This is the first book published on the RAF contribution to the Afghan War and although it will undoubtedly not be the last, it will remain important, recording the experiences of those who fought there. It will appeal to aviation enthusiasts and military aviators, but the controversial nature of the conflict makes this a book to be read by anyone who has an opinion of the conflict.
NAME: Blue Sky Warriors
CLASSIFICATION: Book reviews
FILE: R1614
Date: 301010
AUTHOR: Anthony Loveless
PUBLISHER: Haynes
BINDING: Hard back
PAGES: 280
PRICE: GB £19.99
GENRE: Non-Fiction
SUBJECT: air combat, Afghan War, RAF, air power, close support, air transport, helicopters, Harrier, Tornado
ISBN: 978-1-84425-633-4
IMAGE: B1614
LINKS: http://tinyurl.com/
DESCRIPTION: It seems only yesterday that a journalist commented that the only thing that distinguished the RAF from the Swiss Air Force was a few minor police actions. Then came the liberation of the Falkland Islands when RAF and FAA aircraft created the conditions where British troops could defeat a numerically superior force of Argentine bandits in a full scale campaign against a well equipped invader 8000 miles from the British Isles. That resulted in a reverse of planned defence cuts and Britain seems to have settled into a routine where a new war starts every ten years of so and presents a situation of almost continuous conflict. Since 1997 Britain seems to have been engaged in a series of invasions, rather than defending against an attacker. The Afghan conflict has now run longer than World War Two and required close air support of British troops. The author has provided an account of this war in the words of RAF personnel who have been engaged there in conflict. Colour photographs are grouped in plate sections. This is the first book published on the RAF contribution to the Afghan War and although it will undoubtedly not be the last, it will remain important, recording the experiences of those who fought there. It will appeal to aviation enthusiasts and military aviators, but the controversial nature of the conflict makes this a book to be read by anyone who has an opinion of the conflict.