Wings of Destruction

The strategic bombing of Iraq, described in wartime briefings as a campaign against Baghdad's offensive military capabilities in both wars, now appears to have been broader in its purposes and selection of targets. Amid mounting evidence of Iraq's ruined infrastructure and the painful consequences for ordinary Iraqis, Pentagon officials more readily acknowledge the severe impact of the 43-day air bombardment on Iraq's economic future and civilian population.

On June 7, 1981 eight IAF F-16A fighters covered by six F-15A jets flew in Operation Opera (also referred to as Operation Babylon or Operation Ofra) to bomb and destroy the Iraq nuclear facilities of Osiraq. Among the pilots that took part in the attack was the late Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut.

This is the story of American aces such as Robert Olds and Randy "Duke" Cunningham as well as the surprising story of North Vietnam Aces whose skill and courage forced the American to re-think their air war strategy.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) was formed when Israel declared statehood in 1948 and found itself under immediate attack. A variety of obsolete and surplus ex-World War II combat aircraft were quickly sourced by various means to supplement this fleet.

"MiG Alley" is the name given by U.S. Air Force pilots to the northwestern portion of North Korea, where the Yalu River empties into the Yellow Sea. During the Korean War, it was the site of numerous dogfights between U.S. fighter jets and those of the Communist forces, particularly the Soviet Union. The F-86 Sabre and the Soviet-built MiG-15 'Fagot' were the aircraft used throughout most of the conflict, with the area's nickname derived from the latter. Because it was the site of the first large-scale jet-vs.-jet air battles, MiG Alley is considered the birthplace of jet fighter combat.

Technically the speed of sound had probably been broken before that by several Second World War aircraft. Some British and American fighters may have unintentionally exceeded the speed of sound in an evasive dive and there are unconfirmed reports that the German Me 262 jet fighter managed to break the sound barrier.

From Pearl Harbor to the Japanese home islands this is the story of the air war in the Pacific. It includes the daring ambush of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet; the remarkable stories of Richard Bong and Pappy Boyington, famous World War II Aces and Medal of Honor recipients as well as the Japanese Kamikazes.

This is the story of the Second World War in the air over Europe and the "Greatest Air Battles in History" from the Blitz to the daylight bombing raids over Germany. It is the story of the great aces on all the sides.

Raoul Lufberry, Quentin Roosevelt, son of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, and Edward Rickenbacker were names that figured extensively in news of the American Air forces during World War I. Lufberry and Roosevelt were killed in action.

Fifty thousand young men of the warring nations went forth to do battle among the clouds during World War I. In 1914 no one had ever known and history had never recorded a struggle to the death in the air.