The Last Catfight - by Tony Holmes (Hardcover)

About the Book

A lavishly illustrated celebration of the much-loved workhorse of the US Navy - the F-14 Tomcat - and a unique insight into its crucial final operational tour over the skies of Iraq.

Book Synopsis

A lavishly illustrated celebration of the much loved workhorse of the US Navy - the F-14 Tomcat - and a unique insight into its crucial final operational tour over the skies of Iraq.

The Last Catfight charts the combat experiences of the US Tomcat crews that took the jet into action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying hundreds of missions all over strife-torn Iraq to try to ensure the safety of Coalition troops on the ground. The F-14 units played a key part in protecting the polling stations during two vital government elections held in 2005, and were also in the vanguard of Operation Steel Curtain, when the US Marine Corps went head-to-head with al-Qaeda near the Syria/Iraq border.

Combat accounts from the men and women flying these missions bring the F-14's exploits to life as Grumman's last fighter is put through its paces in the world's most demanding combat environment. Whether conducting convoy patrols, looking for IEDs, chasing insurgents through the streets of Baghdad, destroying bomb-making factories or strafing and bombing enemy strongholds, the Tomcat was never found wanting thanks to the professionalism of the crews and the new technologies debuted by the iconic naval fighter on its very last cruise.

Aviation author and editor Tony Holmes has interviewed the commanding officers, pilots and radar intercept officers, and their first-hand accounts are featured alongside a stunning array of colour photos.

About the Author

Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in the 1980s, Tony Holmes became the company's aviation editor in 1989 after he moved to England from Western Australia. Responsible for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft, Aviation Elite Units, Duel and X-Planes series, Tony has also written more than 30 books over the past 35 years. He is an acknowledged expert on the F-14. He is also the editor of Iron Cross magazine.