ARCHIE, FLAK, AAA, and SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air Defense

by Dr Kenneth P Werrell

The title refers to the name that airmen use and have used to describe ground fire against aircraft: ARCHIE in World War I (from the British), FLAK in World War II and Korea (from the Germans), AAA throughout but especially in Vietnam (from the American abbreviation for antiaircraft artillery), and most recently SAM (from the US abbreviation for surface-to-air missiles). This study concentrates on how these weapons developed and how they impacted both US and non-US air operations.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Svein M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and to the point overview of the history of air defense. The book might not offer new insights for someone with an air defense background but can be a good primer and brings together information someone starting from zero might ha e toe use a bit of time to find in between other issues in military literature and articles. Personally, the ABM issues was the less know part of the issues discussed. The reference sections might be of good value for someone wanting to dig into the different issues and historical contexts discussed in the book.
Sadly the kindle version had a bit of editorial issues and seems not to ha e been made up to the standards most e-bools are supposed to meet these days and is not giving this version its due credit.