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Document created: 20 November 02
Air & Space Power Journal - Winter 2002

F-105 Thunderchiefs: A 29-Year Illustrated Operational History, with Individual Accounts of the 103 Surviving Fighter Bombers by W. Howard Plunkett. McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com), Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640, 2001, 336 pages, $55.00. 

The F-105 was a beautiful, high-performance aircraft designed to deliver nuclear weapons at low altitudes and high speeds. Unfortunately for its reputation, its test came in a much different kind of war in Vietnam, where it took heavy losses and gained little glory. Of the 833 aircraft built, 397 were lost in combat during that conflict. 

F-105 Thunderchiefs is a large-format, well-illustrated tribute to this famous aircraft. Author W. Howard Plunkett provides a brief (19 pages) but adequate operational history of the aircraft; however, the core of the book is the 270 pages devoted to the 103 F-105s displayed throughout the world. The author presents each aircraft’s history, primarily the unit assignments, in chronological order and includes a photograph of each aircraft in its present condition. One appendix indexes these aircraft by location, and a second offers a short entry for each of the 118 F-105s that were scrapped.

Clearly, Plunkett- a 20-year Air Force maintenance officer who served in a unit of F-105s for two years- was profoundly affected by his experience with this aircraft. F-105 Thunderchiefs is a labor of love, written by someone who loves the fighter for others who love it. Specialized as it is, though, this book is strictly for reference librarians and people interested in the existing F-105s. There is little here for others.

Kenneth P. Werrell
Christiansburg, Virginia

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.