On Air Defense (The Military Profession) [Hardcover]

James D. Crabtree (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275947920 | ISBN-13: 978-0275947927 | Publication Date: October 30, 1994

This book is a study of all aspects of air defense from its beginnings during the French Revolution when artillery gunners tried to hit primitive balloons with their cannons to the use of Patriot missiles in the Gulf War to shoot down tactical ballistic missiles. Crabtree's history focuses on the development of tactics and technology from the Franco-Prussian War to the present. The strategic air defense of World War I and World War II are featured, as are the development of surface-to-air missiles by Germany in World War II and by the United States and the USSR in Vietnam and the Middle East.

Editorial Reviews

Review

.,."offers the reader a brief overview of this unexplored area of military history."-The Journal of Military History

Book Description

On Air Defense is a readable history of air defense.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (October 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275947920
• ISBN-13: 978-0275947927
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,783,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive history, June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: On Air Defense (Paperback)

Complete with the authors' own illustrations, this is THE book to own about air defense artillery if only buying one. The author seems to make the subject his life, and it shows. Thorough and complete.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IADS, January 1, 2010

By 

M. Tran - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On Air Defense (Paperback)

For someone studying modern day integrated air defense this is a very good book to start with even if it does focus primarily on air defense artillery.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about air defense that I ever read, January 19, 2009

By 

Dalton C. Rocha (Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On Air Defense (Paperback)

I read this very good book, here in Brazil.This book has this table of contents:
Illustrations vii
Acnowledgments ix
1- Early air defesense> 1.
2-World War I Air defense:The Central Powers>11.
3-World War I Air Defense:The Allies >21.
4-Developments during the interwarperiod>37.
5-England:From The Battle of Britain to Nato>53.
6-Germany:Air Defense in Festung Europa>71.
7-Japan:Defeat throught Airpower>87.
8-Soviet Union:Strela,Shilka, and Volga >101.
9-United States:Kike, Hawk, and Patriot > 115.
10-Vietnam:people's Air Defense>131.
11-Middle East:Conflict in Holy Skies>147.
12-Persian Gulf:Aerospace Defense Artillery>161.
13-The Future of Air Defense>179.
Glossary >187.
Selected Bibliography>203.
Index > 211.
Photographs followpage 114.

This book has some failures.To exemple, on page 176, this book writes:"Iraq achieved all its aerial kills with ground-based anti-aircraft weapons."
Well, in fact, Iraq fighters downed just one Coalition plane;in fact, an american F/A-18 hornet.
About defense gainst ballistic missiles, this book is just regular.
Even with small failures such as these, I must give five stars for this book, because:
1-Another reviewer was very unfair, giving one star, for this very good bood.I'm a brazilian and I must be, just with anyone.
2-I gave three stars for the book Anti-Aircraft Artillery, writen by Ian Hogg.This book is far better, than Hogg's book.
3-This book is, the best book about air defense that I ever read.