Skybreak, Mike Guardia
Skybreak, Mike Guardia
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Skybreak
The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm

Author: Mike Guardia

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 5 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Magnum Books

Published: 02/14/2022


Synopsis

Meet the top MiG-killing aces of Operation Desert Storm.

August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapsed under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron.

Mounted aboard their F-15C fighter jets, these young aviators took to the sky against the Iraqi Air Force. Although confident in their capabilities, these untested American pilots were flying into combat against the latest-and-greatest of Soviet-built aircraft – including the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum.’

Despite the odds, however, the men of the 58th Fighter Squadron decimated the Iraqi Air Force in one engagement after another. On the first day of the air war (January 17, 1991), Captain Jon “JB” Kelk claimed the first aerial victory of Desert Storm, downing a MiG-29 in combat. In less than 30 days, the 58th Fighter Squadron flew more than 1,600 combat sorties and destroyed 16 Iraqi aircraft – more than any other coalition air unit.

Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this book reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern aerial combat…as told by the men who lived it.

"Skybreak" is their story.

About Mike Guardia

Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served six years on active duty as an armor officer. He is the author of the widely acclaimed Hal Moore: A Soldier Once . . . and Always, the first-ever biography chronicling the life of LTG Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film We Were Soldiers, starring Mel Gibson.

He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tyson on November 29, 2021

As a 58th Fighter Squadron alum this was a fun read, but not a particularly scholastic examination of the squadron’s Desert Storm history. The MiG kills have been covered in multiple other publications, though there were a couple of fun anecdotes. This did cover the role the maintainers played in ke......more

Goodreads review by Rafael on July 01, 2022

Si te interesa saber como fue la guerra aerea en Operación Tormenta del Desierto contada por quienes lucharon en el Escuadron que más derribos logró, este es el libro indicado. Cinco estrellas no son suficientes.......more

Goodreads review by Jorie on May 03, 2022

I think this book might be my favorite so far this year! Check out my review on the Starry Night Elf Blog here.......more

Goodreads review by Michael O'Neill on March 05, 2023

Nice to know!! Really nice to know how it really was in Squadron life. Guardia gives the reader a true glimpse of a pilots life, both stateside and abroad. Very well written and Avery good read!......more