Tom Cooper Livres

Commander Edward John Smith's career had been a remarkable example of how a man from a humble background could get far in the world. Born to a working-class family in the landlocked Staffordshire Potteries, he went to sea at the age of 17 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the merchant navy, serving first in sailing vessels and later in the new steamships of the White Star Line. By 1912, he as White Star's senior commander and regarded by many in the shipping world as the 'millionaire's captain'. In 1912, Smith was given command of the new RMS Titanic for her maiden voyage, but what should have been among the crowning moments of his long career at sea turned rapidly into a nightmare following Titanic's collision with an iceberg. In a matter of hours the supposedly unsinkable ship sank, taking over 1,500 people with her, including Captain Smith.

Equipped with well-balanced air wings, aircraft carriers have been central to the United States Navy's strategy since World War II, aimed at controlling vast airspace. From the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, the USN's air wings were led by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, renowned as one of the best air superiority systems. Designed as a fast, maneuverable, and heavily armed fighter, the Tomcat became the ultimate long-range fleet defender, known for its complex systems and legendary status by the mid-1980s. The F-14s achieved their first aerial victories during freedom of navigation exercises off Libya in 1981, but their most significant combat occurred during Operations Earnest Will and Desert Storm from 1987 to 1991. Contrary to popular belief, USN F-14s engaged in numerous air combats against Iran, often at the limits of their AWG-9 radars and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, and sometimes at close range, resorting to guns. Despite challenges like weather and communication issues, as well as the discipline of their crews, they may have achieved at least one previously unrecognized aerial victory, while also suffering losses to enemy fighters.

Egypt and Czechoslovakia's signing of the 'Czechoslovak Arms Deal' marked the beginning of a significant era of collaboration among major Arab military powers and the USSR. In the first decade, Egypt's air force, followed by Syria, Iraq, Morocco, and Algeria, received numerous Soviet-made fighters from the Mikoyan I Gurevich Design Bureau, which had previously surprised Western powers during the Korean War. The initial MiG-15 had a short service life in Egypt, but its successor, the MiG-17F, entered service in larger numbers and became the backbone of several Middle Eastern air forces. The MiG-17PF was notable as the first radar-equipped combat aircraft, while the MiG-19 represented the first supersonic fighter for Egypt and Iraq between 1958 and 1963. In Morocco and Algeria, the MiG-17 was the only jet fighter in use during the early 1960s. Consequently, MiG-15s, MiG-17s, and MiG-19s were operated by various units, particularly in Egypt and Algeria, showcasing a diverse array of colorful unit insignia and markings. Many pilots of these aircraft later played vital roles in shaping their nations' futures.

A detailed account, based heavily on Vietnamese sources, of the continuing efforts of North Vietnam to invade the South.

"What did instrument a major change was 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 21st century. This process hardly began when the new ruler in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti, led his country into an invasion of neighbouring Iran, embroiling it in a ruinous, eight-year-long war. Amazingly enough, for the first few years of that conflict, the IrAF still continued planning and growing as if there was no conflict to fight, although frequently suffering heavy losses while - due to the micromanagement from the government - de-facto fighting with one hand tied to its backs."

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.

Between 1973 and 1989, Western powers and Libya were entangled in an exchange of blows. Supposedly launched in retaliation for one action or the other, this confrontation resulted in a number of high-profile clashes between the Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF), the US Navy and the French. Meanwhile, the LAAF also saw deployment in Chad. Initially, with

As of 1975, the decades long insurgency in Angola appeared to be short of its conclusion. However, with no less than three major insurgent movements fighting for supremacy, the war went on and then South Africa, USA, the Soviet Union, Zaire and Cuba became involved.

Just three months after Indian forces withdrew from Sri Lanka, the war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government resumed. Illustrated with over 100 photographs, maps and colour profiles, Paradise Afire Volume 3 continues the story of the internal strife that plagued Sri Lanka in the late 20th Century.