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The author presents a chronological order of events that mark ww1 aviation. Four stars are given to the exceptional factual accounts of specific air fighting episodes. Author typically has between 80-120 sources at the end of each chapter(biography). This "just the facts" book is an excellent reference to any ww1 enthusiasts library. Very detailed account of peripheral information regarding the war in the air. On the down side...for those interested in flowery story telling, they will be disappointed by the book's lack of flowery descriptions of air combat. I find this point a good point since only those actually fighting in the air could ever accurately describe the aura of air battle.

This book explores a little researched area of the Second World War: armored fighting vehicle design. The thesis in and of itself is nothing new to students of the conflict: namely that British tanks were inferior to their German opponents in armor (Quality and thickness), firepower (main tank weapon, and fire control) and reliability. What is new is the perspective from a crewman and his contemporaries. The narrative is a sad story of official indifference and political infighting that cost unnecessary lives during the fighting in the ETO. Unfortunately, these insights are somewhat clouded by a confusing and contradictory work. For example, the 75mm medium-velocity gun on the Sherman series is rightly derided for its lack of penetrating power; however, later it is lauded for its overall usefulness (due to the effective HE round it fired) without reservations. The reader is left to wonder, "did crews think the weapon was effective or didn't they"? The text is unclear on this point and often repeats its assertions although they are reworded. This doesn't normally bother me in larger books, but in a work of only 200+ pages it shows some inattentive editing. The author's opinions of the British leadership in the armored branch at this time, that very few understood armored warfare, are impassioned and validated by other research and make interesting reading. If you are a serious student of WW2 armored warfare you will find some value here. A general interest reader may wish to wait for another edition.

When I bought this book I thought it would be a pictoral history, I was wrong. Yes there are a few pictures but nothing really interesting. But the text does however look to be interesting..... If you dont want to do alot of reading, dont buy this book!!

I really wanted to give this book a "No Star" if I could. Even though I haven't been able to read this book (not yet released until April 2003) but, fairly speaking and by the historical facts, the author makes a big mistake by mixing up Ho Chi Minh with Osmar Bin Laden. These two men are totally different in many ways: backgrounds, personalties, idealogies, goals, and methods etc.. In my opinion, the author is trying to make his book more marketable by bringing in the controversial name of Ho Chi Minh (haunting name to American public). However, for critical-oriented minds, it is a dirty trick that will be back fired like the first two words of the title of this book: "Fighting Dirty."

Peter Harclerode, a historian of special forces, presents the simple-minded anti-communist version of history to try to justify the appalling story of state terrorism that he tells here.

He writes, 'The Soviet Union and China ' turned to pursue their own ambitions which, along with those of emerging nationalist movements, posed new global threats during the late 1940s and early 1950s by supporting revolution, insurrection and ultimately war in Eastern Europe, the Baltic, the Balkans, Indochina, Malaya and Korea.' The special forces operated in the British and French empires, or in countries where progressive forces had taken power. The special forces waged counter-revolutionary, aggressive wars, supporting empires and capitalism, against national liberation struggles.

Harclerode gives detailed accounts of wars in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states 1947-56, Albania 1949-54, Indochina 1950-54, Malaya 1948-58, Korea 1950-53, Algeria 1954-62, Borneo 1962-66, Tibet 1956-74, Oman 1958-76, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos 1954-71, and Afghanistan 1979-2001. He omits the CIA operations in Hungary, Angola, Kenya, Jamaica, Cuba and Nicaragua.

The CIA and MI6 operated in Eastern Europe, the SAS in the Empire. France's Action Service operated in France's empire in Indochina and Algeria. The CIA fought the USA's secret war in Tibet, which has always been part of China. A CIA unit, the Saigon Military Mission, organised terrorism in Vietnam and Laos, breaking the Geneva Accords.

The CIA and MI6 started funding, arming and training terrorists to attack the progressive government in Afghanistan six months before the Soviet Union sent forces to defend the government. These terrorists later went to the USA, Algeria, Bosnia and Chechnya.

The US and British states consistently built up terrorists like bin Laden, to fight national liberation struggles led by people like Ho Chi Minh. But the terrorists, like the special forces, were expendable. As the US Director of Central Intelligence, Admiral Turner, said, 'it was permissible to use other people's lives for the geopolitical interests of the US.'

A great revolutionary wrote, 'To die for the people in weightier than Mount Tai, but to work for the fascists and for the exploiters and oppressors is lighter than a feather.'

Behind the title "The encyclopedia of 20th century conflict - Air Warfare" hides a very superficial book.

As an Israeli, naturally, I searched for information concerning Israel and the middle east - Arab-Israeli air warfare history.

I found a map concerning Operation "Moked" (the Israeli wipe-off of the Arab air power at the beginning of the Six Day war of 1967) but no decription of the operation nor the name of it (in the operation section) were found. I continued with my search going to 1982 looking for information of the major dogfight in which the Israeli AF downed 92 Syrian fighters just in 2 hours - (a third of the Syrian airpower and the largest dogfight in the jet age...) "9 June (1982) The Israelis launch the first of a series of attacks intended to destroy Syrian SAM system in the Lebanon". If you would wonder what was the previous major Air Warfare chronologic event - "3 June (1982) Leaflets calling for an Argentine surrender are dropped on Port Stanley and an RAF Vulcan lands at Brazilian airport after flying from Ascension"...

Other Air Warfare events like the Entebbe raid are not even mentioned, nor could I find an image of an F-15 or F-4 Phantom...

Concerning photos - the book has quite a lot of interesting images (my reason for buying the book was a photo of an Israeli Mosquito) of tested variants of the V-1 flying bomb both in Russia and USA and other interesting historivcal images.

If you are looking for a good book about Air Warfare - this might not be the best choice, but if you are looking for more inforamtion or interesting images this book is comes as an option. In general you will find some interesting info

The primary editor needs to get some formal training in editing manuscripts. This book is FULL of typos and it was painful to read at times.

The historical facts are rather diminished by the lack of photos or sketches. Some of the weaponry is rather obscure, in the descriptive phase.The book seems to be a grouping of groups of sketchy information, leaving much to be desired for the military historian.