Beyond the Wild Blue : A History of the U. S. Air Force, 1947-1997

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever written.
Review: I had first seen this on the History Channel. It was a documentary hosted by the author, Walter Boyne. I really enjoyed the documentary. When I found out that it was going to also be a book, I purchased it immediately. I think that the U.S. Air Force is one of the most effective, efficient units of the Armed Forces next to the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Army. I was glad that the book was written by a former Air Force officer instead of someone else. The book goes into detail about the history of air combat from World War I to the Persian Gulf War and makes suggestions about the role of the U.S. Air Force in the future. I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that it was well-written and that it's worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, good summary
Review: In my opinion Walter Boyne did a good job of summarizing the history of the U.S. Air Force over half of a century in a small space.

To those critics I would offer this reminder; this is not a novel, and I for one found it enjoyable reading for what it was: a documentary.

Rating:
Summary: Dry, Uninspiring
Review: Rather than explain what the book is about (done rather well by others at this site), I'd like to give you feedback about what I didn't like. As one who reads WWII military and aviation history books for casual reading, I was disappointed in Boyne's book. I was expecting the book to read as a historical novel. I found the book to be very dry reading. The sections about the development of the USAF in 1947; its involvement in the Korean/Vietnam/Desert Storm wars was interesting reading. However, the story flow was interrupted by jumps to other topics which I felt belonged elsewhere.

As a result, I felt that the book read more as a textbook on the subject rather than a novel. I found that this book would be better suited for someone doing research (writing a report, e.g.). There was lots of information about current training; the politics within the USAF; the four major current commands of the USAF; current philosophy. The book is not for the casual reader. You may find the book to be a bore unless you are a hard-core USAF fan/veteran.

Rating:
Summary: To the Wild Blue-And Beyond!
Review: To anyone wondering what "Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force 1947-1997" is about, I would recommend a careful look at the title. The title tells one exactly what the book is and is not. It is not a history of American Airpower, although the development of the Army Air Corps is briefly presented as background. It is not a history of the Air Force in war, although the war record of the Air Force is given its due. Beyond the Wild Blue is the history of the U.S. Air Force during the first 50 years of its existence. It is, in essence, an organizational history of the Air Force.

Reviewers often report that an historical book "reads like a novel". I would say that Beyond the Wild Blue develops like a novel. At the end of a novel the reader often realizes that it possesses a theme or a point to which the whole book has contributed. That is the case with this book. The ultimate point of "Beyond the Wild Blue" is that the Air Force has been an organization which has constantly striven, through a continuing research and development program, to achieve its mission through the advancement of aerospace technology. Through his telling of the story of the Air Force as it developed from a stripped down force in the years after World War II to the technological marvel which won the Gulf War, Walter Boyne brings us to realize how the organizational strategy of the Air Force has brought it to the point at which it is the power which it is today. He also makes us realize the degree to which the Air Force depends on the technical expertise of its officers and enlisted personnel in achieving its mission.

Throughout this book, Boyne mixes facts with his candid assessments of personnel who have affected the history of the Air Force. Generals, Secretaries of Defense and the Air Force as well as politicians all come in for forthright praise or criticism. Two of Boyne's heroes figure prominently in the story. General of the Air Force Hap Arnold, who had commanded the Army Air Corps in World War II, guided the Air Corps to its birth as an independent service and inspired its quest for technological superiority. General Curtis LeMay, more than any other officer, imprinted his personality and ideals on the Air Force, much to the benefit of the service and the nation.

Through this book we see the Air Force, at its inception, as a force poorly equipped with World War II leftovers. Ill-prepared at the start of the Korean War and handicapped by politically imposed rules of engagement, the Air Force was, nonetheless, able to establish air superiority throughout the peninsula and, thereby, contribute to the United Nations' successes.

Through the Cold War years of the fifties and early sixties, the Air Force preserved the peace largely through its capability to deliver nuclear weapons, both by manned bomber and ICBM.

The Vietnam War was, for the Air Force as well as all of the American military, a frustrating conflict. The handicaps imposed by politically inspired rules of engagement were more serious even than those imposed in Korea. As an example, pilots were forced to risk their lives trying to destroy trucks individually, while being prevented them from destroying freighters full of trucks in North Vietnamese ports.

After Vietnam, the Air Force continued its technological improvement at an uneven pace, varying with the political winds of the day. The ultimate payoff for the Air Force research and development programs would come in the Gulf War. In this war air control was established, not by defeating an enemy challenge in the air, but by preventing the challenge from arising. The destruction of Iraqi radar and communications kept the enemy planes hunkered on the ground. The ability of air power to pick apart Iraqi defenses and destroy and demoralize its ground forces proved the ultimate vindication of the Air Force research and development programs.

