MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War

Osprey Combat Aircraft #25

by Istvan Toperczer, Iain Wyllie (Illustrator)

The erstwhile enemy of the USAF and US Navy during the nine years of American involvement in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) quickly grew from an ill-organised rabble of poorly trained pilots flying antiquated communist aircraft into a highly effective fighting force that more than held its own over the skies of North Vietnam. Flying Soviet fighters like the MiG-17, and -19, the VPAF produced over a dozen aces, whilst the Americans managed just two pilots and three navigators in the same period.

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2001

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2001, 'MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War' is number 25 in the 'Osprey Combat Aircraft' series of aviation titles. This volume gives a short but long overdue glimpse at the Vietnam air-war from the point of view of North Vietnam, and as such it makes a refreshing change. The supporting photos are well picked, and even include some shots of Migs undergoing field maintenance in fairly primitive surroundings.