Korea 1950–53 - Michael Napier

A spectacularly illustrated new history and analysis of the strategic bombing campaign in the Korean War, which saw the last combat of America's legendary B-29s. Just five years after they defeated Japan, at the dawn of the jet age, the most advanced bomber of World War II was already obsolescent. But the legendary war-winning Superfortresses had one more war to fight, in the strategic air campaign against North Korea. The bombers' task was to destroy North Korea's facilities for waging war, from industry and hydroelectric dams to airfields and bridges. However, it was a challenging campaign, in which the strategy was not merely military but political. In this fascinating book, airpower scholar and former RAF pilot Michael Napier explains how the campaign was fought, and how the technique of 'bombing to negotiate' that would become notorious in Vietnam was already being used in Korea. He analyses in detail the relationship between battlefield progress, armistice negotiations and the bombing strategy developed over the complex campaign. In the skies over Korea, the B-29s operated in a new world dominated by jet fighters and jet age technology, and tactics were developing rapidly. Packed with original illustrations, this book includes dramatic air scenes featuring B-29s, MiG-15s, AD Skyraiders and Skyknight jet nightfighters in action. It also includes maps, 3D recreations of missions and explanatory 3D diagrams to bring the conflict to life. This is a fascinating, dramatic account of the last battles of the piston-engined aircraft era as the superpowers vied for victory in the first clash of the Cold War.