Low Level Hell

I flew 80 combat missions over N. Vietnam in 1967-68 from Navy aircraft carrier thinking it was the worst of the worst flying due to all the AAA fire/ Surface to air missiles-then after reading this book I realized how brave these scout/cobra helo pilots were flying on the deck day after day amongst tremendous firepower providing Army ground personnel the close air support that was needed in the S.Vietnam war zone-outstanding read!!

A friend sent me a signed copy of this book. Bought two more copies of this book. Gave one away and loaned one that never came back. Why this man wasn't awarded the Medal of Honor I'll never know. He certainly deserved and earned it with all of the heroic deeds he performed.

For me, without a doubt, the best book I have read on the Vietnam War. I am a Vietnam Era vet but did NOT serve in Vietnam. After 4 yrs active duty I enlisted in the N.G. where I had the honor of serving with some former Air Cav scout vets, some of whom had been shot down. This book confirms their experiences as they related them to me back in the late-1970s.Brave, Bold, Gutsy, Dedicated, Daring. These terms don't do these Aerial Scout crews justice. We ground pounders give you a heartfelt thanks & salute.A great read - don't miss it!!

These tales, taken individually by chapter or in totality, would make GREAT movies…I couldn’t even wait to the end of the book to post this review as impressed as I was…thank you, thank you for writing it…kudos and appreciate your service…God bless…

One of the best Vietnam helicopter stories. Unbelievable what this specific group did and how they risked their lives one of the best

As a retired soldier, I appreciate the pilots perspective and description of his combat experience. Another American war hero’s story told with dignity and respect.

My father, a Vietnam Vet, told me about this book. I’ve always wondered what it was like for him in Vietnam and this book put me right there, in the Helicopter, and in the jungle! My father also flew a Loach (sp?). I found this book to be extremely insightful regarding not only the war but also the mindset of our troops. I would read and then tell my dad about what I read and he would expound on his experiences. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for your bravery and service. It was hard to believe you were only 20/21 years of age when you took on this monumental feat. I imagine you grew up real fast in a short time and add to that the responsibility of your assignment while there, it’s quite incredible.Thank you for your insight into this war, your story made it real for me as opposed to just another history lesson in a book. My father, Joseph Earl Treadway, Jr. was a Warrant Officer in Vietnam in 1969 he also flew a Loach. My grandfather, Lt. Colonel, Joseph Earl Treadway, Senior, was the American Ambassador in Havana, Cuba during Batista’s reign. I never got to learn from my grandfather, he passed away in 1980. I’m sure that like yourself, he could have shared quite a story…Susan Treadway Mohon

Low Level Hell is the unvarnished account of Hugh Mills' time as a Scout pilot during his two tours in the Vietnam conflict. Hugh Mills basically re-wrote the Army guidelines on how/what a scout pilot is and has received numerous medals and awards for his time there, too many to recount here.The book takes you from when Hugh hadn't even been in a helicopter through pilot training and then his two tours in Vietnam. Each chapter is fairly short mainly detailing a single event that happened (and there are a lot of events) that stood out from the normal daily grind. Hugh basically puts you in the co-pilots seat so you feel you are right there riding along with him and his crew chief. No punches are pulled and the author tells it like for what it is, the hell of combat, getting shot at (and hit), the dangers and the thrills of flying literally 3 feet off the ground following a trail left by the enemy to a point of contact, popping up over a treeline and surprising a small group of enemy soldiers and of course the gory details of war like having a Loach (scout helicopter) crash and burn up on impact and the pilots scars and wounds and of course getting shot (in the butt).Each chapter is short, very well written keeps you engaged. This is an excellent book for picking up and reading for 5-10 minutes when you have time as each chapter is very riveting and short enough to do so. Once you start reading however, you don't want to put it down.Funnily enough, Hugh Mills also served at the same time and place Robert Hartley who was a Cobra pilot and has another excellent book, called Gunship Pilot.A great and detailed book about someone who had a great influence on the way the Vietnam was fought.Highly recommended.

