Boyd

Fülszöveg

"The military services should welcome more people like Colonel John Boyd. He was something of a legend in the Pentagon—for his willingness to swim against the tide and to challenge service orthodoxy."
—JAMES SCHLESINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever—the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft—the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu.
They know only half the story.
Boyd, more than any other person, saved fighter aviation from the prédations of the Strategic Air Command. His manual of fighter tactics changed the way every air force in the world flies and fights. He discovered a physical theory that forever altered the way fighter planes were... Tovább

Fülszöveg

"The military services should welcome more people like Colonel John Boyd. He was something of a legend in the Pentagon—for his willingness to swim against the tide and to challenge service orthodoxy."
—JAMES SCHLESINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever—the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft—the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu.
They know only half the story.
Boyd, more than any other person, saved fighter aviation from the prédations of the Strategic Air Command. His manual of fighter tactics changed the way every air force in the world flies and fights. He discovered a physical theory that forever altered the way fighter planes were designed. Later in life, he developed a theory of military strategy that has been adopted throughout the world and even applied to business models for maximizing efficiency. And in one of the most startling and unknown stories of modern military history, the Air Force fighter pilot taught the U.S. Marine Corps how to fight war on the ground. His ideas led to America's swift and decisive victory in the Gulf War and foretold the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
On a personal level, Boyd rarely met a general he couldn't offend. He was loud, abrasive, and profane. A man of daring, ferocious passion and intractable stubbornness, he was that most American of heroes—a rebel
who cared not for his reputation or fortune but for his country. He was a true patriot, a man who made a career of challenging the shortsighted and self-serving Pentagon bureaucracy. America owes Boyd and his disciples— the six men known as the "Acolytes"—a great debt.
Robert Coram finally brings to light the remarkable story of a man who polarized all who knew him, but who left a legacy that will influence the military—and all of America—for decades to come.
ROBERT CORAM is the author of three nonfiction books and seven novels. He lives in Atlanta.
"Coram has captured the invincible spirit that is John Boyd in all its fury and intensity of purpose and genius. Though the book is about Boyd the fighter pilot—who made lasting contributions to aeronautical design and warfare—to me, Colonel Boyd will always be a brave-hearted soldier for the truth. He was a man who relished a world-class confrontation with the top brass on things that really mattered. He inspired others to follow. And that includes me." —SENATOR CHARLES GRASSLEY, IOWA
"Robert Coram's book paints an extremely accurate picture of a man whose contributions to the art of war rival those of the greatest military minds. In no small way, the victory in Desert Storm belongs to John Boyd, and more important, victory in future conflict will belong to him also. Robert Coram has captured the essence of the man. This book is a must-read not just for the warrior but for the statesman as well!"
—GENERAL CHARLES KRULAK, (RET.) FORMER COMMANDANT, U.S. MARINE CORPS
"What a story! Robert Coram's Boyd is the exhaustively researched, dramatically written biography of one of America's little-known military heroes. John Boyd was a tough, uncompromising maverick of a fighter pilot and Coram tells this unforgettable story with the same passion as the man who lived it. A great read!"
—WILLIAM DIEHL, AUTHOR OF EUREKA
"Coram captures the essence of John Boyd. It is all there: the audacious candor, the trenchant wit, the unbridled arrogance, the intellectual honesty, the courage borne of conviction, the patriotic fervor, the unyielding determination, the heart of the fighter pilot, but—most of
all—the truly brilliant mind. Bravo!" —RON "MUGS" McKEOWN, FIRST COMMANDER
OF THE U.S. NAVY'S TOPGUN SCHOOL Vissza