Hit My Smoke: Targeting the enemy in Vietnam

At the height of the Vietnam War, allied tactical fighter aircraft flew over 700 missions every day against ground targets across the southern republic. This formidable firepower was directed by forward air controllers (FACs), whose job was to ensure that each operation was destructive to the enemy yet harmless to friendly troops. The work was high-pressure and frequently hazardous for the FAC pilots who flew small, slow and often unarmed aircraft, and marked targets for attack with smoke rockets or grenades. Hit my smoke! tells the story of the 36 Royal Australian Air Force pilots who flew with the US Air Force as FACs between 1966 and 1971. Told through a series of first-hand narratives, it captures the full flavour of the gallant work performed by this little-known band of professional and highly-decorated airmen - from the perils and triumphs of combat, to the frustrations of participating in a politically unpopular conflict.