Vulcan 607

by Rowland White

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 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 . . .

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, War, Historical

580 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Daniel Villines · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain things that are created through the engineering process that not only fulfill their specified requirements, but also possess an elegance that transcends their purpose. A suspension bridge, for example, with its thin wire drapery in tension and its bold towers in compression will span any canyon with a quiet beauty.

As another example, although conceived for grave purposes, the Avro Vulcan possessed an aesthetic elegance that exceeded its time. In the early 1950s, the Vulcan replaced the gangly WWII Lancaster-type bomber as Britain’s heavy-lift bomber in an emerging nuclear age. The aircraft embodied its specifications but it was also captivating in its appearance. Even today, the Vulcan still looks like it belongs to the future. It was this combination of function and aesthetics that drew me to this book.

Vulcan 607 delivered on my desire to know more about this mesmerizing aircraft. The book chronicles the final days of the Vulcan’s active service. After thirty years of looking like a threat from the future, the Vulcans were being retired, but they did not pass quietly from service. On the twilight of their operational existence they received their first and only call to fulfill their intended purpose.

In 1982, the military government of Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and the British government responded to protect their almost forgotten citizens. The Vulcan bomber was the only aircraft that could deliver the explosive power necessary to keep the island’s only airport from being used by the Argentinean Air Force.

To bomb the runway, however, required a mission that was conceived with audacity. The mission demanded that the RAF pilots fly to edge of their endurance as well as to the limits of their aircraft’s capabilities. And yet this remarkable story is quickly being lost to history. Vulcan 607 brings the Vulcans, the conflict, and those involved back to life once again.

As a final thought, this book itself is something of an engineered work of art. It's perfectly suited to convey this story into the future. The book as a whole understands that background, also known as context, is essential to creating an atmosphere that gives life to events. The narrative is well written and it respects the details that are necessary to preserve a moment in time that is slipping away.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a detailed account of the long range bombing missions undertaken by the RAF’s strategic bombing force during the Falklands War. The story very much centers on the technical and tactical innovations necessary to carry out the bombing raids, as well as the many risk calculations which went into the effort. The Vulcan bombers used in the raids had had their inflight refueling capability removed many years before. A good chunk of the book tells how various technical innovations (including stripping planes in museums and on static displays) and compressed training were undertaken to bring the inflight refueling capability back. Also necessary was the training of the crews to operate as conventional bombers against an Air Defense environment for which they had never planned. The end result is a stirring account of the 4000+ mile flight, using 14 tanker aircraft, which placed 21 bombs on and around the sole runway in the Falklands and started the shooting phase of the Falklands campaign. The book is very detailed, I learned a lot about England’s V-bomber force and its unique operational practices. A good story arc within the book focuses on the lives of the Falkland islanders during the war and their interaction with the Argentinian military, something I had not read about before. This is a great book for those wanting to know how a modern military can quickly adapt to a changed objective and environment, while working the risk mitigation and acceptance processes so critical to that adaptation effort.

[Rupert Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutwely fascinating. I can remember the Falklands War and recall this raid taking place. Great to be able to read the background and story of the raid in this much detail. Wonderfuld.

[Supratim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Epic Story of the Most Remarkable British Air Attack Since WWII" - these words in the cover of the book had attracted my attention.

This is a non-fiction book on the British air raid on the airport of the Falkland Islands under Argentinian occupation.

The only aircraft capable of carrying out the raid- the Vulcans were three months from being scrapped. The book not only recounts the tremendous efforts, training, frustrations, dangers involved in carrying out the attack, it also provides glimpses in to the lives of the people involved in this operation, the fears of the people of Falklands living under Argentine occupation, other developments in the Falklands War. Vulcan 607 was the aircraft which ultimately carried out the attack.

For most part, this book reads like a thriller and the scenes involving the extremely difficult in-flight refueling, the hostile weather faced by Vulcan 607, the threat of the dangerous arsenal of the Argentine forces guarding the air port etc. would delight lovers of techno-thrillers and actual military missions.