Pensei em ser mais um livro sobre memórias de pilotos na guerra do Vietnã e foi mais que isso. Muito bacana a história dos pilotos do OH-6, o famoso Little Bird que voa até hoje no exército USA.Parabéns pela obra!

First, I only chose 4/5 stars because I don't think you can beat a physical book. That side, I found the narrative absolutely enthralling. Personally, I didn't think it gory in any way. As a UK civilian helicopter pilot myself, I could relate to the description of the manoeuvres and handling of the hueys, cobras and loaches. In the civilian world the loach was more commonly known as the Hughes 500, then came the newer 520 and so on. The civilian 500 is/was also known as the Ferrari of the skies: a very agile chopper that could turn on a sixpence, cope with what you throw at it. However, in the civilian world, we don't and don't need to fly at the extreme edges of the flight envelope and of course we don't have anyone shooting at us! Because of my knowledge and own piloting, I was able to relate very easily to the narrative. The descriptions of the recon flights I found particularly interesting especially the relaxed way that he often flew, like using his knee to steady the collective lever. I was taught never to do this but I've flown with a few pilots that occasionally do this. Also, his tight right hand almost vertical landings. An essential part of any helicopter pilot training and continued yearly proficiency checks, autorotations must be demonstrated. I must say, they are exhilarating and do make a pilot "pucker up" sometimes, especially when given a confined area to aim for and again I've never had anyone shooting at me! I found myself totally engrossed in the author's seat and sometimes found my pulse racing as I was literally drawn into the book. The author made me feel as though I was right there with him, going through my "HASEL" checks, chopping throttle, entering an auto, flare and final pull of collective up to your armpits! The skill of these chopper pilots was amazing. I'd be happy to have a tenth of their skills. I can't recall him mentioning it but I'm sure he often flew in what's called the "dead man's curve", something every pilot tries to avoid, but these Nam pilots seem to have done it so often as a normal part of what they felt they needed to do to achieve their goals. The book flowed effortly. I enjoyed every part of it and didn't want it to end. I know the Vietnam war was horrific in terms of lives lost etc but this book deals not with the why's or where fors but with one man's experience of being there. My only advice would be to look up the basics of helicopter dynamics and controls as some of descriptions are technicaly specific to helicopters and it will make more sense if you know what collective, cyclic and anti-torque etc are as a minimum. Definitely recommend this book. It will give you a bird's eye view of the struggles of a scout helicopter pilot.

Although the author did favor himself a bit, I found the book a very interesting and informative telling of the life of a Scout Pilot in Vietnam. Being an Army aviation veteran, I understood most of the terms used, but he did a very good job explaining it so that everyone could understand it. I can highly recommend this book to all interested in Army aviation in Vietnam. Thanks for your service Sir.

In „low Level Hell“ Hugh Mills vividly describes the missions, tactics and people he encountered during his tour as a scout pilot with a cavalry unit in Vietnam in 1969.This is neither a biographical nor an analytical work but a pretty straightforward account, what the author experienced during his combat tour. Thus the reader gets to know some details on tactics and mission profiles but the focus is on the account of what happened. Mills does not attempt to generalize the tactics he or his unit used and hardly puts his missions into a bigger perspective, mainly because he hardly was made aware the bigger tactical picture in his position. He was briefed what he needed to know for his mission and the reader finds himself in this same position.Mills also does not provide any political or moral reasoning about the war or goes into much detail about his personal life. Here you listen to a professional pilot and an aggressive scout talking about what he knows best and loves – scouting. The scope of the story may seem to be narrow to some, but apart from comprehensive history works and analytical studies this book provides the personal experience of just one officer and his unique perspective. Within this scope the author provides a very readable, interesting and action-packed account of his tour, which he appears to have taken great pains to get down as factual as possible.In summary this is a well written account of his tour from a man who has some great stories to tell about war and helicopters. It will broaden the perspective of anyone interested but in the end these are some war stories – not more but also not less.

Low Level Hell by Hugh L. Mills is a must read for anyone interested with the Vietnam war, and passion for aviation, more so with helicopters during combat.Seller was fast on delivery and book was in superb condition.