Continues the detailed military history of this ongoing conflict, the largest in Europe since the end of the Second World War in 1945.

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. Despite all predictions to the contrary, Ukraine survived the initial blow and repelled Russia's attempts to seize Kyiv. As the war on the ground expanded from March through to June of 2022, so also it expanded in the air, and Russia's Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS) fought the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Povitriyani syly Zbroiynyh syl Ukrayini, PSZSU).

Although largely outclassed in air-to-air combat by more advanced Russian aircraft and missiles, the PSZSU continued to fight an uneven contest using its manned aircraft and ground-based air defences to deny total control of the air to the VKS. Using aircraft from rough forward operating bases and learning to conduct missile engagements using guerilla tactics to avoid Russian suppression of enemy air defence missions, Ukraine inflicted painful losses on the enemy, but not without suffering many downed aircraft, destroyed missile systems, and personnel casualties in return. On the other hand, the VKS was often just as hampered by its own muddled leadership, flawed doctrine, and lack of a clear Russian airpower strategy that rendered it closely tied to the ground war and unable to exert a decisive influence on the conflict.

In parallel to the air campaign, a war of rockets and missiles was being waged against tactical, operational and strategic targets on both sides that saw extensive use of artillery rocket systems, and ballistic and cruise missiles launched from the ground, at sea and from the air. While many of these missiles would be defeated by air defence systems, or simply miss their targets, others would inflict heavy damage.

Volume 7 of the War in Ukraine strand in the Europe@War series draws on a wide range of sources to provide a detailed examination of the military aspects of the air and missile campaign that developed in the skies above Ukraine between March and June 2022. It includes overviews of the weapons systems employed by both sides, analysis of the tactics, and of the successes and failures of both sides, and a detailed account of the campaign for Snake Island that would see the sinking of Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.

War in Ukraine, Volume 7: Air and Missile Warfare, March-June 2022 is extensively illustrated throughout with original colour photographs, maps, diagrams and specially commissioned colour artworks illustrating this military campaign in the air.

An in-depth analysis of the air conflict between Russia and Ukraine, exploring the failures and successes of both sides' air forces and their impact on the ground campaign.

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. Coming after years of tensions following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and thinly veiled direct armed support for separatists fighting in Donbass and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, observers gave Ukraine's military little chance of surviving the initial Russian onslaught. Yet the Russian forces failed to deliver a decisive blow in the opening air or ground campaign. Volume 6 of War in Ukraine examines the air war between Russia and Ukraine during February and March of 2022.

In order to explain the failures of the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS) in the opening moves of this war, this volume undertakes a detailed examination of the history, technology and doctrine of the Soviet and Russian air forces from the late Cold War up to the eve of the 2022 invasion, along with the opposing air force and ground-based anti-air defenses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Zbroiynyhsyl Ukrayini, ZSU).

Building upon the general account of the opening moves of this conflict contained in Volume 2 of War in Ukraine, this volume presents a detailed account of the successes and failures of each side in their use of air power and how this impacted upon the ground campaign.

War in Ukraine: Volume 6 The Air War February-March 2022 is illustrated throughout with full color photographs, specially commissioned maps, and the @War series' signature color artworks showing the aircraft of this ongoing conflict.

Following Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, intense battles with Palestinian and Syrian forces, culminating in Operation Mole Cricket 19, are detailed.

Following years of growing tensions, in June 1982 Israel launched an all-out invasion of Lebanon. Following initial advances on Palestinian-controlled Tyre and Sidon, Beaufort Castle, and the amphibious landing at Awali, on 8 June 1982 the Israeli Defense Force initiated operations against the Syrian armed forces deployed in southern-central Lebanon. What were initially minor firefights for Jezzine and Ein Zehalta developed into major armor battles in which Syrian Gazelle helicopters took a heavy toll of Israeli armor. The following battles of Ein el-Hilweh, Khalde, and Kfar Sil are remembered by participants from all parties for their ferocity and the relentless resistance of Palestinian and Syrian combatants.

