9781422287811

THE USAF AND PRISONERS 11

The SA-2 Guideline, which was the main surface-to-air missile of the North Vietnamese in the fight against America during the Vietnam War.

The United States. had more airborne weaponry available to them than any nation on Earth. Aircraft such as the Phantom, Thunderchief, Skyhawk, and Skyraider flew right into the heart of enemy territory. There they dropped bombs and destroyed their targets, before attempting to fly back to the safety of South Vietnam. The power of this airborne armada was amazing. Yet North Vietnam did not intend to take this punishment lying down. As Rolling Thunder intensified, the North Vietnamese started to build up more and more weaponry designed to shoot American aircraft down. In 1965, heavy machine guns were North Vietnam’s main weapon. The danger of these