9781422287811

12 SURVIVING CAPTIVITy

to U.S. aircraft was very real. U.S. aircraft had to fly through storms of bullets, which took a heavy toll on aircraft and pilots—over 80 percent of the 3,000 American aircraft lost in the war were simply shot down by guns. By 1967 the situation was even worse. North Vietnam had acquired one of the most lethal

A pilot who is shot down will often activate a homing beacon. This emits a signal that gives a rescue helicopter a precise location.