Table of Contents

Introduction /Learning the 'Balalaika' /Early Battles /The Crowded Sky /Facing New Threats /Linebacker /Gathering Momentum /Appendices /Colour Plates Commentary /Bibliography /Index

Promotional Information

During eight years of aerial warfare over the skies of Vietnam, the Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF) produced 13 MiG-21 aces and five ‘Hero’ pilots who achieved four victories. This is their fully illustrated story, which will appeal to any enthusiast of the air war over Vietnam.

About the Author

Dr István Toperczer is a flight surgeon with the Hungarian Air Force. In his spare time, he has become one of the few individuals from outside Vietnam to be given open access to the files of the Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF). He has made numerous visits to Hanoi, and other Vietnamese cities in the past 20 years, and has interviewed many of the leading aces from the war years. He has written two titles in Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series: MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War and MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes.

Reviews

". . . full of valuable information including detailed accounts of aerial combat, and is quite a bargain. Four out of five stars!" --Air Classics Magazine "Pays justifiable tribute to the Vietnamese pilots who flew against the United States." --VVA Veteran "This new title could very well be the best of the books written by Toperczer about North Vietnamese MiGs and their pilots. The book is more than a rehash of earlier works published by Osprey, and an astute reader will note the page count has increased by 16 pages, allowing for the inclusion of many photos of the MiG-21 during the war. With artist Gareth Hector's exciting cover painting and regular Osprey artist Jim Laurier's illustrations, it's more than worth its modest price. I highly recommend it." --Peter Mersky, Naval Aviation News