Some people might feel that the writer has used too much of technical jargon and delved a bit too deep into the technical details but in this case it is justified. You might have to move to and fro between the story and the glossary but it would be worth it.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read about the incredible logistics and planning involved in getting a newly retired aging fleet of Vulcan bombers from the UK to the Falkland Islands to bomb Port Stanley. Having lived a few miles from a Vulcan airbase this aircraft more than any other always fascinated me, it has a sound like no other aircraft, almost haunting, something once heard you never forget. So for me it was an interesting read because it went into a bit of the history of the aircraft also and some of the behind the scenes issues of preparing remaining fleet for flight again. We now live in a word of digital precision, this book takes you through a time when things where built to less exacting specifications and the issues that can cause in such a project as this.

Beyond the mechanical logistics the book does a good job detailing the plan for the mission as well as the politics involved of the day. The book could almost be categorized as a thriller and a great read even if you have never heard of the Falklands conflict or the bombing of Port Stanley.

Excellent read and a fitting testimony of an amazing aircraft and tribute to British engineering and ingenuity in times of crisis.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 Review 096. Vulcan 607 by Rowland White, narrated by Roy McMillan

Audio duration : 13 hours 29 mins

Vulcan 607 is one of my favourite books to read or listen to, not only because it is the true story of the longest RAF bombing raid since World War II, but because it features my favourite aircraft, the Avro Vulcan bomber which I have seen fly numerous times (swipe to see some of my pictures of Vulcan XH558 that were taken at airshows between 2008 and 2015 before her retirement).

This book gives so much detail about the Black Buck One mission to bomb Port Stanley airfield as part of Operation Corporate (the operation to retake the Falkland Islands from the Argentinian armed forces).

The author put so much detail into the research he did for this book about the mission planning, training and the actual mission itself. It also refers to books that I have read previously (SAS Sea King Down, Sea Harrier over the Falklands, Down South and Harrier 809) all of which detail the Falkland Islands campaign from different viewpoints.

I recently watched a program starring Guy Martin where he was allowed to work on Vulcan XH558 in preparation for the plane's final airshow season. Several people from this program (Martin Withers, Dick Russell and Bill Perrins) are familiar names as they were all part of the preparation for Operation Black Buck. Martin Withers and Dick Russell were the captain and air to air refuelling instructor (AARI) of Vulcan bomber XM607 which flew the Black Buck One mission.

I will definitely read and listen to this book again in the future. I heartily recommend this book if you are an aviation fan.

5*
*****

[Rose Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this really interesting - knew v little about the Falklands War (background and the war itself). A little bit "tally ho and derring do chaps" but maybe it really was like that?
Would make a great film in any case.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a British Bulldog rip-snorter, chocks away lads, and let's give the Hun a damn good thrashing. This time, however, the enemy was the Argentineans, and the fact that they were so far away provided the story - how do you bomb the bastards when they're so far away you need to refuel your old Vulcan bomber seventeen times to make the return journey? But they did it, in a one-off attack that wasn't repeated, despite the fact that they did actually hit the targeted Stanley airfield they intended to. The psychological significance of what they managed was the achievement, bringing good news to Blighty and saving Thatcherism in the process. This book managed to haul me out of the January reading doldrums and gave me an appetite for non-fiction and history that had been dormant for a long time.

[Chuck86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

An account of the RAF bombing of the Falklands during the war with Argentina. Unbelievable what the RAF had to do to get one--one!--plane 4,000 miles to Ascension, and then another 4,000 miles to the Falklands.

What I liked: the pure seat-of-the-pants aspects of what they did; the excellent set-up of how the Falklands became an issue in the first place; the cut-aways of the Vulcan and Victor aircraft in the appendix.

What I didn't like: discussion of the British navy sinking an Argentine cruiser, but no mention of the Argentine AF sinking the HMS Sheffield; the "little did he know what would happen next" verbiage, more suited for a fiction.

Nice ending, with Bomber Harris and Jimmy Doolittle both at the same event.

Thanks Rich!

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Η ιστορία της βρετανικής επιχείρησης βομβαρδισμού του αεροδρομίου στο Πορτ Στάνλεϊ κατά τον Πόλεμο των Φώκλαντ ή «η τελευταία μεγάλη αποστολή των γερασμένων Vulcan» (σκοτώνουν τα Vulcan όταν γεράσουν), όπως δε θα θέλατε να τη διαβάσετε ποτέ. Ωστόσο, κάτω από τη γυαλιστερή επιφάνεια, οι ρωγμές είναι μεγέθους «χάσμα ανάμεσα σε τεκτονικές πλάκες».