Throughout this book, Boyne presents an agreeable blend of narration about individuals, equipment, organizational concepts and war stories, detailed enough to hold the interest without leading to boredom.

This book addresses all aspects of Air Force service. Fighters, Strategic and Tactical bombers Air Lift and refueling all are given proper attention. The recent reorganization of the Air Force Commands was clearly explained. The changing demands of the American public that victory must be swiftly achieved with few casualties, either of friendly or enemy forces or noncombatants, and the Air Force's ability to meet those demands were presented as a logical result of the continuing research and development programs.

I was particularly impressed by the description of the refueling capabilities which can now keep aircraft flying virtually indefinitely. Equally impressive is the story of the B-52, which may have a useful life of 75 years from first flight to final retirement.

At the conclusion we are presented with an Air Force which has the potential to deliver military punch of unprecedented scope and dimensions. In an era in which the availability of overseas bases may be limited, the Air Force has the capability, through refueling, of delivering ordinance to virtually any place on earth through missions originating in the United States. Although beyond the temporal scope of this book, the continuation of the technological advancement was seen in the Bosnian operation in which bombing runs originated and ended in Missouri by warriors who would spend their nights at home with their families .

This book is a fitting tribute to the men and women who have carried the story of the United States Air Force into the Wild Blue and Beyond.

Rating:
Summary: Dry, Uninspiring
Review: To anyone wondering what "Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force 1947-1997" is about, I would recommend a careful look at the title. The title tells one exactly what the book is and is not. It is not a history of American Airpower, although the development of the Army Air Corps is briefly presented as background. It is not a history of the Air Force in war, although the war record of the Air Force is given its due. Beyond the Wild Blue is the history of the U.S. Air Force during the first 50 years of its existence. It is, in essence, an organizational history of the Air Force.

Reviewers often report that an historical book "reads like a novel". I would say that Beyond the Wild Blue develops like a novel. At the end of a novel the reader often realizes that it possesses a theme or a point to which the whole book has contributed. That is the case with this book. The ultimate point of "Beyond the Wild Blue" is that the Air Force has been an organization which has constantly striven, through a continuing research and development program, to achieve its mission through the advancement of aerospace technology. Through his telling of the story of the Air Force as it developed from a stripped down force in the years after World War II to the technological marvel which won the Gulf War, Walter Boyne brings us to realize how the organizational strategy of the Air Force has brought it to the point at which it is the power which it is today. He also makes us realize the degree to which the Air Force depends on the technical expertise of its officers and enlisted personnel in achieving its mission.

Throughout this book, Boyne mixes facts with his candid assessments of personnel who have affected the history of the Air Force. Generals, Secretaries of Defense and the Air Force as well as politicians all come in for forthright praise or criticism. Two of Boyne's heroes figure prominently in the story. General of the Air Force Hap Arnold, who had commanded the Army Air Corps in World War II, guided the Air Corps to its birth as an independent service and inspired its quest for technological superiority. General Curtis LeMay, more than any other officer, imprinted his personality and ideals on the Air Force, much to the benefit of the service and the nation.

Through this book we see the Air Force, at its inception, as a force poorly equipped with World War II leftovers. Ill-prepared at the start of the Korean War and handicapped by politically imposed rules of engagement, the Air Force was, nonetheless, able to establish air superiority throughout the peninsula and, thereby, contribute to the United Nations' successes.

Through the Cold War years of the fifties and early sixties, the Air Force preserved the peace largely through its capability to deliver nuclear weapons, both by manned bomber and ICBM.

The Vietnam War was, for the Air Force as well as all of the American military, a frustrating conflict. The handicaps imposed by politically inspired rules of engagement were more serious even than those imposed in Korea. As an example, pilots were forced to risk their lives trying to destroy trucks individually, while being prevented them from destroying freighters full of trucks in North Vietnamese ports.

After Vietnam, the Air Force continued its technological improvement at an uneven pace, varying with the political winds of the day. The ultimate payoff for the Air Force research and development programs would come in the Gulf War. In this war air control was established, not by defeating an enemy challenge in the air, but by preventing the challenge from arising. The destruction of Iraqi radar and communications kept the enemy planes hunkered on the ground. The ability of air power to pick apart Iraqi defenses and destroy and demoralize its ground forces proved the ultimate vindication of the Air Force research and development programs.

Throughout this book, Boyne presents an agreeable blend of narration about individuals, equipment, organizational concepts and war stories, detailed enough to hold the interest without leading to boredom.

