SKYRIADER RELATED BOOKS
This is my personal Skyraider related library. I make no pretense the catalog is complete; it is in fact a work in progress. I am always looking for new, sometimes esoteric, information and occasionally the treasure hunt turns up some real gems. When I locate a source, I will list it here or load it into the PDF section when appropriate, so check back occasionally if you’re looking for a particular detail or are deep in your own research.
Also, if you come across something not listed here which you feel is of value, please share. This page is meant to be a clearing house for information across the modeling community. I do not sell or repackage any of this info; it is offered free of charge to anyone interested.
I will give an honest review of each work, but will not do so if I haven't read it cover to cover. Please keep in mind, anything here is my opinion only. I know these authors have worked long and hard to bring this information to print, and I thoroughly respect this; I have no axes to grind or points to make. If I am critical of some aspect it is of the content and/or presentation only, never the author.
I use a five star rating system.
Door, Robert F., Skyraider, The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War, Bantam Books, NY, London, Auckland ISBN: 0-553-34548-6 ****1/2
Not a bad little book for what it is supposed to be which is, as the title asserts, a small anthology of the A-1’s place in the Vietnam War. It is heavily illustrated but the photo printing quality leaves a lot to be desired (my copy dates from the early ‘70’s, there may be better subsequent printings out there) and the written text is brief and somewhat disjointed. An enjoyable and informative read on the subject however.
Mutza, Wayne, The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam, the Spad’s Last War Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA 2003. ISBN 0-7643-1791-1 *****
This is a very good overview of the Skyraider’s role with the Navy, Air Force and the South Vietnamese Air Force during the span of its tenure in the Vietnam War. There are loads of excellent photos and technical as well as first person anecdotal information. Not super deep in technology, though there is more than some other works, but very informative on the history of the plane in Southeast Asia and especially of the men who flew it. The only down side is Schiffer having their printing done in China which doubtless explains why the binding blew apart within a month of being purchased new; otherwise, though, definitely worthwhile.
Ginter, Steve, Naval Fighters Number Ninety-Eight, Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider, Part One No publisher listed, 2014 ISBN 13:978-0-9892583-5-7/10: 0-9892583-5-1 *****
What can I say? It’s one of Ginter’s books which pretty much says it all. Jam packed with technical information along with excellent photos, firsthand accounts and Pilot’s Manual excerpts, it is a Skyraider technogeek’s treasure trove, especially for some of the more esoteric variants and details of their development and configuration. There are some curious omissions, though, a few of them pretty major considering the nature of the covered subject matter, a surprising disappointment given both the book’s price point and the overall level of information provided otherwise. Regardless, if you’re going to build Skyraiders and you want to get it right, this one is very much worth having.
Ginter, Steve, Naval Fighters Number Ninety-Nine, Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider, Part Two No publisher listed, 2014 ISBN 13:978-9892583-6-3/10: 0-9892583-6-X ****1/2
Follow on to Part One; not much technical data in this one as it concerns itself strictly with Naval Squadron histories. Lots of interesting color schemes and diorama ideas certainly, but it doesn’t answer all that many questions. There is a good amount of interesting squadron esoterica not found elsewhere but nothing worth the unreasonably hefty price tag for a soft cover book, at least not for me.
Doyle, David, AD and A-1 Skyraider; Douglas’ “Spad” in Korea and Vietnam Legends of Warfare Series, Aviation, Schiffer Military, Atglen, PA, 2021 ISBN 978-0-7643-6132-6 *****
New book to me as of this writing (4/2021) but I’m fairly impressed. The airplane is approached in order of appearance AD-1 through 7 with a few of the modified versions covered in their proper order. There is a load of very good pictures along with short descriptions of each version. It’s pretty light on the kind of gnarly technical info a modeler needs to get the nitty-gritty right, and one has to be careful about relying too heavily on the warbird information contained here, but all in all definitely a worthwhile addition to the library. I’ve only had mine a few days as of this writing so the Schiffer Chi-com binding is still strangely intact; I imagine, though, if I read it for a few minutes wearing cotton gloves and holding my breath in a soft breeze on the back porch it will presently disintegrate to Xi Jinping’s entire satisfaction.
