In the early 1950s, the Israeli Air Force was looking for a modern, swept wing jet fighter. They would have liked to have had the F-86, but the US blocked all sales of this aircraft to Israel so they had to look elsewhere. This was the French era in the IAF/DF and so the only suitable plane available was the Mystere. Though even at that time an aircraft that was inferior to the MiG-15 and later the MiG-17 that was to be supplied to Egypt and other Arab forces, the plane was capable in the hands of a skilled pilot.

In the beginning of operations, skilled pilots were few and far between, though one thing about the IAF/DF is that they take as much time as possible to ensure that their pilots learn their aircraft as well as they can. So when it came time to take them into battle, they performed very well. The Mystere fought in both the 1956 Suez war and in the 1967 Six-Day war, both times performing the ground attack role. In the latter conflict, the numbers available had been halved from the original number purchased, yet every available plane took part in the war. A few even managed to shoot down Egyptian and Jordanian aircraft over the years of battle.

In this book, the authors cover the full story of the Mystere in Israili service. From the initial planes in unpainted metal when delivered in 1956 through two different camouflage liveries until removed from service in 1970. In addition to the historical background, this is first and foremost a photo book. There are page after page of superb photo of the Mystere IV in service with all the units that flew the plane and all of its different liveries. The historical images are nearly all in black and white, while the images of the survivors  are in full color. The book provides a listing of every plane and its fate as well as six full pages of profiles and three view camouflage schemes.

The bottom line is that this is the finest publication yet available on the type. A MUST for enthusiasts of the IAF and for any modeler who wants to accurately portray the type in plastic.

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