Osprey's fine guides to battles, wars and military history are top picks for any serious military library. Rare photos and original artwork lends to the effort. Paul F. Crickmore's LOCKHEED SR-71 OPERATIONS IN EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST provides a fine addition to the Osprey Combat Aircraft series, covering tensions around the deployment of the aircraft and its mission to monitor Warsaw pact troop movements and photograph ports.

As I opened the package containing this book today, I found myself hoping that it would mention the missions that were flown over the Middle East from Griffiss Air Force Base in upstate New York. In fact I had been thinking the same thing when I ordered the book.

Most folks think that the first post-WWII combat mission to originate from and end in the lower 48 was a B-52 strike from Barksdale AFB to just outside of Iraq and back in 1991. But, in fact, there were a number of them flown over Cuba by Air Force and Navy fliers in 1961. And they were followed by a series of SR-71 missions from New York to the Middle East and back during the October War. Well, friends, not only were the Griffiss missions mentioned in Lockheed SR-71 Operations in Europe and the Middle East, there is an entire chapter on them!

While this isn't Paul Crickmore's first book on the SR-71 (see, among others, the companion Lockheed SR-71 Operations in the Far East), it sure is a good one. Crickmore has even done original research on Soviet attempts to intercept SR-71s over the Baltic in the 1980s--including interviews with former Soviet pilots.

This book is probably not the last word on SR-71 operations, but it is the most current one. There are many photos in this fine, highly recommended book.

As I opened the package containing this book today, I found myself hoping that it would mention the missions that were flown over the Middle East from Griffiss Air Force Base in upstate New York. In fact I had been thinking the same thing when I ordered the book. Most folks think that the first combat mission to originate from and end in the lower 48 was a B-52 strike from Barksdale AFB to just outside of Iraq and back in 1991. But, in fact, it was an SR-71 mission from New York to the Middle East and back nearly 20 years earlier during the October War. Well, friends, not only was this mentioned in Lockheed SR-71 Operations in Europe and the Middle East, there is an entire chapter on these missions!

While this isn't Paul Crickmore's first book on the SR-71 (see, among others, the companion Lockheed SR-71 Operations in the Far East), it sure is a good one. Crickmore has even done original research on Soviet attempts to intercept SR-71s over the Baltic in the 1980s--including interviews with former Soviet pilots.

This book is probably not the last word on SR-71 operations, but it is the most current one. There are many photos in this fine, highly recommended book.