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US Marine Corps F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War Spiral-Bound | December 18, 2012

Peter E. Davies, Jim Laurier (Illustrated by)

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Twenty-five US Marine Corps squadrons flew versions of the Phantom II and 11 of them used the aircraft in Southeast Asia from May 1965 through to early 1973. Although one deployment was from an aircraft carrier, and included a successful MiG engagement, most missions were flown from land bases at Da Nang and Chu Lai in South Vietnam, and Nam Phong in Thailand. Rather than the air-to-air missiles that were the main component in the original F-4 armament, these aircraft carried an ever-expanding range of weaponry. Some toted 24 500-lb bombs and others strafed with up to three 20 mm gun pods, while most flew daily sorties delivering napalm, Snakeye bombs and big Zuni rockets. Many US Marines holding small outpost positions in Laos and South Vietnam against heavy Viet Cong attack owed their lives to the Phantom II pilots who repeatedly drove off the enemy. Very often their bombing passes had to be made at very low altitude beneath low cloud or at night, dropping their ordnance only 50 metres from 'troops in contact'. Like US Navy Phantom IIs, they flew Skyspot blind-bombing sorties, offshore barrier CAP missions to fend off MiGs and air defence 'hot pad' missions for their home bases. The US Marine Corps prided itself on being a self-contained fighting force. The RF-4B reconnaissance version of the Phantom II was produced exclusively for the USMC to provide its own airborne photo intelligence, and one unit equipped with these jets flew more than 200 missions per month with only five aircraft serviceable on most days. The book will examine these missions in the context of US Marine Corps close-support doctrine, using the direct experience of a selection of the aircrew who flew and organised those missions.
Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 96 pages
ISBN-10: 1849087512
Item Weight: 0.7 lbs
Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.7 inches
"As with all of the books in this series, there are several pages of full color profiles, the sort of thing that modelers love to see. In the back is an appendix of all the units that participated along with their disposition and aircraft lost. In all, it makes for another great F-4 book that no Phantom Phanatic should be without. Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed."
--Scott Van Aken, www.modelingmadness.com (January 2013)

"This is a story long-time coming, and what better publisher or author to tell it. A few books on Marine Corps Phantoms have appeared but not with the depth and detail of this one, not to mention what has to be one of the most stunning covers in the entire Osprey lineup."
--CDR Peter Mersky, USN (Ret.), Wings of Gold (Spring 2013)

"Provides a survey of the missions and achievements of the F-4 Phantom II units of Vietnam, and is a pick for any military collection strong in aviation history or Vietnam War units in particular. This coverage considers the F-4's performance in missions and uses the experience of aircrew who flew them to add to the comprehensive history of the craft. Pages packed with color and black and white photos enhance documentation of major battles and interactions between officers and pilots. The result is a vivid recreation of the F-4's achievements, perfect for any military aviation or Vietnam War history collection!"
- The Midwest Book Review (April 2013)

"This is a story long time coming, and what better publisher or author to tell it. A few books on
Marine Corps Phantoms have appeared but not with the depth and detail, not to mention what
has to be one of the most stunning covers in the entire Osprey lineup ... This latest addition to Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series (no. 94) is arguably one of the best."
- Peter Mersky, MCAA Journal (May 2013)
Peter E Davies has published 20 books and several magazine articles, concentrating on modern combat aircraft and the Vietnam War. He has written seven previous Osprey titles and co-authored two others. The F-4 Phantom II in all its variants has been a main topic in eight of his previous books and he has close connections with former members of the F-4 Phantom II community.