The Hunter Killers

The Extraordinary Story of the First Wild Weasels, the Band of Maverick Aviators Who Flew the Most Dangerous Missions of the Vietnam War

By: Dan Hampton

Narrated by: John Pruden

“A GRIPPING CLASSIC. Exhaustively researched, The Hunter Killers puts you directly into a Wild Weasel fighter cockpit during the Vietnam War. Dan Hampton lets you feel it for yourself as no one else could.”--Colonel LEO THORSNESS, Wild Weasel pilot and Medal of Honor recipient

At the height of the Cold War, America's most elite aviators bravely volunteered for a covert program aimed at eliminating an impossible new threat. Half never returned. All became legends. From New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton comes one of the most extraordinary untold stories of aviation history.

Vietnam, 1965: On July 24 a USAF F-4 Phantom jet was suddenly blown from the sky by a mysterious and lethal weapon—a Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM), launched by Russian ""advisors"" to North Vietnam. Three days later, six F-105 Thunderchiefs were brought down trying to avenge the Phantom. More tragic losses followed, establishing the enemy's SAMs as the deadliest anti-aircraft threat in history and dramatically turning the tables of Cold War air superiority in favor of Soviet technology.

Stunned and desperately searching for answers, the Pentagon ordered a top secret program called Wild Weasel I to counter the SAM problem—fast. So it came to be that a small group of maverick fighter pilots and Electronic Warfare Officers volunteered to fly behind enemy lines and into the teeth of the threat. To most it seemed a suicide mission—but they beat the door down to join. Those who survived the 50 percent casualty rate would revolutionize warfare forever.

""You gotta be sh*#@ing me!"" This immortal phrase was uttered by Captain Jack Donovan when the Wild Weasel concept was first explained to him. ""You want me to fly in the back of a little tiny fighter aircraft with a crazy fighter pilot who thinks he's invincible, home in on a SAM site in North Vietnam, and shoot it before it shoots me?""

Based on unprecedented firsthand interviews with Wild Weasel veterans and previously unseen personal papers and declassified documents from both sides of the conflict, as well as Dan Hampton's own experience as a highly decorated F-16 Wild Weasel pilot, The Hunter Killers is a gripping, cockpit-level chronicle of the first-generation Weasels, the remarkable band of aviators who faced head-on the advanced Soviet missile technology that was decimating fellow American pilots over the skies of Vietnam.

misleading title and description

good book, but barely half is actually about the wild weasel mission. the majority is history of Vietnam, and the Vietnam war. although important to the context of the wild weasel mission, it was unexpected. having already read the book "the Vietnam War" most of this book was just a review of the conflict and not what was expected, a history of the wild weasel mission.

if you have limited knowledge of the war and what lead to the conflict, and understand this is what you're purchasing when this book, it would be a great read.

need to change the book title to "history of the Vietnam War, and the wild weasel mission"

amazing book

I love this book. definitely will recommend and read many times. thank you for your service Mr Hampton. Semper Fi from an old Marine

A Wild Weasel Primer

Any additional comments?

This is an excellent book for someone who has little or no previous knowledge of the Vietnam War in general or the Wild Weasel mission in particular. If you are well versed on those topics, you might be a bit let down. Easily half the book is devoted to historical background and explaining technical topics.The remainder are the 'war stories' (which is what I wanted to hear). I'm not at all saying that this is a bad book, it was just hamstrung a bit by all the background information, which may be helpful for most listeners--just not this one..

Amazing Background and Stories

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was, in my opinion, a very clear and to-the-point piece of writing. I enjoyed the fact that the author not only told the stories of the newly-formed Wild Weasels, but he tied that with the real and undeniable truth of the Vietnam War. The Hunter Killers is not only one of the best books I’ve read on military aviation, but one of the best ones on the short-comings of much of the leadership surrounding it. I would certainly recommend this book!

Great Listen for any war buff!

It's a really good listen. It not only puts you in the seat with pilots but strays off into some politics and background of the Vietnam conflict (sometimes a tad too deep but relatable) . Very well rounded and a nice solid listen.