Pacific Tomcat Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2023 | Title | Pacific Tomcat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | James Geer | Publisher | Scramble 4 Productions |
| Published | 2022 | ISBN | 9798985799705 |
| Format | 144 pages, hardbound | MSRP (USD) | $39.95 |
Review
One of the most popular fighter aircraft from the cold war was Grumman's F-14 Tomcat. While it had a shaky start in its early days, the Tomcat evolved into the most potent aircraft in the skies until it was retired. From the F-14A through the F-14D, the Tomcat continued its evolution by adding and replacing subsystems and weapons to outclass anything the Navy could put on carrier flight decks.
The author examines the F-14 in operational service from the beginning, which started in the Pacific Fleet. VF-1 and VF-2 were the first squadrons to take the Tomcat to sea aboard the USS Enterprise as part of Carrier Air Wing 14. Coverage continues as other squadrons were assigned to other Pacific Air Wings up through 2004, when VF-11 and VF-31 flew until the aircraft's official retirement, again with Carrier Air Wing 14.
Coverage of this title includes:
- VF-1 and VF-2 - Air Wing Fourteen
- VF-1 and VF-2 - Air Wing Two
- VF-24 and VF-211 - Air Wing Nine
- VF-114 and VF-213 - Air Wing Eleven
- VF-51 and VF-111 - Air Wing Fifteen
- VF-21 and VF-154 - Air Wing Fourteen
- VF-21 and VF-154 - Air Wing Five
- VF-191 and VF-194 - Air Wing Ten
- VF-11 and VF-31 - Air Wing Fourteen
- VF-124 - Commander Fighter Airborne Early Warning Wing - Pacific Fleet
- VF-301 and VF-302 - Reserve Air WIng Thirty
In each section, the author describes the time periods, aircraft carrier assignment(s), the date ranges for each cruise, and the notable events/assignments within each cruise. In addition, the author has compiled an impressive array of large format color photographs of aircraft assigned to each squadron/wing with excellent coverage of colors and markings carried by these aircraft over the timeframe described in each section. In total, there are over 200 photographs that came from private collections that depict each aircraft wearing pristine paint as fresh out of the paint booth, not the weary end-of-cruise touch-up Tomcats.
Historians and hobbyists will love it. Whether you want to find an early block F-14A that is still in the process of getting its sea legs or a late block F-14D 'Bombcat' (or something in-between), this is the title that will help you with the camouflage and markings of the Tomcat on any Pacific-based squadron. I can only hope the author will follow this work up with an Atlantic Tomcat sequel!
Highly recommended!
With thanks to the author for the review copy.