FLIGHT 571 How Hunger, Storms, and the Cold Could Not Break the Human Spirit (Paperback)
Language: English
Published by Independently Published, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.Grand Eagle Retail
AbeBooks seller since October 12, 2005
Condition: New
£ 14.75
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Paperback. When Falcons Ate Hawks: The Banja Luka IncidentHow Six J-21 Jets Took on F-16s, Made History, and Why Half Didn't SurviveOn February 28, 1994, six outdated Yugoslav J-21 Jastreb attack jets lifted off into a sky they were never meant to survive.Above Bosnia, they would collide with the most advanced air force alliance on Earth-NATO-in what became NATO's first combat engagement in history.This is not a story of victory.It is a story of courage, inevitability, and fatal imbalance.As NATO enforced a no-fly zone over war-torn Bosnia, deterrence had failed repeatedly-until this day. When the J-21s climbed to bombing altitude near Banja Luka, they were instantly exposed. What followed was a brutal, one-sided confrontation between Cold War-era light attack aircraft and F-16 Falcons armed with AMRAAMs and Sidewinders.Some pilots escaped.Some were hunted through valleys and clouds.Some never made it home.Drawing from detailed operational accounts and military analysis, this book reconstructs the incident minute by minute, revealing: Why six pilots volunteered for a mission they knew was nearly suicidalHow NATO command shifted from monitoring to "Weapons Free"What it feels like to be locked by a missile you cannot outrunWhy one damaged aircraft was spared-and what that says about human judgment in mechanized warHow this single engagement permanently changed NATO's rules of enforcementThis book answers why it happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and what the world learned-not through myth or propaganda, but through the cold reality of air combat.If you are fascinated by: Modern military aviationNATO history and rules of engagementAsymmetrical warfarePilot psychology under fireThe thin line between deterrence and destruction.then this book is essential reading.This is not a celebration of power.It is a warning written in jet fuel, radar locks, and silence after impact. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…
Seller Inventory # 9798242644007
- Title
- FLIGHT 571 How Hunger, Storms, and the Cold Could Not Break the Human Spirit (Paperback)
- Author
- Muel Esther
- Publisher
- Independently Published
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- new
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 13
- 9798242644007
How Six J-21 Jets Took on F-16s, Made History, and Why Half Didn’t Survive
On February 28, 1994, six outdated Yugoslav J-21 Jastreb attack jets lifted off into a sky they were never meant to survive.
Above Bosnia, they would collide with the most advanced air force alliance on Earth—NATO—in what became NATO’s first combat engagement in history.
This is not a story of victory.
It is a story of courage, inevitability, and fatal imbalance.
As NATO enforced a no-fly zone over war-torn Bosnia, deterrence had failed repeatedly—until this day. When the J-21s climbed to bombing altitude near Banja Luka, they were instantly exposed. What followed was a brutal, one-sided confrontation between Cold War–era light attack aircraft and F-16 Falcons armed with AMRAAMs and Sidewinders.
Some pilots escaped.
Some were hunted through valleys and clouds.
Some never made it home.
Drawing from detailed operational accounts and military analysis, this book reconstructs the incident minute by minute, revealing:
Why six pilots volunteered for a mission they knew was nearly suicidal
How NATO command shifted from monitoring to “Weapons Free”
What it feels like to be locked by a missile you cannot outrun
Why one damaged aircraft was spared—and what that says about human judgment in mechanized war
How this single engagement permanently changed NATO’s rules of enforcement
This book answers why it happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and what the world learned—not through myth or propaganda, but through the cold reality of air combat.
If you are fascinated by:
Modern military aviation
NATO history and rules of engagement
Asymmetrical warfare
Pilot psychology under fire
The thin line between deterrence and destruction
…then this book is essential reading.
This is not a celebration of power.
It is a warning written in jet fuel, radar locks, and silence after impact.
👉 Open the cockpit. Enter the no-fly zone. Witness the moment air warfare crossed a line it could never uncross.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Grand Eagle Retail
Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since October 12, 2005
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