Launch the Intruders: A Naval Attack Squadron in the Vietnam War, 1972

Modern War Studies

by Carol Reardon

Each pilot and bombardier/navigator sat side by side in an all-weather jet built for low-level bombing runs, precision targeting, and night strikes. Their success—and their very lives—depended on teamwork in flying their versatile A-6 Intruders. And when the North Vietnamese mounted a major offensive in 1972, they answered the call.

Carol Reardon chronicles the operations of Attack Squadron 75, the "Sunday Punchers," and their high-risk bombing runs launched off the U.S.S. Saratoga during the famous LINEBACKER campaigns. Based on unparalleled access to crew members and their families, her book blends military and social history to offer a unique look at the air war in Southeast Asia, as well as a moving testament to the close-knit world of naval aviators.

Theirs was one of the toughest jobs in the launching off the carrier in rough seas as well as calm, flying solo and in formation, dodging dense flak and surface-to-air missiles, delivering ordnance on target, and recovering aboard safely. Celebrating the men who climbed into the cockpits as well as those who kept them flying, Reardon takes readers inside the squadron's ready room and onto the flight decks to await the call, "Launch the Intruders!" Readers share the adrenaline-pumping excitement of each mission—as well as those heart-stopping moments when a downed aircraft brought home to all, in flight and on board, that every aspect of their lives was constantly shadowed by danger and potential death.

More than a mere combat narrative, Launch the Intruders interweaves human drama with familial concerns, domestic politics, and international diplomacy. Fliers share personal feelings about killing strangers from a distance while navy wives tell what it's like to feel like a stranger at home. And as the war rages on, headlines like Jane Fonda's visit to Hanoi and the Paris Peace Accords are all viewed through the lens of this heavily tasked, hard-hitting attack squadron.

A rousing tale of men and machines, of stoic determination in the face of daunting odds, Reardon's tale shines a much-deserved light on group of men whose daring exploits richly deserve to be much better known.

Genres: Naval History

440 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2005

About the author

Carol Reardon is an American military historian with a focus on the Civil War and Vietnam eras. She is a scholar-in-residence at the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at Penn State University, and an associate professor.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

My uncle, Robert Graustein, was KIA on December 21, 1972. This is the story of his squadron's combat cruise on Yankee Station from May 1972 to Feb 1973. My aunt Duddie is quoted in it. As I was only 2 when he died, this book gave me some idea of what type of man he was. If you're at all interested in understanding men in combat, I recommend this read.

[Peter Reitmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from the JOs perspective. A lot of gripping by guys without the big picture. That said, I enjoyed it.

[Susan Paxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written and -researched account of VA-75's Vietnam deployment during the Linebacker operations. If you're interested in Naval Aviation, the A-6 Intruder, or what it's like to serve aboard a carrier in combat, you'll find this an interesting read.

[Keith Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I gave good insite to what a pilot thought during the war, especially the frustration they felt as decisions were made by poloticians and not military people.

[Barry Hunte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Navy Airpower biased. But a good read