This book addresses all aspects of Air Force service. Fighters, Strategic and Tactical bombers Air Lift and refueling all are given proper attention. The recent reorganization of the Air Force Commands was clearly explained. The changing demands of the American public that victory must be swiftly achieved with few casualties, either of friendly or enemy forces or noncombatants, and the Air Force's ability to meet those demands were presented as a logical result of the continuing research and development programs.

I was particularly impressed by the description of the refueling capabilities which can now keep aircraft flying virtually indefinitely. Equally impressive is the story of the B-52, which may have a useful life of 75 years from first flight to final retirement.

At the conclusion we are presented with an Air Force which has the potential to deliver military punch of unprecedented scope and dimensions. In an era in which the availability of overseas bases may be limited, the Air Force has the capability, through refueling, of delivering ordinance to virtually any place on earth through missions originating in the United States. Although beyond the temporal scope of this book, the continuation of the technological advancement was seen in the Bosnian operation in which bombing runs originated and ended in Missouri by warriors who would spend their nights at home with their families .

This book is a fitting tribute to the men and women who have carried the story of the United States Air Force into the Wild Blue and Beyond.

Rating:
Summary: The battle between the Air Force and the politicians
Review: Walter Boyne is a retired Air Force colonel who has written four books of fiction and twelve non-fiction all of which deal with the Air Force.

In Beyond the Wild Blue, Boyne sketches the early days of the air arm of the Army Signal Corps then expands through the years of growth with its importance in military and national security through the establishment of the Air Force in 1947.

General Billy Mitchell is recalled as a fighter for air power as well as the continuing impact of General Hap Arnold through and following World War II. It was most interesting (and surprising) to learn of Arnold's brief bout with the fear of flying and year's hiatus from flying. When he returned, he never again wavered and even with continuing heart problems was one the greatest generals to espouse and forward the importance of air power.

Boyce deals with two main themes:

First, the battles that the air staff and chiefs of staff had in promoting air power and the belief of its importance particularly when there was the contentiousness of the Army and Navy.

Second, the effect of Secretaries of Defense such as Robert McNamara during the Vietnam War and his absolute, solitary control of the military which was largely responsible for America's military defeat. It is certainly damning of McNamara (and to some extent, President Lyndon Johnson) in the complete micro-management of the war. This led to a philosophy by the Defense Department which reared its ugly head again in the personalities of several follow-on Secretaries of Defense (specifically, Rumsfeld and Cheney) during and following the Persian Gulf War. Boyce defends the professionalism and patriotism of chiefs of staff who stayed on despite the harassment and undue solo performances from these secretaries. McNamara, by way of escape, resigned in the midst of the obvious failure at his job to become president of the World Bank.

One must note that several present day commanders have refused the job of Joint Chief of Staff. While personal reasons are cited, I would opine that these military men are not interested in being frustrated and used as Boyce describes.

There is an extensive section on the Vietnam War. As a participant in that fiasco, I felt close to the comments and the history of the escalation. Boyce recognizes that the B-57 Canberra was the first jet aircraft to strike in both North and South Vietnam, which pleased me as a Canberra driver. However, I was disappointed to read nothing of the work of the civilian-type small aircraft such as the OV-10 which were so effective and so vulnerable as Forward Air Controllers (FAC). Again, there was an error in not mentioning the T-34 and T-28 (the latter was recognized as a combat aircraft in Vietnam) as trainers following the ubiquitous T-6 and starter trainer PA-18.

The B-52, F104, F100, C-130, C-47, KC135. B-66 and air rescue aircraft and crews are duly recognized for their work. The contribution to air power by the bombers of WWII, the fighter aircraft of Korea and the mistakes of that "police action" are well documented. There is enough in the anecdotes to stir an interest in the reader to find more on the subjects. He gives due credit to the magnificent men who flew and maintained the aircraft, the heroism of many and the failure of decisions made by non-military men to prosecute and win. Boyce maintains that there were several "holds" such as bombing halts which were instrumental in prolonging the conflict and making the loss of 58,000 men meaningless.

We read of "Tooey" Spattz, Curtis LeMay, Bernard Shriever and the other generals who had the clout to make a difference in the Air Force mission. Above all, Boyce makes clear that the difference in air power and the future of the Air Force depends on the professionalism of the men and women in its ranks who support its mission.

It will interesting to see the follow-on reports of the impact of the Air Force since September 11, 2001, Afghanistan and Iraq, but - we are witnesses to that. The future of the Air Force (or will it be the Aerospace Force?) will be as changeable as its past as it adapts to the needs of America.