Fly by Knights - by Roger D Graham (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. World War II-era Douglas B-26 light bombers proved effective in close air support and interdiction, beginning with Operation Farm Gate in 1961. Forty B-26s were remanufactured as improved A-26 attack aircraft, which destroyed hundreds of North Vietnamese supply vehicles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1966-1969. The personal recollections of 37 pilots, navigators, maintenance and armament personnel, and family members, tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos.

Review Quotes

"Fly By Knights relates some exciting stories and laugh-out-loud moments as it conveys the history of a small, secret, and highly professional subculture of the Air Force... Graham has continued to provide great service to the community by collecting these memories and making them available to an interested audience."--Air Commando Journal

"Graham, with help from fellow Air Force flyers, has constructed a roller-coaster ride of stories about daring feats, successes and screw-ups, unimaginable events, close calls, and losses...well-written"--VVA Veteran

"Penetrating and sad, the accounts carefully selected, won't allow us to forget their courage and heroism."--ARGunners Magazine

"This is an accurate historical collection of remembrances by Nimrod combat crews, their training and combat missions, and their loved ones. It is a book worth reading."--Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

About the Author

Roger D. Graham is a 1963 graduate of the Air Force Academy, attorney, navigator-bombardier, retired Air Force colonel, retired Lockheed Martin attorney and author. He lives in Acworth, Georgia.