Book Review of
Wings of Iraq
Vol. 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970
Authors: Milos Sipos & Tom Cooper
Middle East @ War Series No. 27
ISBN: 978-1-913118-74-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
Officially established on 23 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 1950’s, the Royal Iraqi Air Force experienced a phase of unprecedented growth through the acquisition of several batches of modern British-built aircraft. The 14th 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 the Tupolev Tu-16 medium jet bombers.
Through the 1960’s, 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.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. Is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 94 pages in 6 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
At the top of the front cover there is a black and white photos of 3 DH84 “Moth” biplanes, overflying an airfield.
At the bottom of the front cover is a color side view of a Tu-16.
The back cover gives the history of the Iraqi Air Force, over a color side-view of a Douglas/Northrop 8A-40 or A-17 ground-attack aircraft.
The book contains 90 black and white photos, 6 maps, a color illustration of the national insignia of the Royal Iraqi Air Force, abbreviation explanations, 30 of the photos are of officers and pilots, there are 10 data lists and a photo of RAF command cars.
Black and white photos of aircraft showing:
A DH9A, 3 photos of a DH60, a DH80A, 2 photos of a DH84, 3 photos of a NISR, 2 photos of a Savoia Marchetti SM79A, a Breda BA-65A080, 5 photos of a “Gladiator” a 8A-4D, a Bf-110, a CR-42, a BA-65, 2 photos of a Avro Anson 33, a Northrop trainer, 5 photos of a Fury F. Mk.1.
Two photos of a Bristol C. Mk.31, two photos of a “Chipmunk” T. Mk. 51, a Westland WS-51 helicopter, two photos of a DeHavilland “Dove” F.3 Mk.3, two photos of a De Havilland “Heron” C. Mk.2C, 2 photos of a “Vampire” F. Mk. 52, 3 photo of a “Venum” F. Mk.50, 3 photos of a “Hunter” F. Mk. 60 , a “Hunter” T. Mk. 6, a “Hunter” T. Mk. 66, a Tu-16, 2 photos of a “Fury” F. Mk.1, a AN-12BP, a wrecked De Havilland “Dove”, a wrecked Tu-16 and one in flight, a O1-A “Bird Dog”, a IL-2-BM, A Zlin Z.526F, a L-29 and a AN-12BP, four photos of a Mig-17F, 2 photos of a IL-28 trainer, 2 photos of a Mig-15 UT, a wrecked Mig-19, 4 photos of a Mig-21F-13, a battle-damaged Mig-19S, a T-54 tank, a Mig-17PF, a Mig-21Rf and a Mig-21PFM, “Centurion” tank, a M24 “Chaffee” tank, a drone aircraft.
There are 18 side-view color profile illustrations:
A DF.60M “Gypsy Moth”, a Breda 65A-80, a Gloster “Gladiator” Mk.1, a Savoia Marchetti SM.79B, a Douglas/Northrop 8A-4D (or A-17), a Avro A.652 “Anson”, a Hawker “Sea Fury” FB.Mk. 11, a De Havilland Canada “Chipmunk” T.Mk.51, a Bristol Freighter 170/C.Mk.31, a De Havilland “Vampire” FB.Mk. 52, a De Havilland “Venom” F. Mk. 50, a Hawker “Hunter”F,Mk. 6, a Hawker “Hunter” F.Mk. 59A, a IL-28, a Mig-17F, a Mig-19S, a Mig-31 F-13, a Mig-21, a Antonov An-12 BP Transport, a Sukhoi Su-7BMK and a Tupolev Tu-16.
There are 29 color illustrations of squadron badges shown.
At the end of the book there is a 2 page bibliography, 4 pages of NOTES and information about the authors:
Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst & historian. Following a career in the worldwide transportation business – during which he established a network of contacts in the Middle East and Africa – he moved into narrow-focus analysis and writing on small, well-known air forces as of those in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, a various African and Asian air forces.
In addition to authoring and co-authoring more than 50 books – including an in-depth analysus of major Arab air forces during the wars with Israel in 1955-1973 – and over 1,000 articles, Cooper is a regular correspondent for multiple defence-related publications.
Milos Sipos is a Slovakian military historian. While pursuing a career in law, he has collected extensive documentation on interconnected political, industrial, human resources and military-related affairs in Iraq and Syria. His core interest is a systematic approach to studies of their deep impacts upon combat efficiency and the general performance of local militaries. After more than 10 years of related work on the ACIG info forum, he co-authored the much-acclaimed book “Iraq Mirages”, “The Dassault Mirage Family in Service With Iraqi Air Force”. This is his second installment for Helion.
