Bücher veröffentlicht von Naval Institute Press

The tragic, the comic, the terrifying, the poignant are all part of the story of the Black Pony pilots who distinguished themselves in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War. Flying their turboprop Broncos down and dirty, low and slow, they killed more of the enemy and saved more allied lives with close-air support than all the other naval squadrons combined during the three years they saw action. Author Kit Lavell was part of this squadron of black sheep given a chance to make something of themselves flying these dangerous missions. The U.S. Navy's only land-based attack squadron, Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) flew support missions for the counter insurgency forces, SEALs, and allied units in borrowed, propeller-driven OV-10s. For fixed-wing aircraft they were dangerous, unorthodox missions, a fact readers quickly come to appreciate.

New in paperback, this book focuses not only on battles and ships but on the colourful men, such as Oliver Hazard Perry and Stephen Decatur, who helped shape the US Navy in the age of sail. By viewing the era through the lives of the participants, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of America's new navy and the roots of its traditions.

The incredible stories of twenty-two lone survivors of maritime disasters are presented in this collection of war and peacetime incidents.