Fighting from Above explores the evolution of the United States Air Force, tracing its origins from early aerial operations before World War I to its current role in space warfare. The book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of how the USAF developed a distinct approach to military operations, highlighting key historical milestones and the transformation of air power throughout the years. It offers a fresh perspective on the significance of air forces in shaping modern warfare.
The book offers a thorough exploration of the air wars in Vietnam, highlighting the complexities and challenges faced by the US military. It emphasizes how a narrow focus on a singular type of warfare contributed to the nation's struggles and eventual defeat. By addressing the historical context of airpower, it fills a significant gap in the understanding of military strategy and its implications during the Vietnam War.
A focused, illustrated history and analysis of perhaps the most complete air power victory in modern times, NATO's war against Serbian forces over Kosovo. On the night of March 24, 1999, NATO forces began military action to stop Serbia's campaign of repression during the Kosovo War. Initially planned to be a 72-hour operation, it took 78 days of sustained air warfare for Operation Allied Force to cause Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces. Despite such setbacks as the loss of an F-117 stealth fighter and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Allied Force ended with perhaps the most complete airpower victory of modern times. However, there is a dearth of written histories on NATO's air war over Kosovo. In this book Dr Brian D. Laslie, one of the leading scholars of modern air power operations, offers a complete history of the campaign, based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources. Although predominantly a USAF effort, the campaign also featured multinational contributions as well as significant naval aviation. Using spectacular original battlescenes, maps and 3D diagrams, Dr Laslie examines the aircraft, weapons and doctrine used, the Serbian air defenses, how the Allied forces planned and launched their air campaign, and how NATO had to rapidly adapt its initial plans to achieve success.