The Vietnamese consider Linebacker II a victory. So do we. It hastened the end of the war, so I guess we were both right.
—
The story follows three brothers during the build up, execution, and aftermath of the bombing campaign that the President said, “must be brutal.” It was.
Ernest, the middle brother, was a B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer stationed at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Base in Thailand. He had complete faith in the technology and his skill in avoiding the Surface to Air Missile (SAM) threat. Stephen, the eldest brother, was a B-52 pilot who flew when the SAM threat was minimal. He had complete faith in the bomber and the Strategic Air Command’s prosecution of Linebacker II, the last air campaign of the war. Martin, the youngest brother, was a college student on draft deferment. He came to believe the war was evil as were all who fought it. All three brothers discover they were wrong.
While the brothers are fictional, the bombing missions and dysfunctional rules of engagement are portrayed exactly as they happened.
Glossary
AAA – “Triple A” – Anti Aircraft Artillery
AN/ALE-20 – Flares
AN/ALE-24 – Chaff
AN/ALT-6B – Multi-Band jamming system used on about half the B-52Gs used during Linebacker II, manufactured by General Electric
AN/ALT-22 – An improved continuous wave jamming transmitter used on the B-52D and some B-52Gs, manufactured by General Electric, Burroughs, and Litton
AN/ALT-28 – Advanced jamming transmitter, manufactured by Hallicrafters
AN/ALR-20 – Radar detection set (No other information available)
AN/APR-25 – Six band radar detection and homing set, manufactured by Itek
Cell – The standard B-52 formation of three aircraft
Chaff – Small pieces of tinfoil-like metal strips used to jam enemy radar
Charlie – A highly qualified B-52 pilot positioned near the runway to make launch decisions
CINC – Commander in Chief
CINCSAC – Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command
DMZ – Demilitarized Zone, the dividing line between North and South Vietnam
EB-66 – A USAF aircraft used specifically for jamming enemy radar
ECM – Electronic Counter Measures
EW – also EWO – Electronic Warfare Officer
Fan Song – SA-75’s radar used to control the missile and guide it to its target
IP – Initial Point – Normally the start of the bomb run
KIA – Killed in Action
Linebacker I – The tactical bombing campaign from May to October 1972
Linebacker II – The bombing campaign from December 18 to December 29, 1972
MIA – Missing in Action
Mig – Mikoyan/Gurevich series of Soviet jet fighter aircraft
PDI – Pilot Direction Indicator, an instrument used by the B-52 navigator to let the pilot know where to fly during the bomb run
POW – Prisoner of War
PTT – Post Target Turn
ROE – Rules of Engagement
SA-2 Guideline – The NATO name given the SA-75
SA-75 Dvina – A SAM provided to the North Vietnamese by the Soviet Union
SAC – Strategic Air Command
SAM – Surface to Air Missile
SIGINT – Signals Intelligence
Spoon Rest – The SA-75’s radar used to locate targets
Strobe – A single strip of light on a radarscope
TAC – Tactical Air Command
TOT – Time over Target
Uplink – Guidance signal transmitted from a ground radar site to a launched SAM
UT – U-Tapao
Weasel – also Wild Weasel – Aircraft used to attack SAM sights
Reviews
Bill Garvey
A skilled writer and expert pilot intimately familiar with operating large, crewed jet aircraft, James Albright draws from his deep experience as both a U.S. Air Force aviator and storyteller to deliver well-drawn characters involved in the massive bombing campaign credited with speeding an end to America’s long and unpopular war in Vietnam.
For those curious about the in-flight responsibilities, challenges, concerns and dire confusions confronting B-52 flight crews in combat, this narrative puts you in one of the eight-engine bomber’s ejection seats – most often that of the Electronic Warfare officer. It is his responsibility to provide the aircraft’s primary defense against its greatest threat – surface-to-air missiles. Accomplishing that requires a mix of anticipation, close calculation, nerve and the isolation of critical signals smothered in a roar of electronic audio babble.
For those intrigued by the workings of a military command bureaucracy charged to subdue immediately a resilient, well-armed and ever more knowing enemy, it’s here as well -- complete with overused, intractable tactics, self-protection of rank and pecking order, along with the dismissal of valuable input from warriors actually doing the fighting. A disheartening look inside a puzzle palace.
And helping bring focus to the personal toll of two uniformed brothers Bellum (Latin for “war”) confronting the erred guidance directing the persistent but flawed campaign are the family members and sweethearts whose support steadily descends from encouragement to worry to devastation as nights of bombing take a terrible toll.
While most of the story focuses on the mechanics of modern war – know that the Stratofortress’s systems and roles are continually upgraded to confront 21st Century adversaries -- it also provides reflection on the true purpose and essential failings of war itself. This is done through the questioning by a third brother Bellum, whose positions on the matter are tested and evolve through unanticipated suffering at the conflict’s conclusion.
Although Linebacker II took place a half century ago, the questions, concerns, criticisms and relief arising in the narrative from that long-ago combat withdrawal are being repeated today as the U.S. military exits another controversial conflict. The Brothers Bellum reminds all that what has gone before often repeats, and that we need to take careful measure to avoid experiencing anew the errors and agonies of the past.
Keith Rumohr
James exposes the strengths and weaknesses of US bombing in Viet Nam. Through terrific storytelling, you ride along with the characters as they experience the intensity of the bombing campaign and experience its now obvious flaws.