Skybreak: The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm

by Mike Guardia

The top MiG-killers of Operation Desert Storm.August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapsed under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron.Mounted aboard their F-15C fighter jets, these young aviators took to the sky against the Iraqi Air Force. Although confident in their capabilities, these untested American pilots were flying into combat against the latest-and-greatest of Soviet-built aircraft – including the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum.’Despite the odds, however, the men of the 58th Fighter Squadron decimated the Iraqi Air Force in one engagement after another. On the first day of the air war (January 17, 1991), Captain Jon “JB” Kelk claimed the first aerial victory of Desert Storm, downing a MiG-29 in combat. In less than 30 days, the 58th Fighter Squadron flew more than 1,600 combat sorties and destroyed 16 Iraqi aircraft – more than any other coalition air unit.Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this book reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern aerial combat…as told by the men who lived it.Skybreak is their story.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Aviation

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2021

About the author

Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served six years on active duty as an Armor Officer. He is the author of the widely-acclaimed "Hal Moore: A Soldier Once...and Always," the first-ever biography chronicling the life of LTG Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson.

He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and is an active member of the Military Writers Society of America.

As a speaker, he hosts the lecture series "Hal Moore: Lessons in Leadership," which is available for presentation at schools, businesses, and civic organizations worldwide. Mike Guardia has given presentations at the US Special Operations Command and the International Spy Museum. His work has been reviewed in the Washington Times, Armchair General, ARMY Magazine, DefenceWeb South Africa, and Miniature Wargames UK.

He holds a BA and MA in American History from the University of Houston. He currently lives in Texas.

Reviews

[Evie Harrison]

Skybreak was filled with many events that led me to not be able to put my book down. this book is about a fighter squadron deployed into saudiariba to fight in operation desert storm. the 58th led many missions, from escorting bombers to strafing runs. Every time the planes went up, it gets more suspenseful every page. the pilots of the 58th achieved the first Ariel kills in the war, and never lost one of their own. They also shot down 16 bogeys(enemy aircraft). Bravery is one thing these pilots didn't lack. They knew on their missions that they were going to be shot at by SAMS, but keep going to finish their mission. They also led a rescue mission, when the MIA pilot was 100 yards away from the enemy when he was rescued. A major conflict was after the pilots did a strafing run, they were grounded because they were not giving permission. But after a month, the were called on for a mission that only the best pilots in the would could do. The dialogue was the most realistic ever. i felt like i was in the cockpit. To wrap it up, I recommend this book not only for teens, but adults and even younger kids who love aviation, or want to learn more about it, or operation desert storm

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about how the 58th Fighter Squadron operated. The author covers the enlisted, like Chief Jose Matos and how well he led the maintenance team, to Captain Rick Tellini's sudden appointment to the planning staff, and how the wives and family back home. There is something the American military does very well that doesn't get a lot of notice and that is dependent support. You don't hear about the PLA and PLAN, or even the NATO forces.

All of the pilots featured went on to further success and eventual retirement. Thank you for their service.

[Tyson Wetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a 58th Fighter Squadron alum this was a fun read, but not a particularly scholastic examination of the squadron’s Desert Storm history. The MiG kills have been covered in multiple other publications, though there were a couple of fun anecdotes. This did cover the role the maintainers played in keeping the Eagles flying, which hasn’t been covered in other books on the conflict.

[Jorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book might be my favorite so far this year! Check out my review on the Starry Night Elf Blog here.

[Rafael Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si te interesa saber como fue la guerra aerea en Operación Tormenta del Desierto contada por quienes lucharon en el Escuadron que más derribos logró, este es el libro indicado. Cinco estrellas no son suficientes.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good glimpse into what things were like for the squadron that had the most kills in Desert Storm. If anything, I feel like more of a story could have been told about the war, as the war part was pretty short. But it was good, I liked it.

[Michael O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to know!!

Really nice to know how it really was in Squadron life. Guardia gives the reader a true glimpse of a pilots life, both stateside and abroad. Very well written and Avery good read!

[tbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story about some of the people who make America great.


This should be on the required reading for any kid or teenager. These men are the kind of heroes or kids need to know about.

[Sean A. Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

easy read

The writing is truly spot on - you can really just sit back and enjoy the story from desert storm.