audiobook Famous Russian Aircraft: MiG - 15 by Yefim Gordon in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Mig-15 Book; Excellent For Intelligence StudiesBy George McCulloughThis book is very professional and intel-valuable. I also purchased the Mig-21 book 3 years ago. I have been workingon a Mig-15's cockpit in restoration. Excellent book!!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Jim BeesonGreat reference.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The first famous Russian aircraftBy Jim DavisThe inclusion of the Mikoyan MiG-15 in the the Famous Russian Aircraft series was inevitable; indeed one wonders why it was not included earlier. The MiG-15 was the first Russian aircraft to achieve fame in the West. Not fame among aviation specialist and enthusiasts reading specialized literature but fame among the general public reading popular newspapers and magazines.The book follows the pattern of previous books in the series. There are chapters on the political and technical background; design and development; operational use; production; license production by China; Poland; and Czechoslovakia; and technical details. Outstanding are the details of the operations of the MiG-15 in the Korean War but the operations of Czech MiG-15s against intruders and/or defectors are also detailed and fascinating. One interesting tidbit was the that the MiG-15s combat debut was not in Korea but against the Nationalist Chinese.I do have some complaints. The book seems to have been a little rushed in production. There are a number of errors that occur that these authors normally wouldn't make such as a reference to a MiG-15 shooting down a "Martin RB-26 Marauder" instead of a "Douglas RB-26 Invader". Also; the number of line drawings depicting this aircraft seems to be far fewer than we've come to expect from this series. Most were reprinted from the previous Aerofax MiG-15 volume.Another reviewer complained of no mention of the German Ta 183 project as a supposed starting point for the MiG-15. This was dismissed as a myth by the authors in the introduction. I'm willing to accept this at face value since the authors usually have no qualms about discussing the foreign origin of Soviet products like the Rolls-Royce Nene/RD-45 that powered the Mig-15 but I wish more detail had been provided.Finally; a complaint I have against all books in this series. No index and no maps. The lack of the former really limits its value as a reference. The provision of maps would have greatly added to the Korean War and Czech actions mentioned previously. Surely the endpapers could have been pressed into service here?Highly recommended. Anyone who has the other volumes in the series will want this one as well. No doubt a volume on the MiG-17 will follow in due course.