, Schiffer Military Publications - Basically, Chris has written another airplane profile
book. There is some information not contained in previous books of a
similar nature. If you like to see
color pictures of C-130s, buy it.
LOCKHEED C-130 HERCULES, The World's Favourite Military
Transport, by
Peter C. Smith, Airlife Publishing
Ltd. - A C-130 profile book by a British author.
Has a lot of information on the various variants, including tail numbers of
airplanes converted to gunships, etc.
HISTORICAL
HERK, HERO OF THE SKIES, by
Joe Dabney, Cobblehouse Books - Joe Dabney
was in public relations with Lockheed. His book is undoubtedly the best
of the C-130 books in terms of the airplane's many uses.
THE LONG ARM OF AMERICA, by
Martin Caidin, E.P. Dutton & Co, 1963 - The first
book about the Hercules, it is an excellent chronicle of the development of the
C-130 and the troop carrier mission to which it was assigned. A MUST for
tactical airlifters.
The C-130 HERCULES,
Tactical Airlift Missions, 1956-1975, by Sam McGowan, Tab/Aero, 1988- Written by a former tactical airlifter (me!), this book
describes the mission which made the reputation of the C-130, the troop
carrier/tactical airlift mission
of through the end of the Vietnam War. Currently out of print, several
copies are in the hands of airlifters throughout the world. At
present I am in the process
of revising the original manuscript and hope to have a revised version out
by the end of 2002.
Trash Haulers by Sam McGowan, Author House, December 2011, a revision of The C-130 Hercules, Tactical Airlift Missions, 1956-1975.
Pappy Gunn, by Nathaniel Gunn - He is most famous for modifying the Douglas A-20 and Mitchell B-25 bombers into powerful gunships, but his original role in World War II was in air transport, later known as troop carrier, when he commanded the Far East Air Force's Air Transport Command and the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron.
My New Guinea Diary, by Ernest Ford. In 1942 SSgt Ernie Ford was one of two NCO pilots in the 6th Troop Carrier Squadron when it deployed to New Guinea and became the first troop carrier squadron based in a combat zone. His is an exciting and informative story of the beginnings of military airlift.
Trash Haulers by Sam McGowan, Author House, December 2011, a revision of The C-130 Hercules, Tactical Airlift Missions, 1956-1975.
Pappy Gunn, by Nathaniel Gunn - He is most famous for modifying the Douglas A-20 and Mitchell B-25 bombers into powerful gunships, but his original role in World War II was in air transport, later known as troop carrier, when he commanded the Far East Air Force's Air Transport Command and the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron.
My New Guinea Diary, by Ernest Ford. In 1942 SSgt Ernie Ford was one of two NCO pilots in the 6th Troop Carrier Squadron when it deployed to New Guinea and became the first troop carrier squadron based in a combat zone. His is an exciting and informative story of the beginnings of military airlift.
JUVENILE
THE MIGHTY HERCULES, by
Martin Caidin, E.P. Dutton & co, 1964 - A juvenile version
of The Long Arm of America.
VIETNAM HISTORY
TACTICAL AIRLIFT, by
Ray Bowers, Office of Air Force History - The official history
of the US Air Force tactical airlift mission in Southeast Asia, written by a
former C-130 navigator. A MUST for all professional airlifters and
military historians. (Note -
Similar volumes were published about the Fixed-wing Gunship and
Rescue missions.)
The United States Air Force in Southeast
Asia, from the Office of Air Force History
- An overview of USAF operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam
War.
AIRWAR, VIETNAM, Arno
Press for the Office of Air Force History, 1978 - Official USAF
histories from the Vietnam War. Includes C-130 operations at An Loc and
the legendary Carolina Moon C-130 attack on the Thanh Hoa
Bridge.
THE RAID, by
Benjamin Schemmer, Avon Books - Describes the unproductive USAF
raid on the POW camp at Son Tay, NVN.
AIR AMERICA,
Christopher Robbins, Chronicles the clandestine airline, Air America, and its derivatives. Includes the covert C-130 mission of
E-Flight, and the BirdAir operations in Cambodia during the final days of
the Vietnam War.
AIRPOWER AND THE AIRLIFT EVACUATION OF KHAM
DUC, by Lt. Col. Alan L.
Gropman, Air War College - Volume V, Monograph 7 of the USAF Southeast
Asia Monograph Series - A comprehensive account of the events of May 12,
1968 when C-130s and C-123s participated in the evacuation of
the camp at Kham Duc,
RVN.
