The Rescue of Bat 21

by Darrel D. Whitcomb

Book Overview

When his electronic warfare plane--call sign Bat 21--was shot down on 2 April 1972, fifty-three-year-old Air Force navigator Iceal "Gene" Hambleton parachuted into the middle of a North Vietnamese... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557509468
• ISBN13: 9781557509468
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A READ WORTHY OF YOUR TIME

The lone survivor (Bat 21 Bravo) of a six-man crewed American warplane shot down by a surface-to-air missile parachutes near the DMZ and seeks cover to await recovery. Heavy clouds obscure visibility, but other than that the search and rescue aircraft crews have no reason to believe that this won't be anything but a moderately easy pickup.Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Jay Crowe commanding an Air Force rescue helicopter drops through the clouds heading for the survivor when enemy fire comes up from all directions. The dashboard begins to disintegrate. Crowe and his copilot struggle to control the helicopter and clear the area. The crew is amazed at the scene below. North Vietnamese Army trucks, tanks, guns, and soldiers are everywhere. Bat 21 is trapped between two enemy divisions barreling across the borders in a full offensive to conquer South Vietnam. Still, the rescue attempt goes on.As the author of "Coast Guard Action in Vietnam," I am pleased to read, not only a darn good true book about the Vietnam War, but, one that brings out the fact that Coast Guardsmen were active in that long engagement. Flying combat search and rescue was only one of their numerous missions. For example, LORAN, the electronic navigation system used to keep Bat 21 pinpointed and to place ordnance on enemy positions, was installed in the theater and manned by the Coast Guard.Do yourself a favor, get both "Bat 21" by William C. Anderson and "The Rescue of Bat 21" by Darrel D. Whitcomb. Read them in tandem. Read "Bat 21" first. It puts you with the survivor on the ground evading capture for twelve days. Then read Whitcomb's book. It pulls back the camera to take into view the entire panorama of situation, equipment, and people, that went into this remarkable rescue exploit.When you start the reading make sure you have a block of uninterrupted time because you may not want to stop until--the end.

It is nice to hear the complete story

For years my family has wondered what happened during this period of the conflict. I was eight years old when my brother, Bruce Walker - Covey 282 Alpha, was declared MIA. This book gave my family and I a real view of what happened to him. This is something the government was never willing to do. I'm thankful to Darrel Whitcomb for this well researched and well written book detailing the rescues and attempted rescues during the Easter Offensive.

From one who was there

This book is an extremely accurate history of this rescue and its heros. I was the on scene commander who arrived to find the Jolly in flames. There are other books written about this rescue but none are as accurate and well presented. The author did an excellent job in allowing a "non" military reader to understand this rescue situation without missing the power of the enviornment.

The True Account of the Rescue of Bat-21

This was a well written and researched account which told the true story behind the numerous missions to rescue Bat-21 Bravo and other fliers downed during subsequent missions during April 1972. Firstly I must say I was amazed to read of the neglect shown in the passage of information and/or Intelligence between the American Air Force and Army. How this could come about or allow to continue amazes me considering it had some bearing on the lives of American soldiers and airmen and also on the prosecution of the war.I was unaware of the full details of the rescue of Lt. Col. Hambleton and the role and involvement of Navy SEALS and Sth Vietmanese troops. I had only seen the movie 'Bat 21' before and figured that it portrayed the 'true' story - how wrong can you be. I think the authors attempt to answer a number of questions in relation to the 'worth' of one man during the 1972 Easter Offensive is well done but I would recommend that readers should take the opportunity to read 'Trial by Fire' by Dale Andrade which offers a detailed and excellent account of America's last Vietnam battle and which could also place this episode in perspective.'The Rescue of Bat 21' is a good, quick book (164 pages) to read, the narrative flows along and the story never gets bogged down. If you want to read about man's un-selfish devotion to duty and his fellow man during a terrible war this is the book to read. Well done to the author and well done to those men who played a part in this story, especially those who did not return.

A Must Read!

Most veterans are aware of the rescue of BAT-21 (Bravo), Lt. Col. Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, that was shot-down by an enemy missile during the April '72, NVA Easter Offensive. In the initial stages of this powerful enemy thrust into I Corp, U.S. intelligence failed to brief U.S. personnel who were flying in the area that the enemy had crossed the DMZ and had brought with them SAM missiles and an incredible amount of AAA fire support to provide protection to the massive NVA armored invasion. Brave men were caught off guard by these formidable air defenses south of the DMZ, and they paid dearly. The earlier movie, "BAT-21," touched on some of the truth about this rescue mission. But much of what was shown was purposely fictitious due to national security issues. Since that time much of the information surrounding this rescue mission has been declassified allowing the facts to be known to all for the very first time. Author, Darrel Whitcomb, has done an incredible job of collecting files, first-hand interviews, grid maps and photos to describe the events leading to the downing and rescue of BAT-21, and has written about the ultimate sacrifice of those who perished or were captured in attempts to rescue Hambleton. For example, just minutes after BAT-21 landed just south of the DMZ, Blueghost 39 and his crewmembers of F Troop, 8th Cavalry were killed or captured when encountering extremely heavy enemy fire when they entered the recovery area which unknowingly was in NVA hands. Days later the entire crew of Jolly Green 67 would perish when hit by massive enemy AAA fire as the NVA sprang a trap. Whitcomb fluidly reports of repeated and aborted attempts to extract BAT-21 and of the cost to the Nails, the Sandys, the Jolly Greens, the USAF, the VNAF, and ultimately the few MACSOG-80 personnel still in-country. All were involved during the course of not only rescuing BAT-21, but other downed airmen in the immediate area during what has to be one of the most intense--if not THE most intense--battles involving combined U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. "The Rescue of BAT-21" is much more than its title indicates. Whitcomb's book is also a well-researched historical look at the Easter Offensive and how the war very suddenly and dramatically changed in the closing days of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. In "The Rescue of BAT-21" Mr. Whitcomb has done a service to the veterans who participated and perished on this rescue mission. He has told their story, one which needed to be told. It is a fitting tribute to the countless brave and dedicated men who flew the air support and rescue missions throughout the war--often times at great personal risk and sacrifice. From Vietnam to the rescue mission in Somalia, Darryl Whitcomb has captured the moment in his incredible work, and warns of the "dangers of drawn-out coalition warfare without defined objectives." Darrel Whitcomb, who is a highly decorated veteran who served