Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served six years on active duty as an Armor Officer. He is the author of the widely acclaimed HAL MOORE: A SOLDIER ONCE...AND ALWAYS, the first-ever biography chronicling the life of LTG Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film WE WERE SOLDIERS, starring Mel Gibson. He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and was named Author of the Year in 2021 by the Military Writers Society of America. As a speaker, he hosts the lecture series HAL MOORE: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP, which is available for presentation at schools, businesses, and civic organizations worldwide. In 2022, he appeared in Season 1 of the History Channel series, I WAS THERE, as a featured historian in the episodes on the Johnstown Flood of 1889; the Chernobyl Disaster; the Battle of Stalingrad; and the Oklahoma City Bombing. His other media appearances include guest spots on Frontlines of Freedom; Armada International; and Military Network Radio. Mike Guardia has given presentations at the US Special Operations Command; the International Spy Museum; and the George HW Bush Presidential Library. He holds a BA and MA in American History from the University of Houston. He currently lives in Minnesota.

This 174-page English-language book was published on April 19, 2025, in the U.S. by Magnum Books [Possibly a publisher managed by Mike Guardia]. This is a 6.00” x 9.00” square-bound soft cover book with a glossy card cover. The text and photographs appear to be similar to Amazon print-on-demand books. The front cover color photograph is a Russian MiG-29K performing at the International Aviation and Space Show [MAKS] in 2003. The color picture on the rear cover is a Soviet MiG-29 flying over Alaska en route to British Columbia, Canada, for the Abbotsford Air Show in August 1989. There are no black and white images, and I counted 46 color photographs.

Mike Guardia kicks off with a four-page Introduction before diving into Chapter 1 Before The Dawn. This chapter addresses the design and development of the MiG-29 Fulcrum. Starting with the design goal of an “Anti-F-15”, the MiG-29 program initiated in 1971 as the Advanced Lightweight Tactical Fighter [LPFI]. Detailed design work initiated in 1974 with first flight achieved on October 6, 1977. Major MiG-29 variants are discussed as well as the countries that bought them. A good example of the naval variant, the MiG-29K [Product 9.31] is depicted on Page 26 performing at the International Aviation and Space Show [MAKS] in Zhukovsky, Russia, in 2007. Intended for service on the Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carriers, it featured a wider track and reinforced landing gear, folding wings, and of course arrestor gear.

Chapters 2 through 6 focuses on individual actions or engagements of the MiG-29 in theater. Captain Alexander Zuyev is featured in Chapter 2 and his defection to the West in a MiG-29 on May 29, 1989. Zuyev ended up obtaining asylum to the United States, but Turkey returned to Fulcrum to Russia quickly. The next chapter, The Baghdad Express, covers MiG-29 service in the Syrian-Iran war, followed by Operation Desert Storm. Of course, as soon as Operation Desert Storm was over, Yugoslavia began its breakup which is covered in Chapter 4. MiG-29 actions are again covered in first person accounts and mission reports. Captain 1^st Class Zoran Radosavljevic is shown on Page 63. A Yugoslav Air Force fighter pilot in the Kosovo War, he was shot down on March 26, 1999, by US F-15 pilot Captain Jeff “Claw” Hwang of the 493^rd Fighter Squadron. Radosavljevic ejected but was found by two teenage boys still in his ejection seat on the ground. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Bravery and the main street in Batajnica, an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, now bears his name. Serbia continued to employ MiG-29s after the Kosovo war with the support of Russia and Belarus that donated their MiG-29 Fulcrums. Serbia currently has eleven MiG-29SM Fulcrums [Down from 14 in 2020] as seen on Page 97 that are used in conjunction with the Soko J-22B Orao [Eagle] strike aircraft. These are in the process of being modernized with upgraded avionics. 2024 saw Serbia sign a deal for twelve Dassault Rafale F4 aircraft, but they have yet to be delivered.

Brushfire Wars and the Arab Spring [Chapter 5] covers several smaller conflicts / civil wars that involved the MiG-29 Fulcrum. The Road to Kyiv [Chapter 6] starts with the Ukrainian Civil War and brings us to the current conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots who are killed in combat have a piano set on fire to honor them. Captain Vladyslav Savieliev’s piano pyre can be spotted on Page 160. Savieliev’s second combat mission carrying JDAM guided bombs of June 2, 2023, ended with him catching a Russian Surface-to-Air-Missile.

The sections include:

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Before The Dawn [Page 26]
• Chapter 2: Breaking Ranks
• Chapter 3: The Baghdad Express
  • Photo Section [Page 63]
• Chapter 4: Balkanized [Page 97]
• Chapter 5: Brushfire Wars & The Arab Spring
  • Eritrean-Ethiopian War
  • Sudan
  • Georgia
  • Syria
  • Other Engagements
• Chapter 6: The Road To Kyiv [Page 160]
• Epilogue: The Enduring Legacy of the MiG-29
• Select Bibliography

There is no shortage of MiG-29 kits and aftermarket parts in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72, and 1/144. This includes colorful markings that address many of the countries that the Fulcrum flew for as well as specially marked airframes and aerobatic teams. My preference is Great Wall Hobby’s 1/48 kits. If you can get to the USAF Museum in Dayton Ohio, they have a MiG-29 9.12 Fulcrum-A on display next to a Su-27UB Flanker-C. You can also find static examples in Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was able to read through it over three nights. It does capture many of the MiG-29 combat actions, often through first person accounts and declassified reports. If you are into MiG-29 history or enjoy building aircraft, this is your book.

My thanks to Magnum Books, Mike Guardia, and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!