They were the stuff of legends and, indeed, their exploits throughout the simmering Caribbean region of the late 1940s have gained a life of their own over the intervening years. They were a mix of the finest and brightest - true patriots - with a seasoning of ambitious politicians, soldiers of fortune and blatant arms merchants. But through it all, their often-splintered leadership recognized the pivotal value of air power, and so they organized one of the very first "extra-national" air forces - non-traditional in the extreme.

This in-depth examination goes beyond the politics and noble aspirations of the participants, whether patriot or despot, and reveals for the first time the lengths that the Legionaries went to in assembling an air strike force the likes of which the world had not yet witnessed. From B-24 Liberators to P-38 Lightnings, and down to non-lethal Vultee BT-13s and lumbering transports, the Legion's Air Force could well have been the "pointy end" of a political transformation that would shake entrenched dictators to the core.

Well-illustrated and documented by a team of award-winning aero historians, this latest addition to the excellent Helion "Latin America @War" series is a must for those seeking "the rest of the story."