Το βιβλίο προσπαθεί να χτίσει με απόγνωση μια ατμόσφαιρα έντασης και ηρωισμού. Φαντάζομαι το συγγραφέα να ζητάει να παίζουν έργα του Βάγκνερ σε κάθε αλλαγή κεφαλαίου. Η υπερδραματοποίηση δεν αγγίζει απλώς τα όρια του γελοίου, τους κάνει σεξουαλική παρενόχληση και ίσως έχουμε ανεπιθύμητη εγκυμοσύνη. Κάθε βίδα που βιδώνεται, κάθε καλώδιο που κουμπώνει, περιγράφεται σαν να κρίνει την τύχη της Βρετανικής Αυτοκρατορίας (η οποία ήδη τη δεκαετία του 1980 είναι ένα -μάλλον θλιβερό- ανέκδοτο).

Η αδυναμία του White να κρατήσει ισορροπία ανάμεσα στην ιστορική αφήγηση και τις απόπειρες εντυπωσιασμού καθώς και η γελοία επιμονή να τονίζεται το κάθε μικρό τεχνικό πρόβλημα ως "hmwaaaargh… μάχη ζωής και θανάτου" κουράζει και αφαιρεί από την πραγματική ένταση της αποστολής. Θέλω να πω, πόλεμος έγινε, έχει από μόνος του μια ένταση, δε χρειάζεται να ρίχνεις αλάτι στη θάλασσα. Επίσης, η επιμονή σε "εσωτερικούς μονολόγους" τύπου "τι θα γινόταν αν..." για κάθε πιλότο ή μηχανικό φθηναίνει την αφήγηση, κάνοντάς την να μοιάζει περισσότερο με κακογραμμένο θρίλερ παρά με σοβαρό ιστορικό έργο.

Άλλο ένα μείζον πρόβλημα είναι οι επαναλαμβανόμενες και φλύαρες περιγραφές. Ο εκδότης άνετα μπορούσε να ξυραφιάσει 150-200 σελίδες και να μη λείπει τίποτε. Αντίθετα, θα γινόταν πιο μεστό και ενδιαφέρον. Για τους φανατικούς της αεροπορικής τεχνολογίας υπάρχουν ενδιαφέρουσες λεπτομέρειες (αν και πολλές επαναλαμβάνονται άσκοπα). Για τον μέσο αναγνώστη ή ακόμα και για τον σοβαρό μελετητή στρατιωτικής ιστορίας, το να διαβάζεις επί 20 σελίδες για το πώς φορτώνεται μια βόμβα ή πώς λειτούργησε το σύστημα ανεφοδιασμού δεν έχει πραγματικό βάθος, παρά μόνο επιφανειακή εντύπωση. ΒΙΔΩΣΕ ΤΟ ΓΑΜΩΜΠΟΥΛΟΝΙ, ΒΑΛΕ ΤΗ ΓΑΜΩΒΟΜΒΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΩΛΟΑΕΡΟΠΛΑΝΟ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΜΕ ΝΑ ΦΥΓΟΥΜΕ ΡΟΟΥΛΑΝΤ, ΚΟΥΡΑΣΕΣ.

Η ειρωνεία της υπόθεσης είναι ότι το βιβλίο έχει μάλλον πλούσιο ερευνητικό υπόβαθρο και ο φίλος Ρόουλαντ, αντί να αφήσει τα γεγονόταν να μιλήσουν χύνει λίτρα γλκάσο δράματος από πάνω τους, ενώ παράλληλα ουρλιάζει διά της απουσίας της η πλευρά των Αργεντίνων (δικτατορία του τρελο-Γιώργη του Βιντέλα, στη δική τους θλιβερή 7ετία) ενώ το ανεπαρκές όπως αναπτύσσεται πλαίσιο της σύγκρουσης ή οι γεωπολιτικές συνέπειες που μάλλον είχαν ξεχάσει το θερμοσίφωνα ανοιχτό και δεν εμφανίστηκαν στο έργο αποδίδουν μια στενόμυαλη, υπερπατριωτική ματιά που αδικεί κατάφωρα την πολυπλοκότητα της σύγκρουσης. Κάτι σαν ιπτάμενος Σφατσενέγκε με το Γιούνιον Τζακ-οφ στο πέτο.

Για όσους θέλουν σοβαρή, καλά τεκμηριωμένη στρατιωτική ιστορία, υπάρχουν πολύ καλύτερα έργα. Το παρόν είναι μάλλον ανάγνωσμα παραλίας, αν και μπορεί να χάσετε το μέτρημα από τις βίδες στη συντήρηση των αεροσκαφών.

[Mick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read once started found it very hard to put down ,the detail is so gripping you feel like you're with them on the mission!.. from the pilots to the Falklands islanders stories and superb graphic details would recommend this book to all !!

[Michael Toleno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good history of the Falklands War, written as an action story, and focusing on the famous ultra-long-distance Black Buck raids.

[Cam Yaxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting story told in fantastic detail!

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very detailed military history of the first British air raid on the Falkland Islands runway held by Argentina in 1982. White explains how an old Vulcan nuclear bomber was repurposed to drop conventional bombs again, and how it launched with a complicated air-to-air refueling plan from Ascension Island. White contacted many of the people involved. (Yet it is very biased toward the British side, with little or no Argentine perspective.) I found the details fascinating, and the story suspenseful.

> without BLACK BUCK, the war would have been harder to win. In the event, one bomber was enough. And that bomber, the magnificent delta-winged Avro Vulcan, just months before it was destined for the scrapheap, entered the Guinness Book of Records for having flown, at nearly 8,000 miles, 'the longest-range attack in air history'

> He wanted to create doubt in the minds of the junta about British intent and capability. Were the mainland bases under threat? Was Buenos Aires at risk? That doubt saw the immediate redeployment of Argentina's entire Mirage fighter force to the north of the country, out of range of the Falklands, to defend targets that played no part in British plans. From this moment on, the tiny force of Royal Navy Sea Harrier air defence fighters aboard the two carriers, on which British hopes were pinned, had the odds dramatically cut in their favour … But there was a third, unexpected, consequence of the raid, and one that's never really been properly appreciated. The 1 May attack on Stanley airfield was, believed Admiral Lombardo, the Argentine Commander of Combined Operations, to be the prelude to a full-scale amphibious landing by the British. As a consequence, Admiral Allara, Commander of the Argentine Navy, was ordered to launch an immediate offensive against the British task force. It was a disastrous decision. … The morality and legality of the decision to attack the Belgrano have been hotly debated ever since, but in military terms it was decisive: the entire Argentine Navy, which simply had no answer to the threat posed by the British hunter-killer submarines, retreated to Argentine territorial waters and played no further part in the war. As a direct consequence of decisions provoked by the raid on Stanley airfield, the Argentinians lost the use of both their air defence fighters and their Navy.

[Jesper Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd and last book about the 1982 Falklands War that I have read in June 2022, which happens to be the 40th anniversary of the end of that conflict. By reading this book third of three, I definitely saved the best for last. The incredible true-life events described in this book have all the plot elements of a nail-biting Hollywood action film. The star of this show is the Avro Vulcan, a futuristic-looking, delta-winged, jet-powered heavy bomber that first took to the skies 25 years before the events described in this book. For most of its operational career, the Vulcan's single role was to deliver nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union, and over the years the aircraft had been modified and tweaked to optimize it for this role. In-flight refueling equipment had been removed and electronic countermeasures (ECM) to defeat ground based aiming radars for antiaircraft missiles and artillery had not been kept current. In 1982 the Vulcan bomber fleet was being completely phased out, to be replaced with the Panavia Tornado multi-role plane. Then the Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina in April of that year. Given the remote location of the Falklands in the south Atlantic, far from any RAF bases, it seemed initially that Britain's efforts to re-take the islands would involve only the Royal Navy. But the idea was hatched to press the aging RAF Vulcan into the role of long-range conventional bomber for the conflict, to use in-flight refueling to get a single Vulcan across thousands of miles of empty ocean to drop a stick of 21 iron bombs and destroy the runway of the islands' main airport, thereby denying its use by the Argentinians. The book describes the amazing whirlwind of activity required to turn this idea into reality in just a few short weeks: scrounging parts to restore the in-flight refueling capability to a handful of Vulcans, upgrading the ECM and navigation equipment, selecting the air crews, and then intensively training the crews in low-level delivery of conventional bombs and in-flight refueling. The planning and logistics of the mission, which stretched the capabilities of men and machines to the limit, are described in detail. Then the story follows the crews of the Vulcan and the tanker aircraft on the mission. A string of mechanical failures, coupled with foul weather and an inaccurate planning estimate of fuel consumption, almost causes the mission to end in disaster - but the lone Vulcan gets through to deliver its bombs onto the runway. At the time, the attack was the longest bomber combat mission ever flown (over 8000 miles), a record that has since been broken by B-52's and B-2's. Still, the Vulcan attack on the Falklands runway was an incredible accomplishment. Once I started reading this book I could hardly put it down. Five out of five stars.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book is largely about the Vulcan-based mission to bomb Port Stanley during the Falklands War, there was a HUGE amount of preparation needed beforehand. After all, this was to be a conventional bombing mission (while the Vulcan had been designed and engineered for nuclear bombing) across long distance which required in-flight refueling (which the Vulcan hadn't done in 20 years or so) while the aging bombers were being retired from service. Few people in the RAF had qualified for conventional bombing missions OR qualified for in-flight refueling (much less doing so at night), not to mention BOTH. Let the training begin.

In the end, a few of the venerable bombers got a slightly-longer lease on life because:

* there was, literally, no other aircraft capable of performing this mission
* after some of them were fitted with Shrike anti-radar missiles, there was the possibility of using a pair of them, one to suppress SAM and AAA sites and the other to bomb, to attack Argentina itself

The typical British humor is evident throughout this book.

One of them lands, due to refueling problems, in Brazil. Local police and security forces stop it on the taxiway. The aircraft pilot emerges and explains to local officials that they have an anti-radar missile hanging from the wing, having misfired, and ya know, you might want to move the aircraft so that missile isn't pointing at your air traffic control tower with the ATC radar on it. If it should happen to go ahead and launch ... that would be a Bad Thing.

An official is delighted with the fact that their first attempt at bombing Port Stanley went off so well. Splendid, let's do it again tonight. We can't. Why not? We don't have enough airplanes. The plane which did the bombing was airborne for nearly 16 hours; the crew needs time to rest. We had to use 11 different refueling aircraft to get it down there and back; some of them need repairs and all of the flight crews need some time to rest and recover. Well, let's send more bombers next time. We can't. Why not? It took 11 refueling aircraft to get ONE Vulcan down and back. We only have 18 such aircraft in the entire RAF.

You get a real sense of how the RAF was really hanging it all out there to make this happen.

Engaging book.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account of how the Falkands/Malvinas got long-range bombed by the British. I think the book is let down by poor writing and/or editing and by not providing enough context, and conversely, its most redeeming quality is (what I understand to be) the true story it portrays, married with a large dose of romanticism (which saves it from a 2 star rating). Not a bad book if you enjoy aviation and/or light/pop-history, but frustrating nonetheless.

As for the writing bit, the book is mostly structured by date and it keeps jumping between different "plot-lines" (Argentinians, British leadership, submarines, British Victors, British Vulcans, ...), but with the large amount of information provided, it is not always clear what plot-line you're in until a paragraph or two in, and even then I couldn't keep track and understand of all the different people and their roles, especially in the command structure. In contrast, I couldn't get enough info about the individual characters to form a decent image of them in my head, so they were mostly empty labels to me. Also, there were a few sentences that I had to read several times and eventually concluded a couple of them didn't really make sense. The first ~2/5ths of the book are not great but not bad and where the book lacks the most, then the book all of the sudden becomes an engaging thriller for another 2/5ths, and then finally there's a hasty but decent wrap up.

As for the context and content part (spoiler), I don't think the book really explains why long-range bombing was the best approach or what other alternatives there were and why they were dismissed. There's a mention of Harriers and that they couldn't do it, but with them being deployable from a ship, I'd have expected some more discussion of that. Also, still not sure what role that singular Harrier played beyond being some sort of a backup. Anything the navy could do? I'm still not sure about the troopers failed deploys to I believe South Georgia, or why Uruguay or one of the closer Brazilian airports couldn't be used to divert if needed. I do appreciate that some, if not much, info about the Argentinian line of thinking was provided.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember when, what is now called, the Falklands War broke out that the world was watching the possible response of the UK. I also remember, although I am not sure anymore which ships were involved, that several NATO ships visited Amsterdam's harbor a few months earlier. (December 1981?) I went there to see the ships and remember that some Royal Navy ships were there too. I may have visited one or two of them. Nobody knew what would happen so shortly afterwards...

