War of Intervention in Angola, Volume 4 continues the coverage of the
operational history of the Angolan Air Force and Air Defence Force
(FAPA/DAA) as told by Angolan and Cuban sources, in the period
1985-1988.
Many accounts of this conflict - better known in the West as the 'Border
War' or the 'Bush War', as named by its South African participants -
consider the operations of the FAPA/DAA barely worth commentary. At
most, they mention a few air combats involving Mirage F.1 interceptors
of the South African Air Force (SAAF) in 1987 and 1988, and perhaps a
little about the activity of the FAPA/DAA's MiG-23s. However, a closer
study of Angolan and Cuban sources reveals an entirely different image
of the air war over Angola in the 1980s: indeed, it reveals the extent
to which the flow of the entire war was dictated by the availability -
or the lack - of air power. These issues strongly influenced the
planning and conduct of operations by the commanders of the Angolan and
Cuban forces.
Based on extensive research with the help of Angolan and Cuban sources,
War of Intervention in Angola, Volume 4, traces the Angolan and Cuban
application of air power between 1985-1988 - during which it came of
age - and the capabilities, intentions, and the combat operations of the
air forces.
The volume is illustrated with 100 rarely seen photographs, half a dozen
maps and 15 color profiles, and provides a unique source of reference on
this subject.
