During the late 1950s and early 1960s, US Army planners sought to increase the Army’s helicopter force. The Army developed new tactical doctrine using helicopters; the airmobile concept, which was based largely on air cavalry units. Such units were descendants of the US Cavalry, which had operated as light, horse-mounted infantry. Air Cavalry troopers were, in essence, horse soldiers, and helicopters were their steeds. True to their proud and colorful heritage, the Air Cavalry employed tactics used by their forefathers of the Indian wars and embraced the aggressive, offensive-minded culture as they deployed to the grueling conflict in Indochina. Packed with more than 30 action-packed, often hair-raising, first-hand accounts of helicopter scout combat in Vietnam, this book gives you the pilot's view of flying and fighting the Air Cav's revered OH-6 Loach. Besides being an exciting read, these personal recollections by dozens of the fighters themselves provide invaluable, primary source historical coverage of one of America’s epic conflicts as experienced by frontline aeroscouts.

By Wayne Mutza