The MiG Diaries

What was it like to fly a MiG or Mirage in combat over Angola?

Most books on the Angolan Bush War, especially those in English, present the South African perspective of events. Now a former MiG-23 squadron commander of the Cuban Air Force has collaborated with an ex-SAAF pilot to paint a remarkable new picture of the aerial conflict over Angola in the 1980s.

In The MiG Diaries, the recollections of Lt-Col Eduardo González Sarría are blended by Lionel Reid with those of air combatants from the Angolan, Cuban and South African air forces. Many are being published for the first time. Using their own aviation knowledge and experience of the conflict, Sarría and Reid combine the accounts of these diverse combatants – former comrades and foes – to provide original insights into, and a more holistic description of, what happened in the skies over Angola. The results, often quite different from what the opposing sides had believed, reveal a surprising, and more complete, picture of events.

The wonderful sketching pencil of Sean Thackwray, himself a former fighter pilot, helps to bring this unique story to life, along with select images, including many not seen in print in South Africa.

Long-listed for the Sunday Times Literary Awards 2024.

“This superbly written book reads with the pace and excitement of a novel.” – Flypast UK

“There has seldom, if ever, been a better book on aerial warfare.” – SA Flyer

“Thoroughly deserves to be our book of the year.” – Aviation News UK

“I must congratulate Lionel and Eduardo on an excellent historical account of the air combat activities in south Angola during the 1980s.” – Carlo Gagiano, former Chief of the South African Air Force