Finding no other solution, on 9 June 1982 the Israelis initiated Operation Mole Cricket 19, aiming to destroy the integrated air defense system of the Syrian Arab Air Force and the Syrian Arab Air Defense Force deployed in eastern-central Lebanon. On the ground, the Israeli and Syrian armies clashed in a major battle at Lake Qaroun, which soon expanded all the way to the Syrian border.

On the other side of the country, the Israeli forces fought their way to Beirut Airport. In a headlong rush for the crucial road connecting Beirut and Damascus, on 10 and 11 June an Israeli armored battalion advanced on the village of Sultan Yacoub, provoking an epic battle. Finally, on 11 June 1982, the Israelis exacted revenge of a sort when their units, equipped with US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles, ambushed Syrian armor at Jebel Barouch.

Based on extensive interviews with veterans from all parties, focusing on minute reconstructions of combat operations, and richly illustrated with exclusive photography, Lebanese Civil War, Volume 4, offers unsurpassed coverage of one of most spectacular and most tragic conflicts of the late twentieth century.

A detailed overview of the rival air forces that would become embroiled in the conflict, and an account of the opening Israeli air strikes against Egyptian targets.

In June 1967 Israel, which seemed on the verge of being annihilated by its Arab neighbors, took six days to redraw the Middle Eastern strategic map in one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in modern times.

The success was over a decade in the making following the Suez Crisis, with the Israeli forces being radically changed to create an army and air force upon which the country would rely when it became obvious the international community would take no action to implement guarantees made after the events of 1956.

The Israeli forces were honed in low level clashes during the 1960s, notably the Water Wars which the Israelis did so much to provoke. By contrast, the Arab forces became complacent, largely due to supplies of arms from the Warsaw Pact states. With proper training, this complacency could have been turned into military effectiveness but the Arab forces were plagued by internal rivalries and high commands too often depending upon politically reliable officers rather than those who were militarily effective.

The Egyptian forces were further undermined by their commitment to the debilitating Yemen Civil War which meant they were in no condition to confront Israel. Syria and Jordan, whose forces could not fight the Israelis alone, complained loudly about President Nasser's lack of action against Israel. Nasser's decision in early 1967 to regain the prestige he had lost since the heady days of the Suez Crisis with a demonstration in the Sinai Peninsula was interpreted by the Israelis as preparations for an invasion. Nasser did nothing to persuade them otherwise and when it was clear the international community would do nothing the Israelis decided to strike Egypt, and in turn Syria and Jordan.

The Israeli campaign was heralded by a massive surprise air attack first on the Egyptians and then on the other neighboring states, and ground offensives then followed in succession.

Volume 1 of The June 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War provides an in-depth background to the long running confrontation between Arab and Jew in the Middle East, a detailed overview of the rival air forces that would become embroiled in the conflict, and an account of the opening Israeli air strikes against Egyptian targets. This volume is illustrated throughout with original photographs and includes specially commissioned full color aircraft profiles.

In June 1967 Israel, which seemed on the verge of being annihilated by its Arab neighbors, took six days to redraw the Middle Eastern strategic map in one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in modern times.

The success was almost a decade in the making following the Suez Crisis of 1956 with the Israeli forces being radically changed under the direction of the Magi. These changes created an army and air force upon which the country would rely when it became obvious the international community would take no action to implement guarantees made after the Suez Crisis.

The Israeli forces were honed in low-level clashes during the 1960s, notably the Water Wars which the Israelis did so much to provoke. By contrast the Arab forces became complacent, usually due to supplies of arms from the Warsaw Pact, but - with proper training - this complacency could have been turned into military effectiveness. The Arab forces were, however, plagued by the fact that command too often depended upon political reliability rather than military effectiveness.