Sullivan, Jim, AD Skyraider in Action , Illustrated by Don Greer. Aircraft No. 60, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX No date. ISBN 0-89747-144-X ***
Typical “In Action” publication. There are some fairly good photographs, but be careful about relying too heavily on the accuracy of the captions. This is the older printing and has been superseded by an updated version. Still, it’s a good short stop anthology in its own right, and in its day was probably one of the better ones. If you’ve got one definitely do not throw it away, on the other hand don’t pay $100 for it on Amazon either; it’s not any kind of researcher’s collector item.
Barthelms, Ed and Dann, Richard S. A-1 Skyraider Walk Around, Color illustrations by Don Greer and Richard Dann. Walk Around Number 27, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX 2001ISBN 0-89747-429-5 ****1/2
Very good book for what it is. There are a lot of clear and very useful photographs, many of details not often seen, at least before the publication of Ginter’s first volume listed above. There are some very well done profiles as well. If I have any complaint it is, again, reliance upon some warbird based documentation. To be fair, though, it does seem most of the modern photos are more of museum exhibits rather than warbird restorations which make them, if not entirely non-suspect, significantly more reliable from a historical point of view. Definitely worth having if you want some good quick reference material for your next build.
Rausa, Rosario, Skyraider:The Douglas A-1 “Flying Dump Truck” , The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Co. Charleston, SC, 1982, 2001 ISBN 0-933852-31-2 *****
This is one of my favorite books on the subject. Don’t buy it for the pictures, though there many of them, they’re not the highest quality; this one is for the prose, history and technical background. Reading this book is like sitting around the bar with a bunch of the old Skyraider “greats” and hearing the stories from people who know what they’re talking about (rare enough nowadays). Indeed, Rausa himself was a Spad driver and he lets us know from the beginning his treatise is far more about the people involved than the airplane, though the machine remains front and center throughout. He succeeds to perfection. Of all the books I have read, this one contains more useful information about Korean War and between the wars operation than anything else written. If you want to learn more about the goings on in Skyraiderland than anyone not actually in the community knew before, definitely get this book. I read it at least once a year and enjoy it a little more every time.
Jackson, B.R. Douglas Skyraider, Aero Publishers Inc. Fallbrook, CA 1969 No ISBN listed *****
This is an old book; I think I bought my copy in a hobby shop in San Diego or someplace right after I got back from overseas, circa 1971. What is fascinating to me at this point is at the time of its writing the A-1 was still making some serious history. Happily, Jackson’s fear the airplane would be “…sent to the scrap pile to be long forgotten by future generations…” has not come to pass. The work deals entirely with the A-1’s use by the Navy through both Korea and Vietnam up to that point, with only a page or two of USAF references at all. A well written and knowledgeable anthology as far as it goes, especially if it is kept in mind when Jackson was writing it, and though he didn’t know it, in USAF, Vietnamese and French hands the Skyraider had a lot more of the race yet to run. I might mention it was printed in America, which probably explains why, after so much use, the binding has lasted 50 years.
Wixey, Ken, Douglas Skyraider Including AD-1 to AD-7, Warpaint Series No. 18 Warpaint Books Ltd. UK, ISSN 1363-0369 ***1/2
It would be easy to dismiss this little book but this would be decidedly unfair. When reviewing, one has to keep in mind the book’s original intention and judge by how well it rises to that standard; which in this case I feel is something of a mixed bag. It is a “Warpaint” book, which means, at least in my mind, it should primarily focus on colors and markings and this it does, at least to the extent of a good number of very nice color profiles. As for being given insight into the methods, specs, and dictates of the Navy, Air Force, RN or Vietnamese color and marking systems, we are left somewhat in the dark. The text which is pretty much an abridged rehash of Skyraider developmental history leaves us none the wiser on the most historically accurate approach to coloring and marking our subject at some particular point in its history. There is, however, a pretty fair amount of information on operational aspects of the Royal Navy AEW-1’s; given the book was written by a Brit in the UK, this is as unsurprising as it is enjoyably informative.
