Description

Great Book by Osprey Publishing. 96 pages
This volume tells the story of the Hornet units that waged war in northern Iraq from the carrier decks of the USS Harry S Truman and USS Theodore Roosevelt, which were stationed off the coast of Turkey. The conflict for these squadrons, flying with Carrier Air Wings 3 and 8, was very different to the campaign fought in southern Iraq. The Hornet pilots in the north worked almost exclusively with clandestine Special Forces (SF) teams from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy SEALs and British and Australian SAS, as well as Kurdish guerrillas. There was no traditional frontline in the north, with Coalition SF teams popping up all over the mountainous terrain, and then disappearing as quickly as they had come. It is estimated that a force of just 1000 SF troops, supported by 100 tactical fighters from the two carriers, effectively defeated over 20,000 Iraqi troops in northern Iraq. The SF teams relied on the Navy, as land-based assets were barred from flying offensive missions from Turkish bases throughout OIF. Indeed, Turkish airspace was initially off limits in the first days of the war, resulting in carrier pilots having to fly 8-9 hour missions. Finally, the first Navy Reserve unit to be mobilised since the Korean War fought in the northern campaign.