 First edition cover, William Kimber, 1975 | |
| Author | Anne Baker, Air Chief Marshall Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Kabul airlift of 1928–1929 |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | William Kimber & Co. Limited |
Publication date | 1975 |
| Publication place | UK |
| Pages | 191 |
| ISBN | 0-7183-0184-6 |
Wings over Kabul: The First Airlift, is a book by Anne Baker and Air Chief Marshall Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman, detailing the Kabul airlift of 1928–1929. It was published in 1975 by William Kimber & Co. Limited with a foreword provided by William Dickson. Baker's father Sir Geoffrey Salmond was head of the Royal Air force in India at the time of the airlift, and directed the rescue.
Told mainly through official documents, letters and memoirs, including some from Sir Francis Humphrys, British minister in Kabul based at the British legation in 1928, the book pieces together the stories of the 84 air missions that successfully airlifted 586 civilians and officials from Kabul between 23 December 1928 and 25 February 1929, in what has been described by David Jordan, reader in defence studies at King's College, as the first significant use of airpower in an insurgency campaign.
Sir William Hildred noted it to be a well documented record of one of the Royal Air Force's historical landmarks, and James Stourton described it as a book to be celebrated. Airfix Magazine agreed that the book documented the rescue, but claimed it significantly underestimated the risks and dangers of the evacuation.