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Air Battle Central Europe
An aviation expert utilizes interviews with high-ranking NATO officers to provide a simulation of how a non-nuclear land/air war would be fought if waged today between NATO forces and Warsaw Pact forces
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 1986
30 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Price
121 books19 followersAlfred Price seved for 16 years as an aircrew officer in the Royal air Force where he specialised in electronic warfare and air fighting tactics.
He left the RAF in 1974 and thereafter he worked full time as a writer on aviation subjects.
He holds a PhD in history from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
He left the RAF in 1974 and thereafter he worked full time as a writer on aviation subjects.
He holds a PhD in history from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 26, 2022
A rather dry overview of how a potential air war could have developed over Europe if there ever were a conflict between the Warsaw Pact and NATO in the late 80s / early 90s. Each chapter is a combination of summarization by the author and direct quotes from a high-ranking officer involved in each aspect of air warfare. There are chapters covering high-speed, deep-penetrating interception, close air support, the role of helicopters, electronic warfare, etc. No mention of long-range and/or strategic bombers, however.
Every officer spoken to is also highly orthodox and dogmatic. They are very committed to the singular role whichever aircraft they specialize in is designed for and are adamant that to use them in any other fashion would be wasteful, stupid, and off-mission, which would render them essentially useless and ineffective. Whilst I understand this thinking, because yes, these machines are highly specialized, I see this attitude leading to field commanders screaming into the radio for support and the air commander saying, "Nope, sorry...can't help you, well I could but we'd only by like 50% helpful. So, my aircraft will sit here and wait until our "actual" mission develops." It's also highly short-sighted in how these aircraft are designed with all the bells and whistles, but because of budgetary considerations, we only use like 1/3 of the bells and 1/2 the whistles. Each officer seems to also conclude that, because of this, the first few days of the war will be an exchange of all these weapons - and then we'll be out of them - so we'll go back to lobbing the cheap stuff at each other that we've been storing since the end of WW2.
Also, almost every officer spoken to pretty much comes to the conclusion that they believe no such war would ever manifest unless there were grave miscalculations made by either side - although they are all of the belief that in every single possible potential scenario the Warsaw Pact would always be the aggressor - always. Considering the USA's penchant for "preventative war" in the late 90s and continuing in to the 2000s, I have no faith in this assessment.
Every officer spoken to is also highly orthodox and dogmatic. They are very committed to the singular role whichever aircraft they specialize in is designed for and are adamant that to use them in any other fashion would be wasteful, stupid, and off-mission, which would render them essentially useless and ineffective. Whilst I understand this thinking, because yes, these machines are highly specialized, I see this attitude leading to field commanders screaming into the radio for support and the air commander saying, "Nope, sorry...can't help you, well I could but we'd only by like 50% helpful. So, my aircraft will sit here and wait until our "actual" mission develops." It's also highly short-sighted in how these aircraft are designed with all the bells and whistles, but because of budgetary considerations, we only use like 1/3 of the bells and 1/2 the whistles. Each officer seems to also conclude that, because of this, the first few days of the war will be an exchange of all these weapons - and then we'll be out of them - so we'll go back to lobbing the cheap stuff at each other that we've been storing since the end of WW2.
Also, almost every officer spoken to pretty much comes to the conclusion that they believe no such war would ever manifest unless there were grave miscalculations made by either side - although they are all of the belief that in every single possible potential scenario the Warsaw Pact would always be the aggressor - always. Considering the USA's penchant for "preventative war" in the late 90s and continuing in to the 2000s, I have no faith in this assessment.
May 27, 2020
Written in 1986 at the height of the NATO vs. Warsaw Pact standoff in Europe, the book is collection of interviews with planners and squadron commanders of the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force, covering NATO's Northern Army Group. The interviews cover the most important aircraft types on the frontlines, and except for a few omissions (such as the existence of the F-117), the conversations about aircraft strengths and limitations, tactics and doctrine are surprisingly detailed. I assume the book must have gone through a classification review at the time, but we can be grateful the censors were generous.
Though some of the same aircraft are being used today, they have been upgraded so heavily now that this reads as a historical document, rather than a primer on current technology or doctrine. A fun read with a lot of hard-to-find detail, appropriate for a pilot or hobbyist.
Though some of the same aircraft are being used today, they have been upgraded so heavily now that this reads as a historical document, rather than a primer on current technology or doctrine. A fun read with a lot of hard-to-find detail, appropriate for a pilot or hobbyist.
March 31, 2019
Excellent Read
It is thought provoking to sit reading this book in 2019, and learn the way things would have happened in a conflict back in the 1980s.
F111, Phantom, Lightning, A10, Jaguar and Tornado all superb aircraft all passed in to history, have they been replaced by better?
It is thought provoking to sit reading this book in 2019, and learn the way things would have happened in a conflict back in the 1980s.
F111, Phantom, Lightning, A10, Jaguar and Tornado all superb aircraft all passed in to history, have they been replaced by better?
June 29, 2017
The 2 stars is only because this isn't my kind of read and not something I'd re-read. It is put together well and very informative, though. I would recommend for those interested in non-fiction and military related reading.
November 10, 2020
Very nice book about potential 1980s air war
I really liked reading from pilots and generals how if the Cold War went hot how they’d employ their jets over Central Europe. Lots of little factoids for the aviation geek.
I really liked reading from pilots and generals how if the Cold War went hot how they’d employ their jets over Central Europe. Lots of little factoids for the aviation geek.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews