Following the 1952 reorganization of the Portuguese Air Force from the army and naval air arms; Portugal now had an entity dedicated solely to aviation that would bring it into line with its new NATO commitment. As it proceeded to develop a competence in modern multiengine and jet fighter aircraft for its NATO role and train a professional corps of pilots; it was suddenly confronted in 1961 with fighting insurgencies in all three of its African possessions. This development forced it to acquire an entirely new and separate air force; the African air force; to address this emerging danger. This is the story of just how Portuguese leadership anticipated and dealt with this threat; and how it assembled an air force from scratch to meet it. The aircraft available at the time were largely castoffs from the larger; richer; and more sophisticated air forces of its NATO partners and not designed for counterinsurgency. Yet Portugal adapted them to the task and effectively crafted the appropriate strategies and tactics for their successful employment. The book explores the vicissitudes of procurement; an exercise fraught with anti-colonial political undercurrents; the imaginative modification and adaptation of the aircraft to fight in the African theaters; and the development of tactics; techniques; and procedures for their effective employment against an elusive; clever; and dangerous enemy. Advances in weaponry; such as the helicopter gun ship; were the outgrowth of combat needs. The acquired logistic competences assured that the needed fuel types and lubricants; spare parts; and qualified maintenance personnel were available in even the most remote African landing sites. The advanced flying skills; such as visual reconnaissance and air-ground coordinated fire support; were honed and perfected. All of these aspects and more are explored and hold lessons in the application of airpower in any insurgency today.REVIEWS “ … Cann has accomplished a remarkable feat of historical investigation. This is in fact a trailblazing book; the first in-depth English language study of a central but long-neglected aspect of Portugal's African wars … Airpower professionals and aficionados should also find it exceptionally useful for its novel contributions to an increasingly noteworthy field of military history†Journal of Military Historyvital volume. Dozens of photos; maps and annotations augment Cann's account. Interested in low-intensity warfare? Grab this one.Cybermodeler a significant contribution to the study of counterinsurgency; irregular warfare; airpower; and military leadership.†Air Space Power Journal“ … Aviation enthusiasts will delight in the exhaustive detail on the aircraft the Portuguese air force; the Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP); used in the decade-plus it was on the front lines; but there are lessons here for today’s policymakers as well.†Journal of the Middle East and Africa
#124866 in Books Zweig Stefan 2012-01-10 2012-01-10Original language:GermanPDF # 1 7.80 x .90 x 5.20l; .85 #File Name: 1906548498352 pagesMagellan
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Zewig and MagellanBy Erez DavidiMagellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He is the one who named the Pacific Ocean (“peaceful seaâ€) for the calmness of its water and the lack of wind. Although he wasn't alive to complete the entire journey himself after he was killed in a rather unnecessary battle with a local king in the Philippines; the expedition that he once led resulted in the first circumnavigation of the earth. Needless to say; the journey wasn't smooth and clear skies all along otherwise there would hardly be a reason to write a full book about this expedition. Magellan had to overcome the Portuguese king who tried to sabotage this voyage; the mutiny of his crew; hunger; thirst and very harsh weather. Oh; yeah; he also lost his life.Zweig and his stirring prose style seem well suited for the task of writing about this dramatic expedition. Just consider this; for example: “His native country left him in the lurch; his ties with office and duty had been severed. So much the better; now he was free. As so often when a man seems to be at the mercy of the winds; he is in reality being blown back upon his own self.â€In his novels; Zweig tends to focus in the psychological aspects of his characters. What drove them and why they acted the way they did. This shows in his biography of Magellan. He portrays him as a quiet introvert and as a very calculated man who rarely made any decision without considering the long term; he was also fairly harsh (at least according to our standards today); but yet very fair.Zweig doesn't dwell too much into to the details of each and every small thing that happened. Along with his dramatic and enjoyable prose style; "Magellan" reads more like one of Zweig’s novels.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Quick easy read. Knocked down to 3 stars because the ...By Dale PetersonFascinating story and worth learning more about Magellan. It made me want to find another book on the subject. Quick easy read.Knocked down to 3 stars because the author got quite flowery in language and flattering of the subject about half way through the voyage.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Magellan and his Voyage to the of the Known World -- by Mistake!By Judith K. BinneyFascinating history + the Zweig style. Very interesting and revealing about the times and personalities of Magellan and his world.
