The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Air Warfare

This is an excellent overall summary of major air battles throughout the20th Century. The major issue I had was with the opnions expressed concerning fighter superiority beng a little biases toward Western aircraft. Notably the Me-109 / Spitfire and F-15 vs. Su0-27/Mig 29. I think that it is now clear that the 109E was superior to the Spitfire when flown by equally competent pilots during 1940-19442 period. There were altitude restrictions and certainly aircraft envelope limits, but when flown to those limits it was clear the 109E was the better overall airplane and would result in more kills in more occasions. The F-15 / Soviet issue was always masked by the differences in pilot training and electronics suites. In a guns encounter, both Soviet fighters are probably more than a match for the Eagle driver if flown by a pilot with appropriate training levels, something difficult to find in the heyday of the USSR and certainly not available today. The book is full of drawing and diagrams detailign different paint schemes and squadron markings for both Allied and opposition aircraft. The colors are as close to being accurate as can be in modern priniting, given the broad nature of the subjects involved. Thumbnail descriptions of the battles help orient the reader in time and space, and the author is one of the few whom I have seen break up the Battle of Britain in the several segements, most were described as being separately elements of the Battle by Adolf Galland in his writings. This gives the reader the understanding of what it was like during that time. Both 'Mig Alley' and Vietnam are addresed, in both the high and low level airwars, alogn with discussion, for the first in a western mass market book, of the pilots flying for the North during Vietnam. No aviation fan of aerial combat should be without this book, for the ability to look up information and to see the aircraft.