In the case of the Egyptian forces their effectiveness was further undermined by their commitment to the debilitating Yemen Civil War which meant they were in no condition to confront Israel. Syria and Jordan, whose forces alone could not fight the Israelis, complained loudly about President Nasser's lack of action against Israel. In the spring of 1967 Nasser decided to regain the prestige he had lost since the heady days of the Suez Crisis with a demonstration in the Sinai Peninsula. This was interpreted by the Israelis as preparations for an invasion and Nasser did nothing to persuade them otherwise. When it was clear the international community would do nothing, the Israelis decided to strike.

Initially Israel aimed to attack only Egypt, but Syria and Jordan then provoked attacks upon their territory. The Israeli campaign was heralded by a massive surprise air attack first on the Egyptians and then on the other neighboring states. Ground offensives then followed in succession as the war, like Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin 'just growed.' These campaigns were not always examples of military perfection, as will be scene, and the general post-war back-slapping drowned out serious questions about the future of Israel's army.

... a significant contribution to this forgotten part of the Iran-Iraq War, the naval aspect of which only heretofore came to the attention of Westerners when their warships started to enter the Persian Gulf in large numbers in 1987. The quality of the writing is quite good, although understandably very detailed. -National Maritime Historical Society

Well away from the major battlefields on the ground in the Iran-Iraq War, and hidden from the gaze of the curious public, the navies and air forces of the two belligerents contested the waters of the Persian (or Arabian) Gulf. This naval aspect of the war still remains largely unknown and hugely underreported in the West other than in terms of the 'Tanker War' and the impact upon international shipping.

Yet this was a war in which Iran and Iraq pitted the best technologies available to them - bought from the world's leading arms manufacturers and exporters - against each other's vital oil production and exports, and against vital maritime lifelines. Iran in particular relied upon 'caravans' of shipping to import raw materials, provide logistic support to the land war, and to export oil-based products. Iraq would make the first (and by far most extensive) combat use of the famous Exocet anti-ship missile long before its first claimed use by Argentina in the Falklands/Malvinas War and would make extensive use of French-sourced electronic warfare capabilities and Soviet anti-radiation missiles. Iran would make the first combat use of the F-14 Tomcat and its associated AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missile and would be the first to launch the RGM-84 Harpoon surface-to-surface missile in anger. Far from being a backwater, this was the testing ground for many cutting-edge technologies.

Volume 2 of Iran-Iraq Naval War draws upon unique access to Iranian naval archives and examines in detail the naval war between 1981 and early 1984 as Iraq struggled to defeat Iran's highly organized maritime 'caravans, ' how each side experienced successes and failures in the employment of new technologies, and their efforts to counter these. This book is illustrated throughout with original photographs, many in color and never previously published in the West, and with specially commissioned color maps and the @War series' signature color artworks showing the ships and aircraft employed in this war.

The reader will be hard pressed to find another book providing this sort of detailed information. It is liberally illustrated with battlefield photographs and good maps. -- Military Heritage Magazine

On 24 February 2022, eight years after invading the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine and organizing an illegal referendum in support of a subsequent Russian annexation, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both Western and Russian intelligence services expected the invasion to quickly topple the democratically elected government in Kyiv and, with the help of collaborators, to overrun the Ukrainian armed forces in a matter of between 3 and 14 days.

Early on 24 February, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (VSRF) launched a series of missile and artillery strikes on the main air bases and dozens of other military facilities in Ukraine. Immediately afterwards, the VSRF launched a ground invasion, with its forces advancing on Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Melitopol, and Kherson. Although following a build-up that had begun in April 2021, and expected by many, the onslaught still came as a major surprise for the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian armed forces, and the majority of its allies in the West, and also for the mass of officers and other ranks of the VSRF, many of whom believed that they were only to participate in exercises.