When it became known that the RAF had bombed the airstrip at Stanley, I was amazed that they had pulled this off. Not knowing the details of course at that time. Vulcan 607 takes you back to those days and in the cockpit of the aircraft involved.

Remember that the Vulcan and Victor had seen their best days, or so we thought, and yet these great looking aircraft performed this daring long distance raid. I am fortunate to have seen the might Vulcan in the air display circuit. I will never forget the roaring engines and the beautiful delta wing moving around the sky. And then the Victor, so strange looking that it would not even be odd to see it in a Star Trek or Star Wars movie. Seeing this 'spaceship' coming in to land, popping its large brake chute was something to see.

Vulcan 607 takes you there during the planning and flights in which so many critical decisions had to be made. And things that were planned to work like a clock, quickly unraveled and ran off track. But the crews of both tankers and bomber(s) improvised and did the best they could with what information they had. And pulled it off!

A nice aspect is that we also get to read how the people at the Falklands experienced all this and some Argentinian perspective is added too.

I have read this book before, but do not regret pulling it off the shelf again for another great reading ride.

[Koit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr White’s account of the RAF in the Falklands War is both spectacularly well written and contains amazing detail. The number of anecdotes brought in to spruce up the already good narrative only adds detail on the Falklanders and the RAF. Therefore, I can rather easily recommend this to anyone and everyone, even perhaps if flight machines and wars do not interest you.

Mr White’s interest in the Vulcan stems from his childhood; the boyish enthusiasm also shines through on these pages where the ragtag systems of the 1950’s Vulcan are described in great detail. The bomber plane is described as such a distinctive mechanical achievement, especially when compared to the planes of the 1970’s, not to mention more modern ones. The reader’s ability to imagine what the inside of the Vulcan looked like adds to the importance of every scene that takes place there. How many today could reasonably consider that they couldn’t fly because a window wasn’t properly sealed? Yet, in 1982 these factors featured in the success and failure of the Vulcan missions.

I was generally unaware of the specifics of the Falklands War before this book, and it was a satisfying enough read for those who only know the broad strokes (Argentina invades and is defeated as the broadest starting point #1, or Thatcher wins a khaki election for #2). The RAF commanding staff are introduced in good detail though they feature on only a few pages, and even the RN sails through the pages a few times.

In case you’re still not convinced you should read this, the bombing of the Stanley airfield is best described by the impact on a Falklander, in his own words: “Look at that, they’ve blown my pyjamas off!’

This review was originally posted on my blog.

[MR P BLUNDEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. The incredibly swift period of organisation and training for the heroic bombing raid on the runway at Port Stanley in 1982 is compellingly described. The seemingly impossible military logistics of setting up the massive halfway base on Ascension Island and getting another 4,000 miles were very impressively achieved.

The ageing and almost redundant Vulcans, were brought to life again thanks to the scouring of supply dumps and a scrapyard and the astonishing ingenuity of the military engineers. The role played by the also ageing Valiants in the complex airborne refuelling schedule over vast distances, was crucial to the success of the mission. They, along with the submarine sinking of the Belgrano, severely restricted the Argies' ability to resist the eventually overwhelming UK task-force's recovery of the Falkland Islands.

The RAF teams that carried out the mission, despite recurrent actual and likely setbacks, were heroes indeed - against massive odds. Even the top-brass came out of it well.

To me - as someone who lived through these events and was aware of the outcomes - the book's detail reveals huge amounts of information not apparent from the triumphant UK media coverage at the end of the campaign. I could not put the book down. The taut writing and technical explanations made me feel that I, too, was subject to constant risk.

[Nicola C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story long
This is my 1st book by author Rowland White & if he is paid by the word then his books will earn him a good living,this factual account and somewhat assumed account between the lines so to speak yells of Operation Black Buck the mission by the RAF during the Falklands War to deny the Argentine invaders occupiers of the Falklands the use of the runway & the story behind the mission planning at a time when the resources at hand to the RAF were obsolete out of date and completely underused & shows what an absolute mess the British defence planning was in the 80s and the UK keeps making the same mistakes. In different eras but where this excels is the can do attitude of the aircrews in taking on the mission and achieving its goals 8000 miles away.
I can't quite understand why the UK wasn't still running training bombing sorties even though the nuclear deterrent had been switched to submarines freeing up the Vulcans for conventional weapons.
A frustrating tale of military funding being cut short & intelligence taking the eye of the ball worldwide.
A good story that could have done with editing as towards the end I just found it frustrating.