This book will be of great interest to aircraft modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Helion Books. All Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Officially established on 23 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 1950’s, the Royal Iraqi Air Force experienced a phase of unprecedented growth through the acquisition of several batches of modern British-built aircraft. The 14th 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 the Tupolev Tu-16 medium jet bombers.
Through the 1960’s, 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.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. Is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 94 pages in 6 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
At the top of the front cover there is a black and white photos of 3 DH84 “Moth” biplanes, overflying an airfield.
At the bottom of the front cover is a color side view of a Tu-16.
The back cover gives the history of the Iraqi Air Force, over a color side-view of a Douglas/Northrop 8A-40 or A-17 ground-attack aircraft.
The book contains 90 black and white photos, 6 maps, a color illustration of the national insignia of the Royal Iraqi Air Force, abbreviation explanations, 30 of the photos are of officers and pilots, there are 10 data lists and a photo of RAF command cars.
Black and white photos of aircraft showing:
A DH9A, 3 photos of a DH60, a DH80A, 2 photos of a DH84, 3 photos of a NISR, 2 photos of a Savoia Marchetti SM79A, a Breda BA-65A080, 5 photos of a “Gladiator” a 8A-4D, a Bf-110, a CR-42, a BA-65, 2 photos of a Avro Anson 33, a Northrop trainer, 5 photos of a Fury F. Mk.1.
Two photos of a Bristol C. Mk.31, two photos of a “Chipmunk” T. Mk. 51, a Westland WS-51 helicopter, two photos of a DeHavilland “Dove” F.3 Mk.3, two photos of a De Havilland “Heron” C. Mk.2C, 2 photos of a “Vampire” F. Mk. 52, 3 photo of a “Venum” F. Mk.50, 3 photos of a “Hunter” F. Mk. 60 , a “Hunter” T. Mk. 6, a “Hunter” T. Mk. 66, a Tu-16, 2 photos of a “Fury” F. Mk.1, a AN-12BP, a wrecked De Havilland “Dove”, a wrecked Tu-16 and one in flight, a O1-A “Bird Dog”, a IL-2-BM, A Zlin Z.526F, a L-29 and a AN-12BP, four photos of a Mig-17F, 2 photos of a IL-28 trainer, 2 photos of a Mig-15 UT, a wrecked Mig-19, 4 photos of a Mig-21F-13, a battle-damaged Mig-19S, a T-54 tank, a Mig-17PF, a Mig-21Rf and a Mig-21PFM, “Centurion” tank, a M24 “Chaffee” tank, a drone aircraft.
There are 18 side-view color profile illustrations:
A DF.60M “Gypsy Moth”, a Breda 65A-80, a Gloster “Gladiator” Mk.1, a Savoia Marchetti SM.79B, a Douglas/Northrop 8A-4D (or A-17), a Avro A.652 “Anson”, a Hawker “Sea Fury” FB.Mk. 11, a De Havilland Canada “Chipmunk” T.Mk.51, a Bristol Freighter 170/C.Mk.31, a De Havilland “Vampire” FB.Mk. 52, a De Havilland “Venom” F. Mk. 50, a Hawker “Hunter”F,Mk. 6, a Hawker “Hunter” F.Mk. 59A, a IL-28, a Mig-17F, a Mig-19S, a Mig-31 F-13, a Mig-21, a Antonov An-12 BP Transport, a Sukhoi Su-7BMK and a Tupolev Tu-16.
There are 29 color illustrations of squadron badges shown.
At the end of the book there is a 2 page bibliography, 4 pages of NOTES and information about the authors:
Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst & historian. Following a career in the worldwide transportation business – during which he established a network of contacts in the Middle East and Africa – he moved into narrow-focus analysis and writing on small, well-known air forces as of those in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, a various African and Asian air forces.
In addition to authoring and co-authoring more than 50 books – including an in-depth analysus of major Arab air forces during the wars with Israel in 1955-1973 – and over 1,000 articles, Cooper is a regular correspondent for multiple defence-related publications.
Milos Sipos is a Slovakian military historian. While pursuing a career in law, he has collected extensive documentation on interconnected political, industrial, human resources and military-related affairs in Iraq and Syria. His core interest is a systematic approach to studies of their deep impacts upon combat efficiency and the general performance of local militaries. After more than 10 years of related work on the ACIG info forum, he co-authored the much-acclaimed book “Iraq Mirages”, “The Dassault Mirage Family in Service With Iraqi Air Force”. This is his second installment for Helion.
This book will be of great interest to aircraft modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Helion Books. All Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Highly recommended.