However, the deeper the Russians rolled into Ukraine, the more resistance they encountered: while some Russian units performed as expected, elsewhere whole armies began falling apart when ordered to advance at maximum possible speed without the necessary firepower and logistic support. After suffering catastrophic losses while failing to reach downtown Kyiv, and failing to reach and enter Chernihiv and Kharkiv, the war in northern and north-eastern Ukraine quickly settled down into a bloody stalemate. In the south, the Russians initially advanced at an astonishing rate, securing Melitopol during the second day of their invasion, and Kherson only a few days later. It was only once President Putin attempted to accelerate the rate of advance through ordering heliborne operations deeper into Ukraine that the VSRF suffered a severe blow in the fighting for Voznesensk and Mykolaiv, and its advance in this part of the country also came to an end.

Richly illustrated with color photography and full color artworks, and providing a detailed study of the organization and order of battle of the armed forces involved on both sides, Volume 2 of War in Ukraine provides the first detailed account of the first two weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The days of 11-13 June, 1982, proved that Arik Sharon's plan was over-ambitious and adventuristic. Dragging the IDF into the fight with Syrians appeared to be more complicated despite IDF superiority in technology and training. The armored units were moving too slowly and were stuck in numerous engagements all over the place.

In the Western zone, after several failed attempts to take higher ground and open the road to Beirut, IDF finally made its gain and secured Kfar Sil after a very tough fight that lasted not less than 18 hours.

In the Central zone, after getting the upper hand over the Syrian forces in Ein Zhalta and Jezzine, Israelis continued to crawl towards Beirut-Damascus Highway but the tempo had been lost and it was obvious that the Sharon expectation could not be matched.

In Bekaa Valley, Eastern zone, IDF moved 399 Brigade to the north in order to reach Beirut Damascus Highway in the quickest possible way. That move turned out to be a disaster and one of the worst fights in IDF history. It took tremendous effort of two Israeli divisions to recover the troubled Brigade while suffering losses in men and machines.

Besides the major battles, Israeli forces continued to clear the area while having tough opposition hotspots like Ein-Hilweh and finally, the controversial engagement between IDF anti-tank units and Syrian T-72s.

A riotous journey into the heart of insanity also known as the State of Florida. Bravo!--Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success

Florida, circa 1980. Reed Crowe, the eponymous Florida Man, is a middle-aged beach bum, beleaguered and disenfranchised, living on ill-gotten gains deep in the jungly heart of Florida. When sinkholes start opening on Emerald Island, not only are Reed Crowe's seedy businesses--a moribund motel and a shabby amusement park--endangered, but so are his secrets. Crowe, amateur spelunker, begins uncovering artifacts that change his understanding of the island's history, as well as his understanding of his family's birthright as pioneering homesteaders.

Meanwhile, there are other Florida men with whom Crowe must contend. Hector Catface Morales, a Cuban refugee, trained assassin, and crack-addicted Marielito, is seeking revenge on Reed for stealing his stash of drugs and leaving him for dead (unbeknownst to Reed) in the wreckage of a plane crash in the Everglades decades ago. Loner and misanthrope Henry Yahchilane, a Seminole native, has something to hide on the island. So does irascible and pervy Wayne Wade, Reed Crowe's childhood friend turned bad penny. Then there are the Florida women, including Heidi Karavas, Reed Crowe's ex-wife, now a globe-trekking art curator, and Nina Arango, a Cuban refugee and fiercely protective woman with whom Reed Crowe falls in love. There are curses. There are sea monsters. There are biblical storms. There's something called the Jupiter Effect.

Ultimately, Florida Man is a generation-spanning story about how a man decides to live his life, and how despite staying landlocked and stubbornly in one place, the world nevertheless comes to him.

Nominally at least, the bloody and ruinous eight-year war fought between Iran and Iraq was a confrontation dominated by operations on land. The traditional impression is that the resources devoted to naval warfare were minute in comparison to those of its major land battlefields. As so often, the reality is almost diametrically opposite. Certainly enough, the horrendous casualties incurred in major land offensives make the Iran-Iraq War one of the bloodiest conflicts of the twentieth century. It escaped public attention that the mass of what was happening on these battlefields was decided by naval warfare and that indeed, the consequences of that naval warfare led Iraq to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the country's subsequent downfall into chaos and civil war.

