Wings over Ogaden: The Ethiopian–Somali War, 1978–1979 (Africa@War Book 18)

The little-known Ogaden war between Ethiopia and Somalia in 1977-78 was notable for more than the outcome of border dispute. In aviation circles, Ethiopia's seemingly outmatched Northrop F-5s handily mastered the Somali MiG-21s, proving yet again the primacy of pilot training over hardware. While the Ethiopian Air Force was small by any measure, its fighter pilots enjoyed an unusually high standard of training, benefiting from years of experience in the United States. As Tom Cooper ably demonstrates, the Northrop Tigers scored at least 11-0 against their faster, presumably more capable enemies, and undoubtedly the tally was significantly higher because the Ethiopians did not credit "maneuver kills" or the dramatic results of Somali mistakes.Though the focus is on aviation, Cooper does an excellent job of placing the air war in context of the overall situation. It is no easy task, given the confusing geo-strategic situation with rapidly-shifting alliances. At the end, the Soviets gave up on their nominal Somali allies and established a massive airlift to sustain, then expand, Ethiopia's military capability. Cuban military personnel, including pilots, also were engaged on Ethiopia's side, leading to a smorgasbord of aircraft types and markings for Western historians and buffs to sort out."Wings Over Ogaden" serves as a model of persistent research and determined digging in an obscure but intriguing subject. Thank goodness for Tom Cooper and ACIG.org. Without them, our knowledge of military aviation history would be far less complete.

Unique detail and analysis of this regional conflict. First class selection of illustrations, top value per page.

This book was one of the best books covering this conflict I have read. Book has the history behind the conflict and the types of aircraft used. Lots of color pictures and detail color drawings. Do not be confused by the title this book goes into great detail about the ground campaign also. After reading I was impressed by both sides and their fighting ablities.

Copper's treatment is concise and informative. This book is packed with photographs and color plates. While the book deals mainly with the air war (as you would expect from the title), Cooper also provides coverage of the land battles and politics (photos of armor, infantry and some OOBs). Can't recommend this book enough.

A well written, in depth work chronicling the air aspect of the Ogaden War between Ethiopia and Somalia. An excellent resource on a little known and understood conflict.

The other reviews are more than adequate to describe this book. A very welcome addition to my library.

Good detailed coverage of the air war, with surprising informative look at the ground campaign as well. All together a nice read, but teases me enough overall on this little known war that I wanted to learn even more.

Dedicata ai numerosi e spesso poco conosciuti se non "ignorati" dall'opinione pubblica occidentale che hanno insanguinato l'Africa negli ultimi 70 anni. Qui abbiamo una carrellata sulle operazioni aeree negli scontri nel Corno d'Africa . Arricchito da interessanti foto, zoomabili in formato kindle, in poche decine di pagine e per meno di 3 euro fa felici gli appassionati.

Great history. Extremely well researched. Fascinating to see the insides of the sales of US, Russian, and European warplanes. Love the edge that focus on quality training of pilots gave Ethiopia. Loved the detail and character. Well written. Intense. So much material condensed into a really good historical read.

Sehr interessantes "Buch", dass die xxl-version eines Artikels ist, der bereits in der Flieger Revue extra erschienen ist. Ist eher ein etwas dickeres Magazin.Fünf Sterne für das exotische und so nirgend erzähltes Thema (mir jedenfalls nicht bekannt) und für die guten Bilder und tollen Zeichnungen.

eventi ben ricostruiti di una guerra lontana e dimenticata

indispensable pour s’initier à l’histoire mouvementée de la corne de l’Afrique. Ses enjeux régionaux et ses implications internationales. Il est des carrefours de l’humanité qui jamais ne cesseront de peser sur l’equilibre du monde.