It is hard to believe that this series has already reached issue #35 as it seems it was just started a short time ago. However, Osprey's Duel series has been very popular and this one should easily add to that popularity.

The Vietnam war was one where there many who flew in it will tell you that there has been no greater air defense concentration than that around Hanoi. Two major air campaigns were fought over North Vietnam. One in 1967/68 and the other in 1972. The former saw the first use of SAM defenses by the North Vietnamese (actually by the Russians who were training the NVA operators) and the latter the very intense air fighting in the North prior to the US drawdown and eventual loss of South Vietnam to communist forces.

In the former, US aircraft were shot down at a much higher rate than in the latter, much due to the infancy of SAM suppression and electronic jamming. It was the EF-100F that began what is now known as the Wild Weasel SAM suppression mission and they helped to formulate the tactics involved. It was the EF-105F (later F-105G) that really carried the ball for the USAF in this task, eventually converting nearly every F-105F trainer into Wild Weasel aircraft.

The learning curve was steep, but the success of the mission was such that the kill ration of NVA SAMs decreased as the years went by, despite the intensity of SAM air defenses increasing.

In line with other books in this series, the author takes a look at the design and development of both of the weapons systems, then looks at the strategic situation in which these weapons found themselves during the war. There is a section on the technical specifications of the systems, followed by a piece on the training of the combatants. Much of the book then goes on to detail the combat action between the two forces, following up with an analysis of the event and what came afterwards.

All of this is superbly illustrated with maps, cutaways, and period photographs, making this edition a must-have for those interested in the combat capabilities of these two machines.

July 2011

For more on the complete line of Osprey books, visit www.ospreypublishing.com. In the US, it is Osprey Direct at 44-02 23rd St, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101., where you can get a catalogue of available books.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.