Captain Richard C. Knott, USN
(ret.) “retired from the U.S. Navy in 1986 after a thirty-year career and several thousand pilot hours in a variety
of aircraft.” He is the author of Fire from the Sky: Seawolf Gunships in the Mekong Delta;
Black Cat Raiders of World War II; The American Flying Boat: An Illustrated History; The American Flying Boat: An Illustrated
History; and, Attack from the Sky: Naval Operations in the Korean War.
According to the book description of
Fire from the Sky: Seawolf Gunships in the Mekong Delta, “This is the dramatic history of
the HAL-3 Seawolves, the U.S. Navy’s first and only helicopter gunship squadron of the Vietnam War. The squadron was
established "in country" to support the fast, pugnacious river patrol boats of the brown water navy. Flying combat-worn
Hueys borrowed from the Army, the mission of the Seawolves quickly expanded to include rapid response air support to any friendly
force in the Delta needing immediate, no-holds-barred assistance. Operating in two-plane detachments from specifically configured
LSTs, hastily constructed bases, and primitive campsites, the navy gunships and their crews responded to calls within minutes.
Flying in all kinds of weather, day and night, they arrived at tree-top level with forward-firing rockets and flex-guns blazing.
Door gunners hung outside the violently maneuvering helicopters delivering a hail of fire with their hand-held M-60 machine
guns. The Seawolves inserted SEALs deep into enemy territory, and extracted them, often despite savage enemy opposition. They
rescued friendly combatants from almost certain capture or death, and evacuated the wounded when Medevac helicopters were
not available.
Gleaned from historical documents and
the colorful recollections of more than sixty Seawolf warriors, this is the first complete history of the most decorated Navy
squadron of the Vietnam War. Naval aviator Richard Knott recounts the story of the Seawolves from the dawning of the concept
to the moment the last squadron commander turned out the lights.”
According to the book description of
Black Cat Raiders of World War II, “Thanks to the PBY's daring pilots and their effective tactics,
the slow outdated Catalina patrol bombers became the scourge of Japanese shipping in the South Pacific during World War II.
Painted black and hunting at night, the Black Cats, as they were called, are credited with sinking or disabling hundreds of
thousands of tons of cargo vessels, troop transports, and warships. Curiously their exploits were known to few outside the
naval aviation community until the publication of this book in 1981. This testimonial to their magnificent performance is
told by an experienced flying boat pilot, who has pieced together the fascinating story from reminiscences of the men who
flew the long, arduous missions and from official navy records. It is an inspiring tale of fearless men in machines ill-designed
for combat who wreaked havoc on a dangerous and merciless adversary. Illustrated with more than sixty photographs and detailed
line drawings, it is a book to be savored by those who like their adventure stories to ring true.”
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