Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot

by Keith Rosenkranz, Dick Cheney (Foreword by)

Overview

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Descriptions of 30 combat missions from F-16 pilot during Operation Desert Storm




During Operation Desert Storm, Captain Keith Rosenkranz piloted his F-16 "Viper" in 30 combat missions. Here he recounts these experiences in searing, "you-are-there" detail, giving readers one of the most riveting depictions ever written of man and machine at war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071400404
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	05/28/2002
Series:	Aviation Week Books
Pages:	325
Sales rank:	563,714
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Captain Keith Rosenkranz was a top-rated flight instructor and, subsequently, Top Gun in F-16 fighter training. He served in South Korea and then flew 30 combat missions--the bulk of them at night--during the Gulf War. Rosenkranz scored ten maverick missle kills on the infamous "Highway of Death." He was awarded four Air Medals and two Aerial Achievement Medals. He is currently a pilot for a major airline and lives with his family in Texas. His e-mail address is [e-mail]. For more information about this book, visit www.viperinthestorm.com.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	viii
Chapter 1	Green Flag	1
Chapter 2	Oil and War	8
Chapter 3	Viper	13
Chapter 4	The Storm Gathers	25
Chapter 5	Waiting for Saddam	30
Chapter 6	First Leg	37
Chapter 7	Incredible Journey	45
Chapter 8	In Country	57
Chapter 9	Unexpected Transfer	63
Chapter 10	Grounded	72
Chapter 11	Black Widow	84
Chapter 12	LANTIRN	91
Chapter 13	Tactics and Morale	96
Chapter 14	T-Rack Steps In	102
Chapter 15	Belonging	108
Chapter 16	Thanksgiving Comes--and Goes	112
Chapter 17	Crowded Skies	119
Chapter 18	We Own the Night	126
Chapter 19	A New Year	131
Chapter 20	Fallen Warrior	139
Chapter 21	The Inevitable	147
Chapter 22	War Begins	158
Chapter 23	Defining Moment	165
Chapter 24	Mission from Hell	178
Chapter 25	Mother of All Battles	188
Chapter 26	Phase Two	194
Chapter 27	The Mailman Delivers	201
Chapter 28	Patriotism	210
Chapter 29	Friendly Fire	218
Chapter 30	Killer Scouts	227
Chapter 31	Edge of the Envelope	233
Chapter 32	Maverick	243
Chapter 33	Proposal for Peace	252
Chapter 34	Play Time	258
Chapter 35	"Altitude...Altitude"	270
Chapter 36	Highway of Death	283
Chapter 37	Welcome Home	296
	Afterthoughts	306
	Acknowledgments	309
	Glossary	311
	Sources	317
	Index	319

Editorial Reviews

Air operations in the Gulf War of 1990-1991 have most frequently been either the subject of theoretical analysis or presented from a cockpit perspective. This first-rate memoir bridges the gap, telling the story of life in a front-line squadron while integrating a first-person account into the wider contexts of modern air warfare. Rosenkranz was a captain flying Vipers, F-16 fighters, out of Al Minhad, Saudi Arabia. He takes his readers through the autumn buildup; his own questions about what it meant to kill people; the importance of mail from home; the constant waiting for a call that finally came on the night of January 18, 1991. He conveys the irony of men trained for years in air-to-air combat being committed to ground strikes--the most dangerous kind of mission for an F-16. Rosenkranz flew against Baghdad, against Iraqi troops and tanks before the ground war started, and against the fugitives fleeing from Kuwait City along "Hell's Highway." He emphasizes the synergy of modern electronics and human skills required when seeking out small targets while running a gauntlet of anti-aircraft fire. He also establishes beyond question that, talk of "smart weapons" to the contrary, his was not a "technowar" of smoothly pushed buttons. Bombs failed to explode. Target information was incomplete. The sky remained unforgiving of mistakes. Rosenkranz accepted the legitimacy of America's commitment in the Gulf, but neither he nor his squadron mates were happy warriors. They were professionals who wanted to do their jobs and go home alive--in that order. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Rosenkranz gives a personal account of his career as a pilot of the F-16 fighter plane (nicknamed the "Viper") and his experiences in combat during Operation Desert Storm. Rosenkranz begins his story with a training exercise in the US that is interrupted with news of the Iraqi buildup along Kuwait's border. From there, the story escalates as rumors of his unit's possible deployment are heard. Rosenkranz deftly tells of his own mixed feelings about possible combat-on one hand, excitement, as this is the mission he has been training for, on the other hand, apprehension about leaving his wife and twin infant daughters. Interjected into the narrative is a thumbnail history of the nation of Iraq, the Iran-Iraq war, and the regime of Saddam Hussein, which provides invaluable background for the story (and for more current events). Rosenkranz offers a near-epic account of the flight of his unit (it took 17 hours and 10 aerial refuelings) to their station in the United Arab Emirates. The tale's high point, however, is not the combat itself, but rather the anticipation of combat as President Bush and the UN coalition drew the line in the sand and waited for Iraq to back down. Rosenkranz describes with insight and clarity the feelings of men who have been trained to fight a war but have never done so, and the intense feelings that built up among the air crews as they sat in the hot desert waiting for war. Despite the surprisingly clichéd accounts of aerial combat (which sound like they're straight out of Top Gun), Rosenkranz (who works today as a commercial pilot) paints a vivid picture of an airman's service in the last Gulf war. Former secretary of defense Dick Cheney contributes aforeword. (25 illustrations, not seen) .

Kirkus Reviews