Hughs Kris, Dranem, Walter, Douglas A-1 Skyraider Warbird Tech Series Vol 13 Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, North Branch MN, 1997 ISBN 0-933424-78-7 **1/2
Meh. Nothing new or particularly informative here; pretty much a sketchy regurgitation of basic info anyone could pick up from any of the other better researched books out there. B&W picture quality is so-so at best, though there are a few fairly decent color plates. To be honest, I get the feeling the authors were just throwing some Skyraider shaped spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick because their publishers wanted this title in their lineup. It has covers, a binding, a few pix, a bunch of words, but no heart. Sorry, but nothing about this one really trips my trigger.
Burgess Richard R, Thompson, Warren E, AD Skyraider Units of the Korean War Combat Aircraft Series No. 114, Osprey Publishing LTD, UK, 2016 ISBN 978-1-4728-1264-3, 2016 *****
This is a mostly superb (oxymoron intended) anthology of AD Skyraider operations over Korea. What we have here is a typical Osprey quality presentation with well documented commentary, historical accuracy, profiles and excellent pictures. This is a fine and very welcome book of a far too often marginalized aspect of Skyraider history and is certainly welcome on the old shelf; very well done indeed. So, then, why did I use the descriptor “mostly” at the beginning? Here’s why: Chapter 8, page 75 introduces an otherwise outstanding discussion of US Marine Skyraider units in country with the tag line “Bulldogs Over Korea”. Huh?! “Bulldogs”? “BULL DOGS”?!?! WHAT KIND OF PORTHOLE WEARING GRABASTIC COMMIE TWINKLE TOED FLOWER CHILD HIPPIE EVER REFERRED TO ANY UNITED STATES MARINE AS A "BULLDOG"?! IT’S “DEVIL DOG”, CREAMPUFF, “DEVIL DOG!” NO BETTER FRIEND, NO WORSE ENEMY; THOSE SQUARED AWAY FLYBOYS WEREN’T YOUR GRANMA'S FAIRY GODMOTHER WINSTON CHURCHILL, SWEETHEART, THOSE WERE HARD CHARGING LIFE TAKING HEART BREAKING LEATHERNECK TEUFELHUNDE; SEMPER FI DO OR DIE ALL THEIR S**T IN ONE SOCK DEVIL DOGS!!!! OO-RAH! OO-RAH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
...Uh…S…sorry; don’t know what came over me there. Seems…seems...wh…where am I? …what…year...is that you John Wayne?...Is this me..?
Hukee, Byron E, USAF and VNAF A-1 Skraider Units of the Vietnam War, Osprey Combat Aircraft Series #97, Osprey Publishing, UK, 2013 ISBN 978-1-78096-068-5 *****
This is another great book from Osprey, this time dealing with Air Force and VNAF operations in Southeast Asia written by the man who, to me at least, is “Mr. Air Force Skyraider Guy” himself Byron Hukee. If you are into the A-1 at all you must be familiar with Byron from his Skyraider.org website, and its not to be missed adjunct site The A-1 Combat Journal. If you have not yet perused either of these resources, do treat yourself; you are missing out on some of the best Skyraider related material around. Hukee has brought all of his personal experience and expertise to this flawless little volume and not a word is wasted. Osprey, of course, while adding their usual trademark input by quoting Americans as uttering things like “whilst”, “learnt”, “honour”, “colour”, “programme” and “al-u-min-i-um” also provide us with a plethora of clear color plates, razor sharp B&W photos and outstanding artwork by Jim Laurier. It’s all good; very good. If you like the Skyraider, and want some of the best stuff in print on the subject, do not let this one get by you.