During the first year of the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian naval activity began to prove decisive for the country's ability to continue waging the war. Not only was its primary point of exporting crude oil - Khark Island - in the northern Persian Gulf, but Iran became heavily dependent on hauling reinforcements and supplies from ports in the lower and central Gulf, foremost Bandar-e Abbas and Bushehr, to the modern and huge port of Bandar-e Khomeyni in the north. This in turn prompted the Iraqis to attempt interrupting both of these flows. Iraq deployed the full spectrum of their arsenal including the Aéorspatiale AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missile, which saw its first combat deployment at least six months before its use during the Falklands War. However, much of this story this has remained unknown beyond superficial insight into the 'Tanker War'.

The first part of Volume 1 of this mini-series concentrates on providing the background and context of the conflict, and of the naval capabilities of the two belligerents: through a detailed study of both navies and the two air forces. It provides a precise analysis of their capabilities and intentions and sets the scene for the naval warfare of the following eight years.

The second part covers the first months of the war, including the famous air and naval Operation Morvarid, undertaken with the aim of destroying the two primary Iraqi oil-loading terminals in the northern Persian Gulf.
Based on extensive primary research making use of previously unavailable documentation and interviews with veterans, and richly illustrated, this volume provides unique insights into modern-day naval warfare, including many lessons-learned still valid in the present day.

Officially established on 22 April 1931, around a core of 5 pilots and 32 aircraft mechanics, the Royal Iraqi Air Force was the first military flying service in any Arab country.

Wings of Iraq, Volume 2 tells the story of the Iraqi Air Force between 1970 and 1980. In doing so it examines the air force's involvement in the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and then the showdown with the Iranian-supported Kurdish insurgency in northern Iraq in 1974-1975. These two affairs taught the Iraqis that numbers alone did not make an air force. Correspondingly, during the second half of the 1970s, Baghdad embarked on a project based on full technology transfer from France, which was intended to result in preparing the IrAF for the twenty-first century.

This process hardly began when the new ruler in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti, led his country into an invasion of neighboring Iran, embroiling it in a ruinous, eight-year-long war. This volume details the events leading up to the beginning of that war and its opening moves in the air.

Although virtually 'born in battle', collecting precious combat experience and playing an important role in so many internal and external conflicts, the Iraqi Air Force remains one of the least known and most misinterpreted military services in the Middle East. Richly illustrated, Wings of Iraq, Volume 2, provides a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational history, its crucial officers and aircraft, and its major operations between 1970 and 1980.

Boasting deserted beaches, towering sea-cliffs and tiny harbours - not to mention rich cultural and historical interest - the west of Ireland has much to entice the visitor, and with many miles of quiet roads, it's a cyclist's paradise. The Wild Atlantic Way is a driving route along Ireland's Atlantic seaboard, covering over 2,350km of coastline and showcasing the region's breathtaking landscapes. This guide adapts the route for cyclists - and throws in a couple of other highlights (such as the Aran Islands and Killarney) for good measure.

Since relatively few people are likely to have seven weeks to spare for a full Wild Atlantic Way tour, the book presents six self-contained cycle tours, each offering 7-10 days of riding. For the full Wild Atlantic Way experience, these distinct routes can be linked together into a 44-stage trip from Derry/Londonderry to Cork. Each route includes detailed advice on accommodation and facilities, plus optional detours and shortcuts and points of interest. The routes themselves are presented as 'route cards': ideal for use with a cycle computer, these pages provide 'at a glance' information for when you're on the road, covering navigation, facilities and local highlights.

The guide covers all the practicalities - including transport, equipment and general tips on cycling in Ireland - and also offers background information on geology, plants and wildlife, history and culture to enhance your journey. The result is an ideal companion to discovering western Ireland, where magnificent scenery, a vibrant music scene and a warm Irish welcome await the turn of your pedals.

