In the eight chapters of this beautifully printed book, the author outlines air operations of a wide variety of post-war campaigns. The action opens with the ill-fated Anglo-French Suez operation in 1956 and the co-incident Israeli-Egyptian action. The Middle East crises of the 1967 'Six-Day War' and 1973 'Yom Kippur War' continue the Arab-Israeli theme and, while not exhaustive, the events are described in significant detail commensurate with chapter space. Both Indo-Pakistan conflicts and the lengthy Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s are covered, as is the 1982 Falklands campaign. Especially welcome is coverage of lesser-known UN missions in the Congo in the early 1960s - such unlikely bedfellows as Swedish SAAB fighters and Indian Canberra bombers were in use together. The actions are excellently described and the book is well illustrated, with useful maps. It's a valuable and very readable compendium that offers much of interest to both enthusiast and general reader. [For an extract from Flashpoints, see pages 98-103] Regular FlyPast writer Chris Goss is an acknowledged expert on all matters relating to the wartime Luftwaffe, and it's no surprise that this lavish volume provides the ultimate guide to the twin-engined Dornier Do 217. It's both superbly detailed and wonderfully illustrated, shedding new light for most on a significant machine. The Do 217 saw its manufacturer take the twin-engined bomber concept as far as it could go, at least prior to the jet age. From 1941, the Do 217 became the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's bomber arm in the West, equipping four Gruppen for operations over Britain. The missions came at considerable cost to its crews, and from early 1942 the versatile machine was developed into a radar-equipped night-fighter. Following extensive research and interviews with former aircrew and their families, Chris has delivered a comprehensive operational history of the type.
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