[Huw Rhys · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started off as quite a promising book, about the logistics of getting an aerial task force to the Falklands to help in the battle for the islands back in the early 1980's.

But it soon descended into a plane spotter's technical manual, with infinitessimal technical references on the logistics of refuelling, the shape of a ball bearing and and the viscosity of a gnat's.....yes, well I've almost descended into the same degree of anal detail as this book did.

I'm not sure if it ever got back to what it promised it would be - the role of an outdated plane in a modern war to save a community, as I simply didn't have the patience or the time to spare to pore through the endless technical data that was being thrown at me. So in the end I took it to the Charity shop - though "charity" is hardly what I'm offering the next poor soul who picks this witless tome up.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in a well flowing, historical, step-by-step retelling of one of the most incredible long range missions in history. The details and first person story telling give the reader a real sense what just went on in a mission that most saw as impossible to carry off. As you read through the book, you can feel the tension building especially when you get into the flight itself when stuff goes wrong. Even though you already know the outcome, you will find yourself wanting to keep reading to see how they handled a problem when it popped up.

I'm a history buff and there was stuff in this book that I never knew about, that's the level in-depth examination this book goes into. It is actually a bit of page turner.

[Dan Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable and readable account of the famous attack on the Port Stanley airfield during the Falklands War. The book is written in the British folklore tradition of how sterling British qualities such as making do, pluck, and inventive genius triumphed over the odds. So it may grate a little if you are not a Britophile (ChatGPT tells me this is a valid word and who am I, mere human, to argue?) But it is pacey and written like a thriller, despite having lots of background and technical details. It felt to me a bit like watching a good "police procedural" TV series - the combination of a thrilling story with fascinating details about an interesting area makes for a winning combination.

Thoroughly recommended.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book some years ago and picked it up from Audible to see if it was still as compelling a narrative as I'd remembered. It was. A brilliantly researched, thoroughly human tale of the extraordinary Black Buck bombing raids on Port Stanley Airport in the Falklands (at the time, in Las Malvinas), it is exemplary story telling threaded with first class research. For a tale of courage and achievement in the face of great odds, this one takes a lot of beating. Interestingly, Rowland White is not a military guy, or a flier: but this, and his other book in my library, "Into the Black" are written as if he was.

[Dougie Brimson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should preface this review with a few facts. First, I'm an RAF veteran and second, I was on Ascension Island throughout the conflict so was directly involved in the Black Buck Operations.

So with that in mind, I can only say that in my opinion, this is one of the great aviation books. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that this is one of the best books I've ever read on the conflict.

I'm not going to go into the details as to why that is because others have done it far more justice but suffice to say that I genuinely could not put it down.

Read it. Just don't expect to get much sleep.

[Alan Debban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people forget that the UK once had Strategic bomber that filled a similar role to the B-52 in the U.S. Air Force. This factual account covers the story of how the UK took the aging Vulcan strategic bomber fleet, whose retirement ceremony was already planned, and reconfigured the aircraft and trained crews for missions that had long been forgotten - inflight refueling and long-range conventional bombing - to conduct operations against Argentine military forces that invaded the Falklands Islands. The ingenuity of engineers, aircrews, and mission planners was truly extraordinary. The story is told in a readable and exciting fashion.

[Alan Coll-Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible account (or I guess a compilation of accounts turned into a story) of one of the most important, impressive and ground breaking missions in the history of the RAF and more specifically the Vulcan bomber aircraft. This is told in such a way that the jargon doesn't overwhelm you, it's technical enough to give you all the details but won't confuse you with it. Brilliantly put together and told by the author, I loved reading this and felt a surge of pride at our RAF and the crews involved for carrying out such a mission. Excellent work all round

[Pete Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed history of the Vulcan raid on the Falklands written against the geopolitical background of the time. Takes you from planning, through training to the raid itself. On one hand the mission was a triumph of British engineering: 15 aircraft, 19 refuellings, 40 take off/landings, 42 bombs and 1.5M pounds of fuel. On the other, just how poorly prepared the military was: having to scavenge parts from museum aircraft and a Vulcan having to abort due to a perished window seal.