Originally envisaged as a privately funded project for a possible future NATO-fighter, the Dassault Mirage F.1 evolved into one of the most aesthetically attractive and commercially most successful combat aircraft of the 1970s and 1980s.

Developed into more than a dozen of different variants and sub-variants - each of them custom-tailored to requirements of air forces that flew it - it also became a type that saw intensive combat service in numerous wars on no less than three different continents.

Iraq became the biggest export customer for Mirage F.1. One way or the other, the Iraqi Air Force significantly contributed - and financed - the further development of this type, but also influenced research and development of a number of further systems that followed in its wake - most of which eventually found their way into operational service in France.

While the Mirage F.1 has attracted at least some coverage in English language publications, its acquisition and combat deployment by Iraq still remains a topic with not a few controversies. The purpose of this volume is to redress the balance and provide an in-depth insight into the acquisition process, development and equipment of custom-tailored variants made for Iraq, training of Iraqi personnel on the type, and its combat deployment during wars against Iran, 1980-1988, and against the US-led, so-called Gulf Coalition, in 1991 and afterwards.

Originally envisaged and acquired as a 'pure' interceptor, before long the Mirage F.1 in Iraqi service proved a highly capable multi-role platform aircraft, and was widely deployed not only for ground attack but also anti-shipping purposes, as an aerial tanker, and for delivering long-range pinpoint attacks.

Illustrated with over 120 photographs and many color profiles, this book provides a unique, single point of reference on camouflage, markings, and armament configurations of Mirage F.1s in Iraqi service.

Drive down almost any street in Webster Groves and one is filled with a sense of timelessness. Entire neighborhoods are in the National Register of Historic Places, and there are lovingly preserved century homes, beautiful old churches, avenues lined with gardens, and shopping districts more reminiscent of small-town America than a thriving suburb next door to the city of St. Louis. History runs deep here, as it is home to the first chapter of the Red Cross and the first Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi, the oldest women's organization in Missouri, the first professional fire department, and the first public library in St. Louis County. North Webster once held the only accredited high school for African American students in St. Louis County. Beginning as a site of country homes for St. Louis professionals, growing through a post-World War II boom that expanded into new neighborhoods, Webster Groves has remained true to its heritage and history.

Tom Cooper combines the power of storytelling with analytical insight to help all of us - whether we are students, teachers or just curious readers - think more clearly about what it takes to make the best ethical decisions we can, even under difficult circumstances. A fascinating and inspiring read.

Tamar Schapiro,

Professor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tom Cooper's portraits of courage, an eclectic compendium of stories of leaders who faced monumentally difficult moral choices, remind us of the importance of the interplay of philosophy and history: Philosophical abstractions mean little outside the context of their application. Spanning 25 centuries, from Queen Esther and Socrates to Rachel Carson and John F. Kennedy, Doing the Right Thing takes 12 ethics exemplars and with grace and clarity -- and considerable insight -- transforms them into an original and compelling account of what it takes to open your mind and open your heart.

Theodore L. Glasser

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Moral courage of people in power is never irrelevant. But if ever there was a time in which it was so searingly relevant it surely is today. And Tom Cooper is the perfect chronicler to bring this to our rational attention, via a series of twelve portraits of great ethical movers of history. Deeply researched, keenly reasoned, colorfully written with memorable detail, Cooper's book will, with any luck, inspire and guide great moral leaders in our time and well into the future.

Paul Levinson,

Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University

I regard Tom Cooper as one of the world's leading contemporary communication ethics specialists. This, his latest book, carries all the passion, theoretical richness, and original insights which I associate with his work overall.

Richard Lance Keeble,

Professor of Journalism, University of Lincoln and Liverpool Hope University

This profound book teaches moral philosophy with ingenuity. Its stunning transformation of moral philosophy into public discourse is historic. Doing the Right Thing has the promise of becoming a twenty-first century classic.

Clifford Christians,

Research Professor of Communication, University of Illinois

Equipped with well-balanced air wings, huge aircraft carriers have formed the backbone of the United States Navy's doctrine and strategy since the Second World War. Packing an enormous punch, their purpose is to exercise control over enormous portions of airspace - in the offence or defence.

From the mid-1970s until the mid-2000s, the spear tip of the USN air wings was the famous Grumman F-14 Tomcat - widely considered one of the finest air superiority systems in the world. Originally designed as a fast, manoeuvrable and well-armed fighter, the Tomcat entered service as the ultimate long-range fleet defender and became the biggest, most complex and most expensive naval aircraft of its time. Including a unique and exceptional combination of flight characteristics, detection systems and weapons, it earned itself the status of a legend by the mid-1980s.

The F-14 Tomcats of the US Navy achieved their first aerial victories during freedom of navigation exercises off Libya in 1981. However, the period during which they saw most combat followed several years later, during Operations Earnest Will and then Desert Storm, from 1987 until 1991.

To date, very little has been published about the operations in question. Indeed, the widespread belief is that USN F-14s saw next to no air combat against Iran, and even less so during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. As so often, the reality is entirely different: Tomcats engaged dozens of opponents, often on the verge of the engagement envelope of their powerful AWG-9 radars and AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles, and sometimes at such close ranges that their pilots selected 'guns'. Weather- and communications-related problems, but also the incredible discipline of their crews prevented them from scoring up to a dozen aerial victories: however, it is perfectly possible that they scored at least one, perhaps more previously entirely unknown aerial victories - and also lost one of their own to an enemy fighter.

Richly illustrated by over 100 photographs and authentic colour profiles, 'Tomcats of the Storm' is an exclusive source of reference about some of least-well known air combats fought by US Navy's fighter crews in recent history.

The former colony of Spanish Sahara saw frequent outbursts of tribal and ethnic rebellions while ruled by the colonial authorities in the late 19th and through the early 20th Century. Its vastness and distances essentially dictated the application of air power in response. While most of these events attracted next to no attention in English-language media, the large-scale operations of the Spanish colonial authorities of the late 1950s became notable at least for the final combat deployment of the famous Messerschmitt Bf.109.

Following the Spanish withdrawal from Spanish Sahara in 1975, a major war erupted as Sahrawi nationalists - organized by the POLISARIO front - engaged in guerrilla warfare against Moroccan armed forces deployed to secure the northern part of the country, and Mauritanian forces deployed in the south.

Characteristically for this period, POLISARIO's insurgency was often misinterpreted in the West as 'Soviet-influenced', although the rebels never adapted any related frameworks for their operations and tactics, such as those of Mao Zedong. On the contrary, while Algeria at least tolerated their bases on its soil, it was Libya that provided most of the support for the insurgency, eventually enabling it to defeat the Mauritanian military, slightly over a year later. Combined with POLISARIO's raids deep into Mauritania this prompted France to launch a limited military intervention in support. While tactically successful, this proved insufficient: Mauritania withdrew in 1979 after signing a peace treaty.

Morocco continued fighting a series of bitter campaigns through 1979 and 1980, until rising costs and casualties prompted its government into developing an entirely new strategy. Construction of extensive earthen fortifications eventually slowed the war down to one of low intensity, only sporadically interrupted by insurgent attempts to achieve at least local successes. With both sides realizing that no solution through an armed conflict was possible, a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1991. However, this conflict still remains unresolved: it merely shifted to civilian resistance.

Warfare in Western Sahara has in many ways become exemplary for modern-day counter-insurgency efforts in Africa and elsewhere. This conflict has been falsely declared as a part of some larger, external conflict - the Cold War; in regards of the concept of an insurgency applying motorized forces to deliver often spectacular 'hit-and-run' attacks; and in regards of a conventional military reacting with a combination of earth berms and air power.

Illustrated by over 100 photograph as, a dozen maps and 18 colour profiles, Showdown in Western Sahara offers a fascinating study of the military aspects of this conflict, warfare strategies, tactics and experiences with different weapons systems.

