Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for the history buffs..., 18 Nov 2006
Though the effectiveness of the Vulcan raids remains one of the lingering debates of the Falklands conflict, the tale of how this Cold War bomber was summoned from the brink of retirement to carry out a series of 8000 mile return missions in the twilight of its career is fascinating in itself. The Black Buck raids launched from Ascension Island over the Falkland Islands in 1982 were brave in the extreme, given that a lone Vulcan would require in-flight refuelling many times in order to complete its mission, and fly almost the entire distance over water. For the most part Vulcan 607 doesn't disappoint: describing the build up to the missions and the surprising number of hurdles that had to be overcome well. Rowland White's attention to detail and excellent research shows in every chapter.
The raid itself reads almost like a novel, with the tension, uncertainty and unfolding drama expertly written, flitting between various cockpits, airfields and other settings to give a complete picture of events. Always the reader is left thinking that disaster is bearing down on the aircraft as it contends with excessive fuel burn, electrical storms, risky in-flight refuelling and the strong defences the Argentinians had in place around Stanley airfield. Such was the pace and detail I genuinely found the book hard to put down and went from cover to cover in three days. The only slight disappointment I had with the book is that, once the raid is complete and Vulcan 607 returns to Ascension Island, the book tails off rapidly. I would have liked to have read more on events after the raid and a more detailed summary of the subsequent Black Buck missions, particularly the one where a sister Vulcan was impounded in Rio de Janeiro after landing on almost empty tanks when its refuelling probe failed.
I've ploughed through most books published on the 1982 Falklands conflict and have no hesitation in saying that this was one of the most pleasurable to read; highly recommended.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A ripping yarn well told, 23 April 2007
I ripped through this tome in a soingle transatlantic flight last week, and enjoyed every page of it. The daring do leapt off the page, and you could allmst smell the jet fuel as the refueling runs went in. If there is a problem with it, it's that with such a complex story there is always going to be a large cast of characters- litterally hundreds of people were involved in this tale- and it's all too easy to loose track of who the narrative is really about. It's also tricky to follow the mission in the air- diagrams of the complicated (and almost disasterous) refueling plan help, but don't quite make things crystal clear.
Also, the book perhaps over states the ultimate impact of the raids- the strategic acheivements claimed are tenuous to say the least.
None the less this books reads brilliantly well, and as an inflight book it's probably the best thing available today. Certainly made economy plus feel downright luxurious compared to what those chaps endured!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent account of "daring do"..., 4 Jun 2007
The reviewer who stated that they missed the runway may like to read the book again!
This is a great story and describes the RAF's "minor" contribution to the Falklands war in gripping detail. Of course many people state that these raids would have been better launched using the Sea Harriers much closer to home, but as the book only slightly elludes to, the whole point was to make the Argentinians sit up and realise that even though the UK was thousands of miles away, they could still be hit. It must have scared them silly.
Overall the book is well written, but I find some the authors descriptions of people a little twee. They all come across as rather perfect "good eggs", and I think less sycophancy in this area would have made a smoother read (for me at least). It also seems to skirt certain issues in terms of RAF involvement and how the Navy might have felt and the overall effect of bombing the runaway on the Argies. It was all covered, but I felt these areas were a little light in places.
For anyone interested in history, aircraft, the RAF or the Falklands War, this is a great read and will leave you amazed that a team of men, trained to drop a nuclear bomb can in a matter of weeks retrain to drop convential weapons using an aircraft that was so old it was a wonder it would still fly with technology that came essentially from WWII. No matter that only one bomb hit the runway, it had a dramatic effect, not least the surprise that they got there and back AND hit anything at all! And that does not even consider the Victor pilots and the problems they had....
Personally I am glad that there are people who will do this type of thing so that I can sleep soundly at night!
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