From the first paragraph,

The Russian-Ukrainian War that began in the spring of 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, turned into a full-scale invasion by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (VRSF) on 24 February 2022. One of the areas of attack was the northern-eastern part of Ukraine, primarily Chernihiv Oblast, which the Russian generals saw as an easy target and one of the springboards for capturing the country’s capital, Kyiv. However, in the end, for more than a month, the Russians failed to realize their plans.

The non-profit UK-based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes their journal, Cross & Cockade International, four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69”), 80 pages plus centerfold] as well as digital copies (or both). A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publishes WWI-themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS-USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom. If interested, you will need to register early as the call is limited in attendance.

Helion is a UK-based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through the present day. Helion was established in 1996 by University of Warwick graduate Duncan Rogers. Since then, they have published over 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year for readers around the world.

Dmitry Zubkov from Russia, a banker with 25 years of experience, has a lifelong interest in the subject of military history and has written several books and articles in Russian on a variety of related subjects. His area of interest is the little-studied issue of Soviet arms exports during the Cold War, especially warships. His studies of little-known details of the warships’ careers, the warships’ influence on the buildup of the recipient navies, and the experiences of their crews.

If the aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom is an area of interest for you, I don’t think you’d have to look too much further for information on every aircraft used by this service since 1945 than this book. That includes fixed and rotary wing aircraft and even some prototypes. The design, development and deployment of every type used is given in significant detail as is a list of all the specifications and requirements issued by the DOD for their design. As a sort of bonus, there is also a listing of all the ships that carried these aircraft, including the helicopters on surface ships.

The photos are excellent, are crystal clear and the line drawings and charts and tables give extensive information on each type of aircraft. It is particularly pleasing that information and photos are supplied of the ships that carried these aircraft.

This book is the third in the series of medal of honor recipients in the Army Air Force during World War II. The careers of nine aviators and details of the aircraft they used are profiled in this book:

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction

1. William Lawley
2. Darrell Lindsey
3. Archibald Mathies & Walter Treumper
4. Jack Mathis
5. Thomas McGuire
6. Edward Michael
7. John Morgan
8. Harl Pease

• Index

Organization of chapters

Each chapter includes the flying record of the recipient, list of missions flown, the Medal of Honor citation, B&W photographs of missions, color profiles of aircraft, and the careers of the Medal of Honor aviators.