Junkyard Air Force: The A-26A Nimrod in Combat Over Laos, 1966-69.

摘要

This study is a comprehensive history and analysis of A-26A operations during the Vietnam War. The A-26A was a highly effective special operations weapon system used for truck killing against the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The A-26A was at the center of a political debate in the Air Force between advocates of propeller driven aircraft for limited war roles and opponents who favored jets. My thesis is divided into three sections. The first section covers the A-26A's operational history, detailing the tactics, armament, and personalities that made them successful. The next section is an account of the political debate that raged over the A-26A. I discuss the motivations for opposition to propeller driven aircraft and the specific actions taken by opponents to hide and limit the Nimrod's success. The final section is an analysis of the A-26A using a qualitative framework in an attempt to correct flawed wartime reporting and evaluate the aircraft's tactical and strategic effectiveness. As the evaluation demonstrates, the A-26A was a highly successful weapon system that the Air Force failed to exploit.