Over Cold War Seas: NATO and Soviet Naval Aviation, 1949-89
320 pages
Dr James Bosbotinis
It is of course said that a book should not be judged by its cover, but in this case, the striking image of a Royal Navy Buccaneer flying over HMS Ark Royal certainly raises expectations. Having also read the author’s recent Harrier GR 7/9 Units in Combat (reviewed online on 4 March 2025), this reviewer was expecting Over Cold War Seas to be a similarly engaging read and was not disappointed. The author, Michael Napier, is a former Royal Air Force Tornado pilot and military aviation historian, which brings a breadth and depth to his account of the development of NATO and Soviet naval aviation through the Cold War.
The author traces the development of NATO and Soviet and Warsaw Pact maritime aviation through each decade of the Cold War, that is, the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with a chapter dedicated to each decade; there is also a chapter covering the neutral countries – Albania, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the former Yugoslavia, and an Afterword, which focuses on the evolution of the post-Cold War environment. The latter in particular considers the re-emergence of the Russian threat, and the impact of new technologies on the future of naval aviation, namely, uncrewed air systems. The four main chapters covering the respective decades of the Cold War are sub-divided to cover Soviet, US, British, Canadian and European developments as well as NATO exercises in the first and second half of the decade, with a concluding summary of the principal developments in the period. Major events such as the Vietnam War and Falklands conflict are also discussed. Three appendices encompassing abbreviations and acronyms; Western and Soviet designation systems; and ‘A Culture of Innovation and Creativity’ charting the evolution of the US Navy’s carrier air wing, as embarked on the USS Forrestal, through the Cold War; as well as a bibliography are also included.
Napier very much focuses on both land and ship-based aviation, and ably explores the strategic development of the maritime airpower of NATO and the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact, and its tactical employment. The discussion of ASW tactics on pages 143-152, ASuW on pages 152-154, and Soviet doctrine for attacking a US carrier battle group on page 207 (the author also traces the development of tactics in the 1970s and 1980s to counter the Tu-22M Backfire threat) are notable examples in the book. There are also anecdotes from the pilots who flew the various aircraft covered in the text, as well as many historical nuggets; for example, the last operational sortie of a Lancaster was by a Canadian aircraft on 4 November 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. There are a handful of minor typos and errors, including on page 269, referring to the anti-ship variant of the Kalibr as the SS-N-30, which is in fact the land-attack variant; it should be the SS-N-27. The author also refers to the United Strategic Command Northern Fleet; this was abolished on 1 March 2024 with the Navy command assuming control of the Northern Fleet and the Service elements coming under the command of a new Leningrad Military District. These do not detract from the quality of the book.
Over Cold War Seas provides a well-written, highly engaging account of its subject – Napier writes in a very readable manner. The book also features an excellent selection of photographs, which will certainly appeal to any fellow aviation nerd. There is much in this book to appeal to the enthusiast, academic or those with a professional interest in maritime matters; the discussion of the Soviet submarine operations APORT and ATRINA in 1985 and 1987 respectively provide much food for thought given the current strategic environment. In all, Over Cold War Seas is highly recommended.
