Afterburner : naval aviators and the Vietnam War / John Darrell Sherwood.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-337) and index.

"Despite spending over 200 billion dollars and dropping almost 8 million tons of bombs on Southeast Asia, the United States was unable to score a definitive victory in the air war in Vietnam. Afterburner takes us inside the day-to-day operations of the air war, particularly during 1972, the most intense year of the campaign. During that year, North Vietnam launched the first large-scale conventional attacks on strongholds in South Vietnam. John Darrell Sherwood shows how the United States fought back with some of the most innovative air campaigns in its history, including President Nixon's Linebacker bombings and the Navy's mining operation in Haiphong Harbor. From duels with enemy MiGs to the experiences of Commander C. Ronald Polfer, who became a voice of reason among American POWs in the notorious Hanoi Hilton, the vivid stories in Afterburner make these historical events come to life." "Sherwood presents the history of the Navy's operations during the air war through the eyes of the pilots and flight officers who fought in the conflict. Through tales of courage and fear, triumph and horror, Sherwood reveals the lives of common aircrews who performed extraordinary service. Their experiences show that the air war in Vietnam may have begun as a slow burn, but by 1972, it was more intense than an F-4 afterburner."--BOOK JACKET.