No.6 in the Australian Air Campaign Series
Jeff Pedrina’s book provides a very personal and thoughtful account of his twelve month’s service in Vietnam with No 35 Squadron – ‘Wallaby Airlines’. While the story is primarily about the people, and the personalities, he encountered during his tour of duty in Vietnam, it is also the story of a remarkable aircraft, the de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou – the first mass-produced short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft of its size. For seven and a half years it was the backbone of the airlift effort in the highlands of Vietnam, and was operated by the Royal Australian Air Force until November 2009, forty-five years after it first entered RAAF service.
First into the theatre in 1964 and last out in 1972, the Caribou aircraft and its air and ground crews were the RAAF’s quiet achievers in Vietnam. In the course of seven and a half years, Wallaby Airlines achieved an excellent operational record and reputation as a tactical transport squadron. This book in its original format was first published in 2006, having been awarded Special Mention in the 2005 RAAF Heritage Awards. This new edition is intended to bring the experiences of Jeff Pedrina, and the exploits of the Wallaby Airlines and its venerable Caribou aircraft to life for a new generation of reader.
Peter Brennan – Sabretache –
This is one of the best accounts of air transport operations, in a jungle war zone that I have read.
The courage and skill of these Australian Pilots cannot be underestimated. The Author flew operations for 12 months -up to 40 hours a week, in and out of
these dangerous airstrips in all sorts of conditions. His experiences during these flights, are very uplifting to read about.
Jeff’s records are well detailed over the course of his tour. His two maps and wide variety of photographs are of great value to the book. This enables
a better understanding of the demographics of Vietnam. Jeff’s many flying experiences in Vietnam create a different impression of the war as a whole.
The fact that the Caribou is rated No 5 amongst ‘Top 10 RAAF Aircraft’ of all time, only confirms Jeff’s opinions. His insight into the versality and
capabilities of this unique aircraft, confirm his admiration for it. The Caribou was the first RAAF aircraft sent to Vietnam in 1964 and the last withdrawn in 1972. No other aircraft had the ability to land fully loaded on any type of strip and stop in 1000 feet.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in our war history and aircraft.
Peter Masters – Military Books Australia –
In Jeff Pedrina’s book we have a personal account of his twelve months’ service in Vietnam with No. 35 Squadron – dubbed “Wallaby Airlines”. While the story is primarily about the people he encountered during his tour of duty, it is also the story of a remarkable aircraft, the De Haviland Canada DHC-4 Caribou – the first mass produced short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft of its size. For seven and a half years it was the backbone of the airlift effort in the highlands of Vietnam. In the course of seven and a half years, Wallaby Airlines achieved an excellent operational record and reputation as a tactical transport squadron. This book was first published in 2006 and this new edition is intended to bring the experiences of Jeff Pedrina and the exploits of the Wallaby Airlines, to a new generation or readers.