Burgess, Richard & Rausa, Rosario, US Navy Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War Osprey Combat Aircraft No. 77, Osprey Publishing Co. UK, 2009/2013, ISBN 978-1-84603-410-7 *****
Well, right off the bat, I have to say this book kind of, shall we say, stretches the boarders of credibility somewhat. No, no, I mean it; are we to believe, despite everything we observe in the world of scale modeling, the US Navy actually did operate A-1’s during the Vietnam War which did NOT sport some version of a bumbly-lightning motif? Gadzooks. Whoda thunk it? In fact, out of 30 beautifully illustrated color profiles Jim Laurier has allowed us a paltry one (#19) which depicts the VA-176 'toon. Outrageous blasphemy! Heat oil! The mind boggles, if “boggles” is the word I want. Rouse the Inquisition…Biggles, bring out the soft pillows, AND the comfy chair! While suspicion cast upon the decoration’s ubiquity may be greeted with constipated rumbles of “knowing” disapproval in murkier quarters of the IPMS, students of the Skyraider will find this small detail only the beginning of superlatives applicable to this volume. Co-authored by Rosario Rausa who also gave us Skraider, the Douglas A-1 Flying Dumptruck (listed herein) we have the benefit of his first-hand knowledge gained over two Vietnam combat tours flying the airplane to present us with a truly excellent companion to the other Osprey Skyraider titles also reviewed here. This volume is definitely a must have in my opinion for any aficionado of the A-1 or Naval Aviation in general. Again, a typical Osprey production with superb color photos, clear B&W’s, engaging historic data and “appropriately” anglicized ‘Mer-kin; cor’ gawd love a duck! Honestly old boy, do give yourself the honour of securing a copy of the bally thing immediately you have the opportunity whilst still available from your bookist. Bob's your uncle; there’s a good chap.
Johnsen, Frederick A, Douglas A-1 Skyraider A Photo Chronicle, Schiffer Military/Aviation History, Atglen, PA, 1994 ISBN 0-88740-512-6 *****
This is one of the better soft cover anthologies out there. It is exactly what the title indicates, a thoroughgoing photo chronicle of the airplane covering most of its major deployment history. The B&W photos are excellent, and there is a generous helping of well rendered period color photos as well. Unlike other works which focus on the Vietnam and to a lesser extent Korean Wars, this one also gives us insights into Cold War history and a very good section on foreign users of the airplane, most notably the VNAF. The prose is informative and enjoyable to read, and documentation is flawless. If you don’t have this one, it is definitely recommend. This edition was printed in the USA by the way; outstanding, Schiffer! I’ve been using the book for over 25 years the binding is still solid. You should have stuck with it; your titles are invariably of excellent quality content wise but to hold one in the hand nowadays betrays a dismaying mismatch. I really think you need to flush out the nebbish who betrayed your presentation down the latrine of The People’s Republic and have him impaled. Sell all his progeny into the gallies, his wife into a eunuch’s harem; raze his house and barns, fill in his wells and sow his fields with salt so ere a thousand years pass no good thing will ever grow there again. Let his ruined lands become a byword for the generations, the haunt of owls, vermin, jackals and every unclean and hateful thing; exactly like Washington DC. A stiff letter should definitely follow.
Hoskins, Tony, Douglas A-1 Skyraider Owner’s Workshop Manual; 1945-1985 All Marks and Variants, Haynes Publishing, UK, 2017 ISBN 978-1-78521-135-5 *****
A fantastic source if you want some true nitty gritty for you next Skyraider project; this excellent book is a must have. There is a boatload of close up color plates taken during a rebuild, technical drawings, specs, and up close and personal views of the airplane and its many parts simply not available anywhere else. There is also a goodly amount of varied and informative prose as well. All in all an excellent reference on the airplane especially for us detail geeks. Very highly recommended.
Sherlock, Jay, The Modeler’s Guide to the Skyraider, Aero Research Co. Reno, NV, 2011ISBN 978-0-615-52140-4 *****
If you are a model builder with Skyraider-esque aspirations this is an exceptionally useful and unique, if low tech, addition to the library. Sans high gloss photography, shiny paper, hard covers, fancy-schmancy color profiles or Chi-com bindings Sherlock takes us through every version of the AD/A-1 Skyraider and points out in considerable detail what changes need to be made to existing model kits to bring about any specific variant. This is done via line drawn profiles of each mark with arrow/number callouts and text listing the changes which apply. Often, these alterations are cross referenced to the extensive references he lists. What is presented is not meant as a “how to” tutorial, it is a reference guide only; no mention is made at all about how a modeler should go about making this or that a reality. This is not a criticism; the book makes no such claim for itself. Along with the aforementioned reference list provided the author gives a fairly complete outline of the available kits to hand as of the writing. There are a few small errors and omissions, but nothing even remotely like deal breakers. Studying the Skyraider in all her guises is very much a byzantine proposition and I doubt any researcher anywhere has ever noticed, catalogued and/or pointed out every last detail without misstep. If you are a serious modeler with notions of adding an accurate version of a specific Skyraider to your collection, this book is very nearly indispensable.
