Book Details

Book title: Greatest Air Aces of All Time
Author(s): Air Marshal Anil Chopra PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM (Retd)
ISBN: 9789390095322
Publication Year: 2021
Binding: HB
Pages: 322
Price: Rs. 1995 Rs. 1995
Quantity
Stock Availability Yes
ABOUT THE BOOK

Very early in aviation, aerial platforms began being used for air strikes and air combat. A flying Ace, fighter Ace or Air Ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The concept of the “Ace” emerged in 1915 during World War I, at the same time as aerial dogfighting. It was a term often also used to create heroes for domestic audiences, in what were otherwise wars of attrition. The individual combat actions of Aces were widely reported and disseminated as a chivalrous knight reminiscent to ancient era. It also was intended to demoralise the adversary.  For a brief early period when air-to-air combat was just being invented, the exceptionally skilled pilot could shape the battle in the skies, and approximately five percent of combat pilots account for the majority of air-to-air victories.

French newspapers were the first to describe AdolphePégoud, as an Ace in World War I, and later Manfred von Richthofen, known as the “Red Baron”, scored the most officially accepted kills. There were a large number of Air Aces in World War II. Germany clearly led the figures with high scores on the Eastern front with Soviet Union. There were Air Aces later in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq-Iran, and Arab-Israeli wars.

This book covers 25 of the greatest Air Aces across wars, nationalities and countries.

ABOUT Author

Air Marshal Anil Chopra, (Retd),   PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM

A fighter pilot, test pilot, and a pioneer of Mirage-2000 fleet, who has commanded a Mirage 2000 Squadron and the Flight Test Centre, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He has been the Team Leader of MiG 21 Bison Upgrade project in Russia for over four years. He has commanded operational airbases in both Western and Eastern sectors. He was head of IAF in Jammu and Kashmir, and head of operational Inspections of the IAF. Retired as the head of HR as Air Officer in       charge Personnel (AOP), and was also responsible for education and training. He has been a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Lucknow Bench, and member of the Executive Council of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

He has also been as advisor on a committee of the National Green Tribunal. In addition to the four Presidential awards, he is recipient of Gandhi Family Peace Medal for his work in J&K. He is the author of    the book China, the Rising Aerospace Power–Implications for India.

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