Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam

by Stephen Coonts, Barrett Tillman

Overview

A riveting Vietnam War story—and one of the most dramatic in aviation history—told by a New York Times bestselling author and a prominent aviation historian

Every war has its "bridge"—Old North Bridge at Concord, Burnside's Bridge at Antietam, the railway bridge over Burma's River Kwai, the bridge over Germany's Rhine River at Remagen, and the bridges over Korea's Toko Ri. In Vietnam it was the bridge at Thanh Hoa, called Dragon's Jaw.

For seven long years hundreds of young US airmen flew sortie after sortie against North Vietnam's formidable and strategically important bridge, dodging a heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire and enemy MiG planes. Many American airmen were shot down, killed, or captured and taken to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp. But after each air attack, when the smoke cleared and the debris settled, the bridge stubbornly remained standing. For the North Vietnamese it became a symbol of their invincibility; for US war planners an obsession; for US airmen a testament to American mettle and valor.

Using after-action reports, official records, and interviews with surviving pilots, as well as untapped Vietnamese sources, Dragon's Jaw chronicles American efforts to destroy the bridge, strike by bloody strike, putting readers into the cockpits, under fire. The story of the Dragon's Jaw is a story rich in bravery, courage, audacity, and sometimes luck, sometimes tragedy. The "bridge" story of Vietnam is an epic tale of war against a determined foe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306903472
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,135,751
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Barrett Tillman is a widely recognized authority on air warfare in World War II and the author of more than forty books, including Clash of the Carriers and Whirlwind. He has received numerous awards for history and literature, including the Admiral Arthur Radford Award. He lives in Arizona.

Stephen Coonts is the author of sixteen New York Times bestsellers, the first of which was the classic aviation fiction thriller Flight of the Intruder. He earned the Navy's Distinguished Flying Cross medal for his naval air service during the Vietnam War. A former lawyer, he lives and writes full time in Colorado Springs.

Date of Birth:

July 19, 1946

Place of Birth:

Morgantown, West Virginia

Education:

B.A., West Virginia University, 1968; J.D., University of Colorado, 1979

Table of Contents

Prologue: Full Throttle ix

Map of Vietnam and Thanh Hoa Bridge xvi

1 "We Will Pay Any Price …" 1

2 A Damned Tough Nut to Crack 10

3 The First Hammer Blow 24

4 "He Did Not Want Any More MiGs Shot Down" 34

5 A Grim Business 52

6 Enter the Navy 68

7 "Unlimited Losses in Pursuit of Limited Goals" 86

8 They Needed a Bigger Bang 102

9 Paying the Price 113

10 Fools, Drunks, and Lost Fighter Pilots 123

11 Carolina Moon 131

12 The Thanh Whore Bridge 148

13 The Bridge Claims Another Victim 159

14 "We Are Mired in a Stalemate" 171

15 "Courage Is Fear That Has Said Its Prayers" 186

16 Nixon and Kissinger 199

17 "You Ain't Hit the Target Yet" 208

18 Back to North Vietnam 218

19 Pounding the North 229

20 "We Dropped the Bridge" 247

21 The Violent Crescendo 257

Appendix 269

Notes 270

Bibliography 284

Contributors 287

Index 289

Editorial Reviews

2019-02-14

The detailed story of American pilots' attempts to destroy a key bridge during the Vietnam War.

Bestselling novelist and decorated Navy aviator Coonts (The Armageddon File, 2017, etc.) teams up with air warfare historian Tillman (On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier, 2017, etc.) for an account that looks well past its nominal subject to give a wide-ranging history of the Vietnam War in the air. The Thanh Hoa bridge, completed in 1964, got the name "Dragon's Jaw" from the rock formations on which it was built. Carrying a highway and a railroad line, it was a strategic transportation link as well as a matter of national pride for North Vietnam. As such, the bridge became an important target for American forces. But its robust construction—and the defensive measures around it—made it an infuriatingly resistant target. The authors detail one assault after another, listing pilots killed or captured in the attempt and providing the stories of those who attacked it without success. Coonts' novelistic skills make the set pieces compelling, and attentive readers will get an education in the evolving technology of air warfare and anti-aircraft defense. The narrative is especially memorable for its account of the naval aviators who launched their attacks from carriers, many of whom are quoted at length. The authors also draw on North Vietnamese records, though with a degree of skepticism. At the same time, they are scathing in their attack on American leaders, especially Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara, for their failure to press the air war as hard as they might have out of fear of bringing Chinese troops into the conflict. Several bombing halts gave the North time to build up its forces and launch offensives. In the end, advances in weaponry gave the bombers the edge they needed to bring down the bridge—though it took years of relentless attacks and the loss of numerous planes and pilots to do so.

A vivid history of the long campaign against the Dragon's Jaw Bridge; especially recommended for aficionados of air warfare.

Kirkus Reviews

"Master military storytellers Coonts and Tillman have impressively combined their literary firepower to craft a detailed and eminently readable tale about the long sought take-down of the notorious Thanh Hoa Bridge. Dragon'sJaw reads like the powerful thriller that it is—but it's no fiction!"—Christina Olds, coauthor of Fighter Pilot

"Vietnam War naval aviator Stephen Coonts and top military historian Barrett Tillman describe the long bombing campaign against one of the hardest targets in history, the Thanh Hoa Bridge. Almost mystically preserved after years of attacks, the bridge ultimately fell to American courage, skill, and persistence. This book is especially valuable for its presentation of the Vietnamese point of view."—Colonel Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret), former direction of the National Air and Space Museum

"In this path-breaking book, Vietnam A-6 Intruder pilot Stephen Coonts and noted military aviation historian Barrett Tillman have joined their formidable backgrounds and skills to lay bare the underlying strategy, planning, and execution of the campaign-within-an-air campaign to drop this formidable and deadly target. Readers will learn what it was like to fly against it, the price America paid in lost and captured airmen and destroyed airplanes, and the bankruptcy and lasting efforts of Johnson-era Vietnam strategy."—Dr. Richard P. Hallion, aerospace historian and former Historian of the US Air Force

"A powerful story about the quest to drop the Thanh Hoa Bridge during the Vietnam War and how Washington made it even more challenging for our aircrews. Riveting action! Unmatched authenticity as Steve Coonts flew many harrowing missions in that war. A must-read for all naval aviators, past, present, and future!"—Admiral Jay L. Johnson, USN (Ret), Vietnam F-8 pilot and former Chief of Naval Operations

"The Thanh Hoa Bridge is emblematic of the American experience in Vietnam. The bridge's mythical status arose from years of failed attempts to destroy it, as well as the tenacious Vietnamese defenses surrounding it. It's all here—the professionalism, the sacrifice, the maddening political decision-making, and even Vietnamese accounts. This book has it all, in a manner that made Flight of the Intruder and On Yankee Station famous!"—Peter Fey, author of Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 During the Vietnam War

“A vivid history of the long campaign against the Dragon’s Jaw Bridge; especially recommended for aficionados of air warfare.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher