Air Power and the Arab World 1909-1955 Volume 6

Volume 6 of the Air Power and the Arab World mini-series continues the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab world. These years saw the Arab countries and their military forces caught up in the events of the Second World War.

For those Arab nations which had some degree of independence, the resulting political, cultural and economic strains had a profound impact upon their military forces. In Egypt the Army generally remained quiet, continuing with its often unglamorous and little appreciated duties. Within the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF), however, there were a significant number of men who wanted to take action in expectation of what they, and many around the world, expected to be the defeat of the British Empire.

The result was division, widespread mistrust, humiliation, and for a while the grounding of the entire REAF. In Iraq the strains of the early war years sowed the seeds of a yet to come direct armed confrontation with the British.

Volume 6 of Air Power and the Arab World then looks at the first efforts to revive both the REAF and the Royal Iraqi Air Force (RIrAF), along with events in the air and on the ground elsewhere in the Arab world from 1939 until March 1941.

This volume is illustrated throughout with photographs of the REAF, RIrAF and RAF and a selection of specially commissioned colour artworks.

"This is a neat book on the aircraft types used by Iraq in early years and up to today." AMPS Indianapolis

"The research of the authors is first rate, and much is learned from the log books of several Egyptian pilots of the day as well as first hand accounts....This makes for a superb read and one of the best of the series. The work of the Egyptian Air Force during this time is often dismissed and it is through this book that we can see what they had to deal with. As usual with this series there are some superb period photos and a center section of full color profiles and maps. A book that I very much enjoyed reading and one that I'm sure you will like as well." ModellingMadness.com

"The different positions between the various countries of the Arab world which were impacted by the European nations fighting their war in the region make for some interesting reading, and perhaps their positions are often overlooked in most coverage of the war in North Africa between 1939 and 1941. I enjoyed this one for being that bit different." Robin Buckland, Military Model Scene

“The lavishly illustrated effort sports dozens of rare photos, one color map, and one B&W map. And twenty-one color aircraft profiles proffer plenty of intriguing project possibilities.” Cybermodeler

"Helion’s relatively large format allows this series to pack in plenty of information along with a generous selection of photographs." The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation