Tomcat Fury: A Combat History of the F-14.
From Vietnam to Afghanistan. Harrowing tales of the F-14 in combat…as told by the pilots who flew her.
For more than three decades, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the US Navy’s premier carrier-based, multi-role fighter jet. From its harrowing combat missions over Libya to its appearance on the silver screen in movies like Top Gun and Executive Decision, the F-14 has become an icon of American air power.
Now, for the first time in a single volume, Tomcat Fury explores the illustrious combat history of the F-14: from the Gulf of Sidra…to the Iran-Iraq War…to the skies over Afghanistan in the Global War on Terror.
Wings of Fire: A Combat History of the F-15.
From Israel to Afghanistan. Harrowing tales of the F-15 in combat…as told by the pilots who flew her.
For more than forty years, the McDonnel Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle has been the US Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter jet. Made popular by its ubiquity during the Persian Gulf War, the F-15 has become one of the most recognized and revered fighter jets of the modern era.
Throughout its illustrious history, the F-15 Eagle has earned more than 100 air-to-air victories…with zero losses. Wings of Fire is the definitive combat history of the F-15 Eagle and Strike Eagle…from the skies over Israel…to the frontlines in Afghanistan.
Foxbat Tales: The MiG-25 in Combat.
From the Middle East to the Iron Curtain…the definitive combat history of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25.
July 1967: At the Moscow Air Show, the Soviets unveiled six new state-of-the-art aircraft. From among this lineup of new fighters and interceptors stood the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25—purportedly capable of outrunning and outmaneuvering any aircraft in NATO’s inventory.
The reality, however, was that this “interceptor” was a poorly-designed airframe with an over-sized motor. Although it excelled as a reconnaissance aircraft, it fared poorly as a dogfighter – and it was typically the loser when pitted against Western aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle.
From the Sinai Peninsula…to the Soviet-Afghan War…to Operation Desert Storm, Foxbat Tales is the definitive operational and combat history of the MiG-25.
Days of Fury: Ghost Troop and the Battle of 73 Easting.
The frontline heroes of America’s greatest tank battle. A riveting true story of tank warfare in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invade the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapse under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military leads a coalition of thirty-four nations in what becomes Operation Desert Storm—a violent campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear are the men of Ghost Troop in the US Army’s 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment.
On February 26, 1991, Ghost Troop encountered a brigade-sized element of the Tawakalna Division— the elite frontline forces of Iraq’s Republican Guard. Although significantly outnumbered and outgunned, Ghost Troop won a decisive victory with minimal losses to their own ranks. History would call it the Battle of 73 Easting.
Skybreak: The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm.
The top MiG Killers of Operation Desert Storm.
August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapsed under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron.
Mounted aboard their F-15C fighter jets, these young aviators took to the sky against the Iraqi Air Force. Although confident in their capabilities, these untested American pilots were flying into combat against the latest-and-greatest of Soviet-built aircraft – including the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum.’
Despite the odds, however, the men of the 58th Fighter Squadron decimated the Iraqi Air Force in one engagement after another. On the first day of the air war (January 17, 1991), Captain Jon “JB” Kelk claimed the first aerial victory of Desert Storm, downing a MiG-29 in combat. In less than 30 days, the 58th Fighter Squadron flew more than 1,600 combat sorties and destroyed 16 Iraqi aircraft – more than any other coalition air unit.
Danger Forward: The Forgotten Wars of General Paul F. Gorman.
Combat leadership in action. From Korea to Vietnam…from Nicaragua to the Iron Curtain
August 27, 1966: The men of 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry were standing strong in the face of enemy fire. For the past thirty-six hours, they had beaten back a relentless wave of enemy assaults. Two days earlier, the Viet Cong had attacked an American patrol along Highway 16 near Bong Trang. The ensuing firefight became so intense that three US infantry battalions were eventually drawn into the melee. History would call it the Battle of Bong Trang.
As the battle raged into its second day, Lieutenant Colonel Paul F. Gorman – the commander of 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry – continued to call for artillery strikes and close air support against the enemy’s positions. Despite being badly burned by a misplaced Napalm strike, Gorman maintained his composure and continued calling for fire support until the enemy quit the field. For his audacious leadership and courage under fire, Gorman was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross – the nation’s second highest award for valor.
A 1950 West Point graduate, Paul Gorman entered the officer ranks during the inaugural years of the Cold War. Like many of his classmates, Gorman served on the frontlines of Korea. Assigned to the 32d Infantry Regiment, he was decorated for valor in the numerous hilltop battles of 1952. Following the Korean Conflict, he commanded an infantry company in West Germany, where his daily duties revolved around defending NATO from the Red Menace.
Between his two combat tours in Vietnam, Gorman became the principal architect of The Pentagon Papers, and served on the US delegation to the Paris Peace Talks. During the darkest days of the post-Vietnam malaise, Gorman stood at the forefront of revitalizing the US Army’s training methods as it transitioned to an all-volunteer force. In his last assignment, Paul Gorman served as Commander-in-Chief of US Southern Command – during the time of Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada and when the US was actively supporting the Contras in Nicaragua. He retired as a four-star General in 1985.
Based on hours of interviews and archival research, this biography of Paul Gorman recounts the life and legacy of a true visionary and forgotten hero of the latter 20th Century.