From 1963 to 1974, Portugal and its nationalist enemies fought an
increasingly intense war for the independence of "Portuguese" Guinea,
then a colony but now the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. For most of the
conflict, Portugal enjoyed virtually unchallenged air supremacy, and
increasingly based its strategy on this advantage. The Portuguese Air
Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa, abbreviated FAP) consequently played a
crucial role in the Guinean war. Indeed, throughout the conflict, the
FAP - despite the many challenges it faced - proved to be the most
effective and responsive military argument against the PAIGC, which was
fighting for Guinea's independence.
The air war for Guinea is unique for historians and analysts for several
reasons. It was the first conflict in which a non-state irregular force
deployed defensive missiles against an organized air force. Moreover,
the degree to which Portugal relied on its air power was such that its
effective neutralization doomed Lisbon's military strategy in the
province. The FAP's unexpected combat losses initiated a cascade of
effects that degraded in turn its own operational freedom and the
effectiveness of the increasingly air-dependent surface forces, which
felt that the war against the PAIGC was lost. The air war for Guinea
thus represents a compelling illustration of the value - and
vulnerabilities - of air power in a counter-insurgency context, as well
as the negative impacts of over reliance on air supremacy.
Volume 1 of Sanctuary Lost is extensively illustrated with photographs
and specially commissioned color artworks.
