Osprey Publishing (Combat Aircraft #44)

Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat

by  David Nicolle and Tom Cooper

Reviewed By  D.M. Knights, IPMS# 17656

ISBN: 1 84176 655 0 Tom Cooper is a well-respected historian of post WWII air combat. He is heavily involved in the Air Combat Information Group website (www.acig.org). David Nicolle is an aviation author with a special interest in the air forces of the Arab countries of the Middle East. These two authors are uniquely qualified to co-author this Osprey title. As the title implies, the book covers the use of MiG-19s and -21s in the air forces of the Arab countries. Egyptian and Syrian use of these aircraft are the main subjects of this book, with lesser coverage of Iraqi and Algerian aircraft. The vast majority of this book covers the combat between these air forces and the Israelis during the 1967 and the 1973 wars. Lesser coverage is given to the Iran-Iraq conflict and the Egypt-Libyan border skirmishes. Contained in the 96 pages of this volume are numerous photos, most are ones that I've never seen before. The book also has 35 color illustrations of different MiG-19s and -21s. There is much to praise here with only minor complaints. The Israelis' side of the air combats between it and its Arab neighbors have been told repeatedly in the western press. The Arab side has received much less attention, other than press releases by those governments, which tend to be propagandistic. Here there is what appears to be a pretty objective telling of the Arab side of these combats. One of the points made in the book is that the Israelis often attribute any aircraft loss to "ground fire" rather than to enemy aircraft in a conscious attempt to enhance the reputation of its pilots. The only minor complaints I have are that there are a few obvious typos. Also, there is a sameness to some of the illustrations, which in some respect the authors can't help since most of the air forces covered use very similar camouflage schemes. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in air combat in the Middle East.

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