Korean Air War: Sabres, MiGs and Meteors, 1950–53

by Michael Napier

From acclaimed aviation historian Michael Napier, this is a highly illustrated survey of the air war over Korea.The Korean War holds a unique place in aviation history. It saw the first large-scale jet-versus-jet combat and it was the first military action of the Cold War, fought by both the newly independent United States Air Force and the recently formed Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force.#In a meticulously researched volume, former RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier unravels the complex narrative of events, describing the course of operations in the air and the major campaigns of the land war. He examines in detail the air power of the major combatants, which included North and South Korea, the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa as well as China, the USA and the USSR. Packed with stunning contemporary images and including first-hand combat reports, Korean Air War is a groundbreaking exploration of a much forgotten conflict, which nevertheless provided lessons about the organization and prosecution of modern aerial warfare that remain relevant through to the present day.

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2021

About the author

Michael Napier qualified as an RAF strike/attack pilot in 1985 and was based in Germany during the Cold War. He flew operations over Iraq after the first Gulf War and left the RAF in 1997 for a second career as an airline pilot. He has written articles for various aviation magazines including Flypast and The Aviation Historian as well as numerous books for Osprey focusing on modern airpower.

Reviews

[Tyson Wetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and well written with beautiful pictures that is worth the read. That said, the writing sometimes got bogged down in the minutiae and felt a little “book reporty”

[Josh Gidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some things turn out to be as good as you hoped, and this book is an example. Comprehensively and engagingly covers the subject from different angles, making good use of different sources.