Charlie Chasers: History of the USAF AC-119

MWSA Review

This book really impressed me. Author, Larry Elton Fletcher has written an outstanding history of the AC-119 “Shadow” gunship in his book “Charlie Chasers.

Of course he had an advantage in writing this historical study – he was there! Fletcher takes us from the military’s realization of a need for an aircraft to supply effective, enduring close support, through the initial efforts of the AC-47 gunship, to the emergence of the AC-119 during the Viet Nam War.

He provides the re4ader with firsthand accounts from the crews of the aircraft and from the ground troops who survived the war thanks to the AC-119’s combat support. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2014)

Author's Summary

Charlie Chasers tells the amazing story of the AC-119 Shadow gunships and their crews who wreaked havoc on the enemy during the Vietnam War. The fixed-wing aircraft provided close fire support of U.S. and friendly troops with the ability to fire up to 6,000 rounds per minute and deliver it with deadly accuracy. Ground troops came to rely on the AC-119 as dependable aerial defenders of fire support bases, air bases, Special Forces camps, villages, hamlets, and remote outposts.