Book Reviews for "Flying from the Black Hole"

From the December/January 2009/10 issue of the
Smithsonian's AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE
THE WHITE-HOT BLAST of a surface-to-air missile’s fragmentation warhead marks the climax of Robert O. Harder’s tribute to Vietnam-era B-52 combat crews. The author flew 145 combat missions in the “Black Hole” of the title: the deafening, cramped workplace of the two men responsible for putting a B-52’s bombs precisely on target. In this dark hell of screaming turbines ... click here to read more.

From the Winter 2009 Issue of Air Power History, a quarterly publication of the Air Force Historical Foundation (Two Reviews)
From 1965 to 1973, B-52s dropped nearly three million tons of bombs on Southeast Asia and dwarfed any single-aircraft campaign statistic. This manuscript attempts to "set the record straight" about the crucial roles played by non-pilot aircrew members-specifically, B-52 navigators and bombadiers.
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From the American Aviation Historical Society's AAHS Flight Line, #169,
Fourth Quarter 2009
As a former navigator, he writes with a unique perspective. His view of bombing operations is one that has not been as widely known to the press and the American public. As such, his story may seem to some as politically incorrect. However, it also is written by someone who obviously has,”been there, done that.”
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From "Vietnam" magazine, published by the Weider Group, December, 2009 Issue
In Flying from the Black Hole, Robert O. Harder gives the first comprehensive account of the navigator-bombardier's war, which climaxed in December 1972 with Operation Linebacker II, in which the B-52s revived their long-neglected strategic role by bombing North Vietnamese cities. Rather than focus on the pilots dodging SAMs and MiGs, Harder tells the tale from his enclosed perspective: the screens and charts within a foul-smelling little compartment with no view of the outside world, from which he directed the bombs to their target.
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Review by Ronald Barrett, President/Historian of the Air Force Navigator-Observer Association (AFNOA)
If you are at all interested in the Vietnam Air War, buy this book.
Fall, 2009 Newsletter

From the September 2009 issue of Italy's aviation magazine, JP4 mensile di Aeronautica (Written in Italian)
September 2009 Issue

From the April 2010 issue of Truppendienst Bundesheer, the Austrian Federal Army's Military Forces Service magazine (written in German)
April 2010 Issue

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Advanced Praise for "Flying from the Black Hole: The B-52 Navigator-bombadiers of Vietnam

"No one ever worked as hard or as long at a dangerous task than B-52 navigator-bombardiers. They fought their battles in dark cold discomfort and were absolutely vital in making the B-52 an effective weapon. In this long overdue account, distinguished combat veteran Bob Harder tells the amazing story of skill, dedication, and valor of the
men who were most feared by the North Vietnamese, and he tells it well!"
Colonel Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret.), Command Pilot, B-52 aircraft commander, former Director of the National Air & Space Museum, 2007 Inductee into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, best selling author of over 40 books on aviation including his most recent novel, "Hypersonic Thunder," released in April, 2009.

"This book will complete your Vietnam air war library. Splendid research and a tale well told."
Robert Coram, author of "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art Of War" and "American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day."

"Be prepared for a sensory overload; whining gyros, whistling slipstream, screaming engines, jet-fuel and electronic odors, stomach churning turbulence, and palm-sweating fear of SAMs. Robert Harder's brilliant account sings with authenticity."
Robert Vaughan, New York Times and Publisher's Weekly best-selling author with over 20 million books in print, including "Andersonville," "Brandywine's War," "Touch The Face Of God," "The Masada Scroll," and its sequel "Armor of God."

"The book accurately traces the development of navigation and bombing techniques from the earliest days of aviation to the defining Vietnam War air battle over Hanoi. Must-read heavy bomber history, artfully told from the B-52 navigator-bombardier's point of view."
Brigadier General John J. "Joe" Allen, USAF (Ret.), night forward air controller in Laos during Vietnam War, C-130A instructor navigator, Air Force academy instructor navigator, Director of Civil Engineering at Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Civil Engineer at Headquarters Air Combat Command (ACC), Langley Air Force Base, VA.

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