FLIGHT PLAN AFRICA: Portuguese Airpower in Counterinsurgency, 1961-1974

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Following the 1952 reorganization of the Portuguese Air Force from the army and naval air arms, Portugal now had a dedicated organization for aviation that would bring it into line with its new NATO commitment. As it developed and trained for its NATO role, 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.

Includes 90 b/w photos and 40 maps.