Fall of the Flying Dragon: South Vietnamese Air Force 1973-75
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Author: Albert Grandolini
Publisher: Harpia Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9825539-7-8
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 256
The story of the air war over Vietnam is dominated by the US and North Vietnamese forces, but there were other players in that conflict, including the other half of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Air Force, or VNAF. Collecting a wide range of American aircraft, the South Vietnamese Air Force took over the defense of the south when the Americans left in 1973. Although only lasting for two years, the VNAF took part in increasingly larger battles with the North Vietnamese forces before finally falling in 1975.
This latest title from Harpia Publishing examines the VNAF between 1973 and 1975, with what is undoubtedly the most thorough analysis of the South Vietnamese Air Force currently in print. The author has clearly put in quite a bit of work in compiling the story of the VNAF, a challenging task given the short time of existence. Complementing the text are photographs, and once again this is undoubtedly the largest collection of photos of the VNAF out there. Everything from large cargo aircraft such as the C-130, C-119, and C-123 down to the fighter and attack aircraft such as the F-5 and A-37 are presented. Further adding to the information on the aircraft, there are appendices that provide unit emblems as well as a series of color profile illustrations that show some of the interesting marking variations worn by the aircraft.
For anyone interested in small air forces, this is an outstanding book to have in your library. The well written text captures the challenges of the VNAF during those two years, while the photos and supplementary information will appease modelers looking for something different. My thanks to Casemate for the review copy.