Vulcan 607
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
It was to be one of the most ambitious operations since 617 Squadron bounced their revolutionary bombs into the dams of the Ruhr Valley in 1943 . . .
April 1982. Argentine forces had invaded the Falkland Islands. Britain needed an answer. And fast.
The idea was simple: to destroy the vital landing strip at Port Stanley. The reality was more complicated. The only aircraft that could possibly do the job was three months from being scrapped, and the distance it had to travel was four thousand miles beyond its maximum range. It would take fifteen Victor tankers and seventeen separate in-flight refuellings to get one Avro Vulcan B2 over the target, and give its crew any chance of coming back alive.
Yet less than a month later, a formation of elderly British jets launched from a remote island airbase to carry out the longest-range air attack in history. At its head was a single aircraft, six men, and twenty-one thousand-pound bombs, facing the hornet’s nest of modern weaponry defending the Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands. There would be no second chances . . .
Customer Reviews
VULCAN 607
An absolutely first class read. The Black Buck raid on Port Stanley was an incredibly complex operation involving 11 Victor tankers and 2 Avro Vulcans, huge logistical support and a good dose of political intrigue. The ingenuity, perseverance and old fashioned 'guts' behind the successful operation is presented in a gripping read that will capture the interest of any reader. Rowland White brings the whole story together and provides incredible insights and details on just how it all came together and just how close things came to unravelling on many occassions.
Rowland's other books, Phoenix Squadron and Storm Force are also written in the same style and to an equally high standard.
Would I give a copy as a gift? Only if I had two!
Vulcan 607
In the summer of 1966, I worked as a summer student on the airbase in Goose Bay, Labrador, part of Canada,s Newfoundland province. RAF Vulcans, then in their prime, were a familiar sight as they took off on their training missions and landed.
This book makes it easy for even a non-pilot such as I to appreciate the tremendous effort required of the rank and file in order to make the Falklands raids a success. Not only does this book makes that clear in spades, it also gives some insight into the soul searching required of those at the top, including the political leadership.
It also makes clear just how thin - sometimes nonexistent - the margins of error were and how the slightest malfunction or miscalculation could, and on more than one instance very nearly did, lead to disaster. Only the ingenuity and adaptability of the men on the front lines kept the mission on track.
Not to denigrate the mighty Vulcan, this is a story, first and foremost of human beings at their best - the brave men of the RAF who somehow nursed their creaky aircraft, all well past their best-before date, to successfully complete the longest bombing mission in history, thus making an important contribution to victory in the Falklands. But it is also a story of human foibles. Take the case of the official who, when informed of the missions success, demanded a repeat for the following night, unaware it would seem that people need to eat and sleep.
All in all, a tremendous book and a must-read for any aircraft aficionado worthy of the label.
And getting back to my long ago summer job. Some years ago I had occasion to visit Goose Bay once again. Imagine my joy and surprise at seeing parked behind the airline terminal Vulcan XL364, the aircraft mentioned in Chapter 18 that suffered extensive damage on a flight across the Atlantic and was donated to the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay as a static monument. I can't imagine a more fitting retirement for an old warbird.