This book is a study of all aspects of air defense from its beginnings during the French Revolution when artillery gunners tried to hit primitive balloons with their cannons to the use of Patriot missiles in the Gulf War to shoot down tactical ballistic missiles. Crabtree's history focuses on the development of tactics and technology from the Franco-Prussian War to the present. The strategic air defense of World War I and World War II are featured, as are the development of surface-to-air missiles by Germany in World War II and by the United States and the USSR in Vietnam and the Middle East. .,."offers the reader a brief overview of this unexplored area of military history." -The Journal of Military History While attempting to get a book published about my Desert Storm experiences I was offered a chance to write On Air Defense as the third volume in the Military Professional series. I still hope to write an improved book on antiaircraft which reflects the evolution of air defense weapons, doctrine and organizations. James D. Crabtree served as an enlisted Air Defender during the Cold War and as a Tactical Control Officer in a Hawk surface-to-air missile system during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He has written several articles on the art and science of shooting down aircraft, as well as Guerrilla Air Defense... which bin Laden liked enough to keep around for light reading.