IsraDecal

Dassault Mystére IV book

product # IAFB-16    $33.00 from IsraDecal

Product Article by Steve Bamford on May 7 2010

 

Publication #8 of ‘Aircraft of the Israeli Air Force’ series.

This new Dassault Mystére IV book from IsraDecal was written by Ra'anan Weiss & Shlomo Aloni.  It is a softcover reference book with 84 glossy pages of mostly black and white photos over 270 photos and color profiles.  The photos include 236 black and white photos, 35 colour photos as well as 23 colour profiles including 3 4 view colour profiles showing the full Mystére IV and the camo paterns.

This book begins with the process to select the Mystére IV, when the preferred jet was the F-86 which was unavailable for sale to Israel.  So the selection process shifted the the Mystére II and the SAAB J29 "Tunnen" with the Mystére II  being selected.  An interesting side note is that during the test flights of the Mystére II, Isreali pilot Captain Peled became the first Israeli pilot to fly faster than the sped of sound when he put the Mystére II  into a 30 degree dive.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

The Mystére II order was eventually cancelled in preference of the Mystére IV with a selection of Ouragans as a stop gap measure.  There was an urgency in the IAF to acquire swept wing jets as Egypt was also reequipping it's air force with MiG-15's.

The book continues to tell the story of the Mystére IV and it's service life in the Israeli Air Force from 1956 to the farewell flypast on March 18 1971.  During it's service life the Mystére IV  served in the Suez War as well as the Six Day War and stories of action during these wars is covered in the book.  There are also charts showing various losses and victories with pilots names etc as well as a chart showing the Service history of 68 Mystére aircraft.

This is a picture book with sufficient text to tell the story of the Mystére IV and to identify and explain each photo.  If you have an interest in the Israeli Air Force of the Mystére IV, then this book would be a very good addition to your reference library.

Steve Bamford

I would like to thank IsraDecal for providing me with this review sample.

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford