Rupert Red Two: A Fighter Pilot's Life from Thunderbolts to Thunderchiefs

by Jack Broughton and Richard P. Hallion

Book Overview

In 1945 Second Lieutenant Jack Broughton graduated from West Point with the silver pilot wings of a newly commissioned member of the Army Air Corps. Nearly thirty years later, he retired as a full colonel in the United States Air Force, an entity that didn't even exist when he first learned to fly. Along the way Colonel Broughton saw duty in virtually every fighter aircraft the Air Corps and then Air Force had to offer. He experienced the birth and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760332177
• ISBN13: 9780760332177
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Zenith Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Future Classic

Col. Broughton has done a superb job sharing the rest of his aviation career with aviation enthusiasts. This book details the MANY assignments he was fortunate (and unfortunate enough, in some cases) to have throughout his incredible career as a warrior/fighter pilot and HERO. Those who have read the classics "Thud Ridge" and "Going Downtown" know well of his efforts for this country in the Thud. This latest treasure will leave you shaking your head with amazement and, yes, envy, at the roads he has traveled. Of particular interest are the no-frills details of many of the difficulties higher echelons created. Common sense had no relevance to many of these "superiors" as they sought to get the necessary boxes checked with little regard for common sense or even, their men. As ex-AF, I can say the book is a truly endearing no-nonsense, genuine description of life in the AF -and against- the powers-that-be, both in and out of the military. Many thanks for sharing these stories of an incredible career.

Rupert Red Two

This is the third book by Colonel Broughton that I have read (the first being "Thud Ridge" and the second, "Going Downtown"), and as always, I found it extraordinarily well written. His previous books provided us with the real soundtrack of flying combat missions over "The North". With "Rupert Red Two", Col. Broughton gives depth and colors to a true Air Force warrior pilot. I couldn't put that book down and, in fact, ordered several copies for friends and family members alike. All in all, I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and learned a lot about the 50's and 60's U.S. Air Force. Honor, Duty, Country - those aren't just words for men like Broughton, they are the very meaning of their lives. And they all paid a price for it, sometimes, at the hands of their own chain of command... A must read!

The Best Of The Best

I first read "Thud Ridge" in high school, and have regularly re-read it since. It still stands as the single best book on aerial combat ever written, and its author, Colonel Jack Broughton, towers over other pilot-authors (though Ed Rasimus comes close). Broughton followed up with "Going Downtown", another winner (which I have also read multiple times), and now with the long awaited "Rupert Red Two". In a word, it is a triumph. "Rupert Red Two" takes a longer view of Broughton's career than his earlier works, from young boy to Rockwell employee working on the Space Shuttle "Endeavor". For an Air Force pilot of my generation (1980s-1990s) it is truly astounding the number of aircraft Broughton got to fly, and reading his appraisals of all of them was stunning. His range of experiences was truly amazing, and any historian of air power needs to read this book. The book is filled with powerful and funny moments, sometimes intertwined. His recounting of the abject failings of the civilian government of Johnson and McNamara in Vietnam (pp. 324-326, in particular) is as sharp and accurate as ever, and is especially relevant today with all the instabilities in the world. I am impressed with Broughton's leadership and ability to do the right thing for his men at all times, from spearheading a replacement program for the F-106 ejection seat, to the "Turkestan" incident (which is well detailed in his earlier books). This is the man I would want leading me in a shooting war. I have been fortunate enough to correspond with Colonel Broughton on occasion over the years, and I encouraged him to write this book. It was well worth the wait. I cannot recommend a book more highly, and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. Colonel Jack Broughton is a true American patriot, a gifted pilot, an amazing leader, and an inspired writer. I have only two autographs displayed in my study. One is from Medal of Honor winner Leo Thorsness; the other is a photo of Colonel Jack Broughton in his Thud. I could not respect any man more.

Rupert Red Two

Col. Jack Broughton has followed his " Going Downtown" and "Thud Ridge" with another brilliant book on flying the clasic jets in the Cold War era. If you are a fan of and want the feel of how these early fighters were flown, this is the book for you. His story on the formation of the Thunderbirds and his tour as the Commander of an F106 ADC Squadron are dead on. I would recomend this book to all historians, and students of aerial warfare. I would also say you need to read his two previous books on the F-105 in Southeast Asia. Along with Robin Olds, Jack Broughton was a fighter leader with no peer.

Rupert Red Two

Having already read Jack Broughton's previous two books my expectations were high. I was not disappointed, he tells it as he sees it with no punches being pulled. All I can say is that if I had to go to war I would hope that someone like Jack Broughton was there to lead by example. (I am British with a particular interest in WW2/Vietnam air warfare.)