G E Nolly

Warning: This novella does contain strong language, so if swearing offends you, you may not want to read this novella.

This is the first in a trilogy, and when I say trilogy I don’t mean three separate stories but one story cut into three parts. It’s also a short read at only 268 pages in length so can be easily finished in one sitting.

Set during the Viet Nam war this novella at times read more like an Air Force procedural manual than a piece of fiction, with more military acronyms than any one non-military person could possibly keep track off. However, don’t let you dissuade you from reading this, it is a fascinating read. Although the plot ambles along at a very pedestrian pace, it is full of well researched and authentic detail about the war it is set in and the role of the combat pilot during these times. This would be an education to all those of a younger age who think the Viet Nam war was just fought on the ground.

The story is told in the first person narrative and, although all the details are spot on the story itself is a work of fiction based on actual events. The military was using the same ‘hurry up and wait’ tactics it uses now and this, plus many other pieces of the way the military works made me chuckle to see things never change. I found it to be a highly enjoyable read, and completed it in one sitting.

If you’re looking for a factual account of combat pilots in Viet Nam, this may not be the book for you, but if you don’t mind a mix of factual detail and fictional storyline, then I highly recommend you pick this one up. I will be reading the remainder of the trilogy as I am eager to find out what happens to Hamfist.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/03/review-hamfist-over-the-trail-the-air-comb...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
… (meer)

Warning: This novella does contain strong language, so if swearing offends you, you may not want to read this novella.

This is the first in a trilogy, and when I say trilogy I don’t mean three separate stories but one story cut into three parts. It’s also a short read at only 268 pages in length so can be easily finished in one sitting.

Set during the Viet Nam war this novella at times read more like an Air Force procedural manual than a piece of fiction, with more military acronyms than any one non-military person could possibly keep track off. However, don’t let you dissuade you from reading this, it is a fascinating read. Although the plot ambles along at a very pedestrian pace, it is full of well researched and authentic detail about the war it is set in and the role of the combat pilot during these times. This would be an education to all those of a younger age who think the Viet Nam war was just fought on the ground.

The story is told in the first person narrative and, although all the details are spot on the story itself is a work of fiction based on actual events. The military was using the same ‘hurry up and wait’ tactics it uses now and this, plus many other pieces of the way the military works made me chuckle to see things never change. I found it to be a highly enjoyable read, and completed it in one sitting.

If you’re looking for a factual account of combat pilots in Viet Nam, this may not be the book for you, but if you don’t mind a mix of factual detail and fictional storyline, then I highly recommend you pick this one up. I will be reading the remainder of the trilogy as I am eager to find out what happens to Hamfist.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/03/review-hamfist-over-the-trail-the-air-comb...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
… (meer)

Book #4 in The Air Combat Adventures of Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock

The narrative is a vast memoir of everything that happened to the author during his tours of duty as a U.S. Air force pilot in Vietnam. Taken from actual events Mr. Nolly tells his story in his own words and has enhanced it somewhat to carries his readers along with him as if we were a co-pilot. If you like anything about flying fighters you certainly will devour this book.

1972, Hamfist is back in action and now flies an F-4 Phantom at the start of Operation Linebacker, the bombing offensive over Hanoi. The book contains a heavy load of information on how to fly an F-4 fighter and has a lot of acronyms to go along with the narrative (a glossary of terms is at the end of the book). The author does not mince his words in this meat and potatoes conduct of the air war in Vietnam. The Rules of Engagement put many restrictions and was terribly frustrating for the pilots. Flying over the most heavily defended area in the world, dodging Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and dueling with enemy aircraft, the vaunted MiG-series fighters is what this book is all about. Hamfist was the last pilot to complete 100 missions over North Vietnam.

Mr. Nolly doesn’t have much respect for antiwar protesters, conscientious objectors, or for Jane Fonda, who gets a two-page rant in which she is called a traitor and compared to Tokyo Rose. I highly understand his point of view. At the time men had no choice, they were drafted into the war. The war dragged on and people ( parents, siblings, friends, wife and children) wanted their men back home…so they took to the streets…..I highly understood them also…..

Of course this book is not for everyone. I particularly liked the action, it is exciting and very well-done, I did feel being part in the daily activities of an ace pilot who flew airplanes in the Vietnam War.… (meer)

Survival and Combat in the Jungle

Book #2, in the Adventures of Hamilton “Hamfist”Hamcock

This novel is based on actual events about air combat in the Vietnam War. This series follows Air Force pilot Hamilton “Hamfist” Hamcock as he evolves from an inexperience lieutenant to a seasoned combat pilot flying aircraft in the skies of North Vietnam. This series is dedicated to American military veterans.

The tone is harsh after all this is war with Special Ops and Green Berets all over the place, this is scary as hell. The first sentence you hear “getting shot down sucks”. For those not familiar with terms this novel is a bit hard to follow it contains a lot of operational details about mission to fetch people from hostile jungle. Although it is a bit romanticised, the experience is inevitably tough and exciting, of course Hamfist does manage to get shot down, get extricated, escape unscathed and have a burgeoning romance with a Japanese beauty…hey why not, many men did have a distraction. The jargon is taken from experience of the time and place and Hamfist characterisation fits both the hardboiled soldier and the sensitive men he really is. He tells his story with humour and with some profanity. He is quite crude at time. Hold your breath, the tempo is fast and furious so much action fills the pages while we follow the day to day activities of the pilots. This is a gritty and gruesome time and such a captivating read.

Although I started this series with book 2 not knowing what had previously happened did not put me at a disadvantage but this story did pique my interest to backtrack and get book 1 “Hamfist Over the Trail”.

Love this one… (meer)