The Role of Amphibious Warfare in British Defence Policy, 1945-1956 (review)

292 ★ lost 550 MiGs in air-to-air combat as they assert (is it naïve to assume the combatants knew and accurately reported their losses?), versus the over 800 claimed by U.S. airmen. However, communist victory claims of over 1,600 U.N. aircraft destroyed, far exceeds the 150 aircraft that U.S. sources reported were lost in air-to-air combat. Clearly this gigantic discrepancy is much more than the normal overclaiming typical of aerial combat. Thus the claims issue is a controversial point, and because Zhang refers to it so often and as it supports one of his major conclusions, it requires more detailed attention. Regardless of the exact numbers, there can be little question that the U.S. airmen had air superiority (the author calls it “overwhelming air superiority,” p. 203). This was significant for, as Zhang concludes, U.N. airmen prevented the communists from using their aircraft to support their troops and inflicted heavy damage on both communist personnel and material (p. 209). Red Wings Over the Yalu is an excellent and important book. In addition to its groundbreaking character, it is well written and illustrated. Anyone wanting a fresh, well-researched, and balanced view of this subject will welcome this study. We can only hope that Zhang will continue his work and others will be encouraged to follow his impressive lead.