Known to its pilots as the 'last of the gunfighters' due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannon, the F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous fighter in the US Navy at the start of America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict in 1964 - some 482 F-8C/D/Es equipped 17 frontline units. It enjoyed great success against North Vietnamese Mig-17s and Mig-21s during the Rolling Thunder campaign of 1965-68, officially downing 18 jets, which represented 53 per cent of all Mig claims lodged by Navy squadrons during this period.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft 7):
Book is well written with great photo's and illstrations. Facts are excellent. If you like the Crusader. This is a must! The last of the gunfighters!
F-8 s forever!!:
The F-8 Crusader will go down in aviation history as a classic warplane, captured on TV and in print media as the chief aerial protagonist in a number of conflicts in the '60s. From the Cuban crisis, to the Vietnam war, the F-8 was the Navy's last single seat fighter - the 'Gunfighter' - until the F-18 appeared some twenty years later. Mersky is a veteran Crusader fanatic, with other like titles to his credit, and he continues to delve into the details of F-8s, and F-8 service. What makes this book a... more info
