The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale was fought between South African/UNITA and Cuban/FAPLA troops in Angola over a seven month period from August 1987 to March 1988. This was a wide-ranging battle fought over nine-thousand square miles of southern Angola, making it the second largest battle on the African continent after El Alamein. First published in 2013 and now reproduced as a paperback by Casemate, Peter Polack’s The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War tells the gripping story of an intense battle in a crucial phase of the Angolan Civil War. Polack outlines the background of the conflict, which erupted from Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975. The main parties that fought for control were the communist backed MPLA, the US backed UNITA, Cuba, and South Africa. The civil war culminated in the two-part Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The MPLA’s armed wing was FAPLA, originally led by Soviet advisors who planned the ill-fated attack across the Lomba river. That led to a disastrous retreat.. Read more
Neil Smith

"This is a most comprehensive reference on the BONE, and is thoroughly recommended."
IPMS Magazine - Issue 3: 2025

"I unreservedly recommend this work to any reader with not only a general interest in military affairs but also those with a more in depth interest in strategy, doctrine, tactics and equipment provision."
The Wessex Branch of the Western Front Association

“Wallace’s crisp writing and stunning photographs are powerful and haunting…a triumph of journalism.” Matthew Campbell, Foreign Features Editor, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times

"In the early 1950s it was not unusual to see the high altitude contrails of USAF B-36s over England. 385 were built and, commonly dubbed "Six Turning, Four Burning" thanks to its six piston and four jet engines. The development of the B-36 is fully described and there is considerable coverage of the political issues including competition from the Northrop flying wing. We see the B-36 into services with SAC, and we well remember al those contrails over Britain in the 1950s as the B-36s flew over. This is a readable history..."
Aviation World - Spring 2025