From Hot Air to Hellfire; The History of Army Attack Aviation

Novato, CA: Presidio, 1994. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. viii, 253 pages. Illustrations. Notes. Glossary. Index. James W. Bradin was a Citadel graduate and held an M.A. from Auburn University. A veteran of almost thirty years' service in the U.S. Army, he has commanded armor and aviation units from platoon to battalion level. He served two terms in Vietnam, where he was awarded four Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars with V, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and numerous other awards. Derived from Publishers Weekly: Bradin reveals how the Army, forced to provide its own air cover after the Air Force shifted concentration to strategic bombing, turned to the helicopter and, working with Bell Helicopter and other civilian companies, made the craft a major component of its striking power. Well-researched and packed with interesting information, Bradin's book tracks the bureaucratic turf wars and technological advances that led to such helicopter-borne weapons as the AH-1 Cobra and the world's most sophisticated attack chopper, the AH-64 Apache. Bradin reviews the craft deployed in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama and Iraq. His discussion of the performance of Army attack aviation during Operation Desert Storm is impressively detailed. The book is important reading for helicopter-warfare buffs. Bradin, a retired Army colonel, commanded armor and aviation units during two Vietnam tours.