This book covers the story of all the British military aircraft that
served in Latin America since 1940. Though the presence of British
combat types is now almost gone from the skies over Latin America, its
legacy will last for a long time.
After World War II, Britain was happy to sell the most modern equipment
to the region giving it an advantage over the United States, hitherto
the main provider of planes to Latin American air forces. This was one
of the main reasons why many air forces chose to buy British combat
aircraft up to the 1970s.
In many countries Gloster Meteors or de Havilland Vampires were the
first jet combat aircraft, while the Argentina's Avro Lancasters and
Lincolns was once the most potent bomber force in Latin America. BAC
Canberras had five South American operators, were the only jet bombers
in use in the region and saw action several times. Combat activity by
British types include Argentine planes used during the 1955 revolution
and ironically Argentine Canberras in action during the
Malvinas/Falklands War against British forces, Cuban Sea Furies over the
Bay of Pigs, Peruvian Canberras in the conflicts with Ecuador, Chilean
Hunters during the 1973 coup d'etat, Dominican Vampires, Mosquitoes and
Beaufighters in internal struggles.
