By Dick Lord

Vlamgat, literally ‘flaming hole’ in Afrikaans, was the nickname the South African Air Force (SAAF) gave to the Mirage F1, its formidable frontline jet fighter during South Africa’s long ‘border wars’ in South West Africa (Namibia) and Angola from the late 1960s to the late 1980s.

Battling Soviet MiG-21s over African skies, the Vlammies, the Mirage pilots as they were affectionately known, acquitted themselves with distinction and honour.

Vlamgat is a gripping account of these pilots and their deeds of bravery; their experiences are authentically related with accuracy, humour and pathos—by the author, himself a Vlammie.

As Willem Hechter, former Chief of the SAAF, says: “Vlamgat deserves a place of pride in the long history of this, the second oldest (Commonwealth) air force in the world.”

This book is a softback reprint of the original book with an additional appendix: a potted biography of Mirage F1 pilots.

The book is in 234 x 153mm with 368 pages, 56 colour photos, 170 b/w photos, 12 maps, diagrams.

A full review can be found at http://www.saairforce.co.za/reviews/32/vlamgat

R270.00