Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present [Hardcover]

Victor Flintham (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This unusual reference work presents capsule descriptions of every armed conflict of the postwar era in which air power played a part, from well-known wars to the most obscure skirmishes. Political backgrounds as well as air operations are given. The material is accurate and highly detailed, and aviation buffs will love the numerous tidbits of little-known information. Each section concludes with a technical section on aircraft, including colors and markings. An odd oversight is the lack of insignia information, and the pictures are few. This book will supplement (but not replace) the standard technical references, such as the annual Jane's All the World's Aircraft, and is recommended to all public library collections.
- Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Los Angeles
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 415 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File; 1St Edition edition (February 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816023565
• ISBN-13: 978-0816023561
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,935 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 best detailed review of air war since 1945 ever produced, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present (Hardcover)

Flintham has produced the best one vol. overview of post WWII air war up to 1990. The detailed text is supplemented by many interesting b/w photos, maps, and orders of battle. He puts well known conflicts like Yom Kippur and Vietnam in context by including the numerous smaller clashes like the Greek Civil and the Netherlands East Indies war. Nothing seems to be left out. He fills the book with facts and numbers and allows the reader do the evaluation.

3.0 out of 5 stars The Air Follies, October 24, 2004

By 

sixtring "sixtring" (Mid-Atlantic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present (Hardcover)

This book is the military aviation version of "trainspotting," in which enthusiasts attempt to make an exhaustive record of all the passings of their chosen mode of fascination. To many readers, post war military aviation CAN be fascinating, especially when it comes to tracking the afterlife of World War II's famous aircraft as they toiled on as second-hand warriors in the obscure brush wars of the 1950s and 60s. The author attempted to provide a nearly complete description of post-1945 air power. This is an ambitious goal as it includes large-scale wars (Korea, Vietnam, and various India-Pakistan and Arab-Israeli conflicts), the insidious conflicts (Red vs. Nationalist Chinese over the Formosa Straits, The Falklands, and the 1969 Soccer War), and the many preposterous insurgencies of Africa, the East Indies, and Latin America. A lot has transpired since the publication date (1990), so perhaps an update is in order. Photos are scant and of fair to poor quality. Technical notes, which give narrative descriptions of aircraft insignia and markings, are probably intended for scale modellers. Color illustrations would have been far more effective. But, if you just have to know the "who's who" of obscure air warfare, this book is a pretty good chronicle.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference book., March 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present (Hardcover)

Extensive but not exhaustive review of the participation of aircraft in military conflicts after WWII. A good historical reference source. Contains a good list of references but very poor photograph records.