Formerly known as the 'Switzerland of the Middle East', an island of economic stability and social progress, Lebanon was shattered by a civil war that raged from 1975 until 1990. Pitting the central government against different factions and alliances of Christians, Sunni and Shi'a Moslems, leftists, and Syrian armed forces, this multifaceted conflict experienced a major escalation when Israel launched an invasion with the aim of destroying the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), in 1982.

Also known as the First Lebanon War, or Operation Peace for Galilee, the Israeli enterprise was run in cooperation with Christian allies and the self-proclaimed Free Lebanon State. Except for attacking the PLO and surrounding its leadership in West Beirut, it provoked a major showdown with Syrian armed forces deployed inside Lebanon, and resulted in a series of bitter battles. Ever since, fighting on the ground and in the sky of the Beka'a Valley is a synonym for modern-day conventional air-land battle in the age of high-technology warfare.

Focusing on military-related developments, and rich in exclusive details and illustrations, 'Lebanese Civil War: Israeli Invasion, 1982' is dissecting military forces, their equipment, intention and capabilities, and their combat operations.

Once known as the 'Switzerland of the Middle East', an island of economic stability and social progress, Lebanon was shattered by a civil war that raged from 1975 until 1990. While Volume 1 of this mini-series concentrated on the conflict pitting the central government against different factions and alliances of Christians, Sunni and Shi'a Moslems, leftists, and the Israeli and Syrian armed forces from its beginning in 1975 until the Israeli Operation Stone of Wisdom (or Operation Litani) in 1978, Volume 2 continues with the period from 1978 until 1981.

With its armed forces of a size comparable to that of the strength of the active components of the contemporary US Army and led by politicians pursuing aggressive intentions towards its northern neighbor, Israel gradually established itself in control over much of southern Lebanon and all of Lebanese airspace. In turn, Syria found itself facing not only a growing insurgency and unrest at home, but also strong opposition inside Lebanon. Moreover, a seemingly endless series of air battles with the Israeli air force exposed a growing technological gap with its primary opponent, forcing it to deploy ever larger contingents of its air defenses into Lebanon. After almost culminating in a major war in 1981, the situation was defused through international pressure: nominally at least, a relatively quiet period was to follow before the next storm.

Focusing on military-related developments, and containing much exclusive detail and specially commissioned illustrations, Volume 2 of Lebanese Civil War dissects the military forces of Israel, Syria and the many Lebanese militias, their equipment, intentions and capabilities, and provides a detailed, blow-by-blow account of combat operations into 1981.

Officially established on 22 April 1931, around a core of five pilots and 32 aircraft mechanics, the Royal Iraqi Air Force was the first official native military flying service of any Arab country.

Founded to support the Iraqi armed forces and the British against revolts by local tribes, it saw extensive combat and gradually grew into a potent force. During the Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941, it became involved in its first conventional campaign in support of an anti-British coup but was destroyed as a fighting force. It was still recovering when deployed in combat again, this time against Israel in the course of the Palestine War of 1948-1949.

During the 1950s, the Royal Iraqi Air Force experienced a phase of unprecedented growth through the acquisition of several batches of modern British-built aircraft. The 14 Tammuz Revolution of 1958 toppled the British-imposed monarchy and cut the ties to London. For the next five years, the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) maintained close links to the USSR and became the first Arab air force to operate types like the MiG-19 and MiG-21, and was the first equipped with Tupolev Tu-16 medium jet bombers.

Through the 1960s, the IrAF played a dominant role in internal Iraqi politics, determining the fate of the nation to an unprecedented degree, became involved in the June 1967 War with Israel, and were instrumental in the putsch of 1968 that brought the Ba'ath Party to power.

While virtually 'born in battle', the Iraqi Air Force remains one of the least known and most misinterpreted military services in the Middle East. Richly illustrated, Volume 1 of Wings of Iraq provides a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational history, its crucial officers and aircraft, and its major operations from 1931 to 1970.