Author Unknown, Zoukei-mura Concept Notes for the A-1 and A-J Skyraider Zoukei-Mura Corp. No date, No ISBN ***
For what it is intended to be this isn’t bad volume, but I can’t exactly say it is my “go to” book in the Skyraider library either. It is intended by ZM as an extended cover for their 1/32 A-1’s and as such it does a good job showcasing their product via a few builds by various modelers they enlisted to help them with the project. The first one, naturally enough, is the obligatory VA-176 Bumble-thing, but we also get another Vietnam Navy bird from VA-52, a blue VA-155 AD-6 circa 1958, a VNAF A-1H and “Blood Sweat and Tears” an Air Force A-1H/J(?). There is some background material and some “in action” prose to round things and a few very nice detail shots of things like guns and landing gear etc. One particular project does break some interesting ground as one builder converts his Navy A-1H to a French AD-4NA with step by step documentation of how he accomplished the work. This is a seldom if ever seen conversion, and for anyone interested might itself be worth the price of the book. Working to ZM’s deadline must have been tight as some of the models show less than flawless workmanship with sloppy paint, unattended glue lines and part mismatch present in a few of the close up pictures. There is also some very interesting composite photo manipulation in several places blending finished ZM models over a background of actual aircraft and shipboard scenes; nicely done and enjoyably unique. Bilingual in both Japanese and English the book is an interesting flip through with a few goodies waiting there, but not essential even for getting the most of out of ZM’s excellent kits.
Drendel, Lou, Skyraider Illustrated, Aviation Art Inc., Venice FL, USA 2021, ISBN 9798731832366 *****
This is a new publication, and to date one of the absolute best in print for the modeler as well as for the Skyraider enthusiast in general. Superlatives abound; I hardly know where to begin. Of course Lou Drendel has been one of the best known and appreciated names in aviation art and illustration for decades but his latest work here is a genuine tour de force in my opinion. It is a perfect combination of heretofore unpublished color and B&W photos alongside knowledgeable first hand insight from his numerous contributors, many some of the best known names in Skyraiderland, all buttressed by his own incredibly vivid and technically perfect artwork. Yet, I have this against it: in common with every book on this list except Rausa's "Flying Dump Truck" and the Osprey volume dedicated specifically to the subject, Drendel follows the established pattern of glossing over the Skyraider's Korean War record as if were only some sort of introduction to the main event. Don't get me wrong, there are several very nice pictures and paintings of earlier AD's but nothing to compare with what he obviously considers the meat of the subject. Still, I really like this book; I mean, I’m not going to marry it or anything, but the next time I need inspiration for a project or want to niggle out some little detail for the next diorama, this book will be the resource at the top of the pile.
Renshaw, Andy&Evans, Andy, The Douglas Skyraider, a Comprehensive Guide, SAM Publications, UK 2016 ISBN 978-1-906959-41-8 *****
“Comprehensive” is a loaded word and given the breadth of possible Skyraider data perhaps a skosh hyperbolic for any work not reaching to multiple thick volumes. Having made this observation, it must be observed what Andy and Andy have brought us is an excellent pictorial overview of the airplane with an excellent compendium of color plates, high-def B&W photos, detail photos, color profiles, data listings and drawings, and full model builds. Especially welcome is a more-shall I say it?-comprehensive presentation of operators beyond just the United States with entire chapters devoted to French, Vietnamese, British and other service than is found in most other works in this format. A very well done anthology and highly recommended.