BLIND BAT, C-130 Forward Air Controllers Over The Ho Chi
Minh Trail, by Fred Nyc - A
personal narrative of a Blind Bat pilot's experiences.
RUNWAY VISIONS: An American C-130 Pilot's Memoir of
Combat Airlift Operations in Southeast Asia, 1967-1968 by
David Kirk Vaughan / Paperback / McFarland & Company,
Incorporated - David Vaughan
flew C-130s with the 314th Tactical Airlfit Wing at CCK.
The Phnom Penh Airlift, Confessions of a Pig Pilot in the Early 1970s, by Charles Heckman - After serving as a C-130 pilot at Naha and as a FAC, Charlie Heckman remained in Southeast Asia and flew as a civilian working for a small contract airline.
A Trash Hauler in Vietnam, Memoir of Four Tactical Airlift Tours, 1965-1968, by Bill Barry
Charlie Brown's Vietnam Journal, A Tactical Airlift Pilot's View of the War, by Garnett C. Brown
Flying Through Midnight, by John T. Holliday - A C-123 pilot's memoir of night missions over Laos.
Tactical Airlift CHECO Report
FICTION
ICEMEN, by ME
Morris, Presidio Press - A novel about the US Navy's VXE-6, who fly
ski-equipped C-130s in Antarctica.
GUNSHIP, SPECTRE OF DEATH, by
Henry Zeybel, Pocket Books - A fictionalized account of AC-130 gunship operations over Laos and Cambodia
during the Vietnam War.
The
Cave, by Sam McGowan, IstBooks Library - The Cave tells
the story of Toby Carter, a young loadmaster who is shot down over
Laos on a Blind Bat mission.
The Peacemakers, by Richard Herman. Author Dick Herman was a C-130 navigator in the 35th Troop Carrier Squadron at Naha in 1966-67. He has written a number of Air Force novels. This one is C-130 all the way!
Trash Haulers Ball, by Thomas W. Young
Gong House: A Novel About Tactical Airlift During the Vietnam War, by Vince Hughes
OTHERS
SAVE THE HOSTAGES,
originally published as 111 Days in Stanleyville, by Readers
Digest Books - A chronicle of the events of August-November, 1964 when
Simba rebels in the Congo held white hostages until they were rescued by a
joint US/Belgian team of USAF C-130s and Belgian
paratroopers.
DESERT SHIELD by
Robert F. Dorr, Motorbooks, International - Describes the American buildup in the Persian Gulf, with emphasis on USAF
airlift.
GUNSHIPS, A Pictorial History of Spooky, by
Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications - A pictorial history of the USAF fixed-wing gunship
mission, including the
development of the AC-130.
ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, by
Philip D. Chinnery, Naval Institute Press, 1994 - A history
of USAF special operations, with primary emphasis on the Army Air Forces
Air Commandos of WW II and their successors in Southeast Asia. Also includes the role of USAF SOF forces in Iran, Grenada, Panama and the
Gulf War. The book is a bit fanciful, as Chinnery follows too
closely the SOF line. Glaringly absent
is mention of the US/Belgium rescue in the Congo, which depended heavily
on C-130s, though the less-difficult Israeli mission to Entebbe is mentioned. It is obvious that the author lacks familiarity with airlift
history.
GREAT RAIDS IN HISTORY, From Drake to Desert One,
edited by Samuel A. Southworth, Sarpedon - A collection of stories
about great military raids,
including the Dragon Rouge rescue mission in the Congo and the
attempted rescue of US hostages held in Tehran.
Anything, Anywhere, Anytime , by Sam McGowan, Author House, December 2011. A history of the US Army/US Air Force troop carrier mission and the tactical airlift mission that followed. Begins with the US military buildup proir to World War II and continues through the Vietnam War and the transfer of all airlift operations into Military Airlift Command.
Anything, Anywhere, Anytime , by Sam McGowan, Author House, December 2011. A history of the US Army/US Air Force troop carrier mission and the tactical airlift mission that followed. Begins with the US military buildup proir to World War II and continues through the Vietnam War and the transfer of all airlift operations into Military Airlift Command.
This list is far from complete; if you know of others that
should be added, Email me at
sam@sammcgowan.com
Many of these books are available through Amazon - go to my Associates Page to order. urn.