Smith, Peter C. The Douglas AD Skyraider Aviation Series, Crowood Press, UK, 1999 ISBN-I-86126-249-3 ***1/2
Y’know, I wanted to like this book, I really did. It isn’t easy to get hold of and there are some outrageous prices out there on Amazon via second hand booksellers, but I did locate a very nice like new copy at a fair exchange. Actually, I don’t dislike it; it’s just having read it I’m left a little flat. A literary reality is, like quarter horses and zebras there is a world of difference between historians and journalists; to an outside observer they may seem externally similar but are in reality entirely different species. This is not a bad book, not by any stretch, but it seems to be more a journalistic effort than that of any kind of knowledgeable enthusiast. It has the feeling of an undergraduate term project where a lot of facts have been garnered, but little genuinely erudite correlation made. There’s a lot of space filling “stuff” in there, how landing patterns were flown and the like, but not all that much with which to do anything, especially for the modeler. The prose could definitely have used a skosh more blue pencil in places, an omission I personally find jarring. Some of the first person accounts come across as if the teller was some old guy in a barber chair talking over the top of the Sunday comics without wearing his dentures; disjointed and wandering. My biggest letdowns, however, are twofold. First there are some technical mistakes made within the text which should have been much better researched because some of the information is demonstrably wrong; this can lead an unwary modeler astray. Secondly, there is, in my opinion, far too much “documentation” based on warbird, and worse yet, gate guard representations which are of no value whatever to a miniaturist's research unless you happen to be modeling one. Having said this, the book is certainly not without its merits. There is some very well presented and not often seen photography which can definitely make the volume worth the price in and of itself. Also, being another product of a British author publishing in the UK, we are thus again treated to a much more thorough treatise on the operations of the Skyraider in Royal Navy and in the French Armee de l'air than is usually found in anthologies which originate on this side of the Pond which I find both refreshing and informative. Do not count this book out; if you can find one at a civilized price it’s definitely worth having.
Drury, Richard S, My Secret War, 1979, Aero Publishers, Fallbrook CA, reprint 1990, Time-Life Books, Richmond, VA, ISBN 0-8094-7951-8/0-8094-7951-6 *****
This is another of my yearly reads. For me it is THE classic account as well as something of an expose of the covert air war in Laos from the real life cockpit viewpoint on par with Jack Broughton’s Thud Ridge detailing the Johnson/McNamara absurdity which was the war in Vietnam’s Route Pack 6. Not very much for the model builder here per se, but no matter, the book is imminently readable, entirely believable and always engaging regardless of how many times read. Drury’s prose is recognizable as authentic and imminently appreciable by any airman who loves his calling. In the same way his erudite self-evaluating metamorphosis from well-meaning idealistic young officer to disillusioned, even cynical veteran is immediately familiar to anyone ever associated with the otherworldly exercise in sheer waste, psychedelic idiocy, impenetrably stupid self-serving bureaucracy, unsurpassed valor and needless loss of far too much which defines America’s time in Southeast Asia. This is a great read and a great story not to be overlooked at any time; this is a book not just about Skyraiders or even solely the Vietnam era; the observations and lessons are as pertinent up to this very day and hour as they are ignored by every policy maker drawing a breath.
Marrett, Geroge J. Cheating Death; Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos, Smithsonian Books, Washington DC, 2003, 2010 ISBN 1-58834-104-6 *****
In my mind this history is one of the classics of the genre. For modelers there are a few goodies here, but our greatest boon would be inspiration for what we seek to commemorate in our art form. As the title suggests this work is dedicated entirely to the Search and Rescue mission in Southeast Asia with emphasis not only on the A-1’s but on the Jolly Green Giant helicopter crews they escorted in their unparalleled efforts. Great writing style, dark humor, gritty accuracy, pride in a job well done and the unabashed sadness and betrayal felt by everybody involved in the shooting end of that damned war; it’s a hard book to put down once started. If you haven’t read it, do so, you won’t be sorry. Very highly recommended.
MORE TO COME; I'M READING AS FAST AS I CAN! CHECK BACK OFTEN