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Joint Force Harrier
Helmand Province October 2006: On itish soldiers are engaged in the most Intense Against a Tough experienced and motivated enemy frighteningly sustained Fighting they've faced since the Korean War. . their lives too often depended on the success of danger-close. pin-point attacks pressed home from the air. When 800 Naval Air Squadron - callsign 'Recoil' - arrived in theatre. their Boss. Commander Ade Orchard. knew there could be no slip-ups. Day and night. the Fleet Air Arm crews were on constant alert. ready to scramble their heavily armed Harrier attack jets at a moment's notice in support of the men on the ground. The call wasn't slow in coming. Just fifteen minutes after getting airborne for the first time. Orchard and his wingman were in the thick of it. called in when an Apache helicopter gunship was forced back by heavy fire...
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2008
11 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 21, 2018
Possibly my all time favourite plane,
And a good insight into it's actions/how it operates in conflict.
A nice read, somewhat similar to read as other books I've read based upon experiences within the Afghanistan Conflict but the stark contrast comes in the difference between an infantryman's perspective of battle and the airman's perspective.
If you've read other books about Afghan then similar things may stand out such as the ways of speaking, general attitudes and senses of humour shown (all things I actually quite like) but as well as offering another story the shift in perspective really made this stand out to me. Especially when there's a description of night time engagements and it sounds spectacular where as on the ground it's not always vastly different to the day time.
Before now I've only really ever read the ground side of things and it was sort of interesting to have some of my misconceptions about airmen disproved and some of the things I had right solidified.
Overall not a particularly deep or heavy read unless you really want to dive into the little details of everything that's mentioned, but nice to get another perspective of the Afghanistan conflict and learn a few things about the air crews and how they work.
But why oh why must the Harrier retire :(
And a good insight into it's actions/how it operates in conflict.
A nice read, somewhat similar to read as other books I've read based upon experiences within the Afghanistan Conflict but the stark contrast comes in the difference between an infantryman's perspective of battle and the airman's perspective.
If you've read other books about Afghan then similar things may stand out such as the ways of speaking, general attitudes and senses of humour shown (all things I actually quite like) but as well as offering another story the shift in perspective really made this stand out to me. Especially when there's a description of night time engagements and it sounds spectacular where as on the ground it's not always vastly different to the day time.
Before now I've only really ever read the ground side of things and it was sort of interesting to have some of my misconceptions about airmen disproved and some of the things I had right solidified.
Overall not a particularly deep or heavy read unless you really want to dive into the little details of everything that's mentioned, but nice to get another perspective of the Afghanistan conflict and learn a few things about the air crews and how they work.
But why oh why must the Harrier retire :(
January 2, 2022
Magnificent account warts, danger, action, tech and humour well worth fans of planes and historians time. I read this book ages ago and revisited it last year as an ebook with never a regret, page after page you discover what it was like to endure and enjoy the profession of aerial support of ground forces in what was at the time one of the world's finest CAS aircraft. Of course the RAF is replacing the Harrier family with the JSF so after a dry spell return to VTOL/STOL. Sadly the author will only be flying a desk by then but his memoirs are here for successive generations to enjoy and maybe even understand what he felt like for good and bad...
April 23, 2020
Typically written by a naval officer who often puts down the true workers of the Navy, the ratings.
Disappointing to say the least, not a great deal of story, routine flights and a couple of assists to the troops on the ground.
I always keep my books after reading, but this one went to the Charity shop.
Disappointing to say the least, not a great deal of story, routine flights and a couple of assists to the troops on the ground.
I always keep my books after reading, but this one went to the Charity shop.
September 9, 2017
Great account of the highly-missed Harrier.
October 24, 2018
Really good read
Really enjoyed this read and would actually read it again such is the detail and ability to keep reader engaged
Really enjoyed this read and would actually read it again such is the detail and ability to keep reader engaged
May 25, 2020
Thought the story jumped around to much. No real flow through the book
September 13, 2021
Excellent read would recommend to anyone who has been active in this theatre for its down to earth approach and realism
March 2, 2023
The author keeps this interesting by including the stories of his downed comrades. It’s not all about the flying which I liked
April 28, 2014
Joint Force Harrier is the war memoir of 800 Naval Air Squadron Commander Ade Orchard.
It covers the deployment of 800 NAS, who fly the Harrier GR7, from September 2006 to January 2007 in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.
This is an extremely well written book which really demonstrates the challenges faced by pilots and soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. It illustrates the important role of close air support as well as providing a scintillating portrayal of events which would rival the majority of fictional war stories.
Events that take place are described in a level of detail that lets you picture it accurately without being bored by details. In addition throughout the book there is the juxtaposition combat to base life where odd events take place such as the pilots being scrambled for an emergency then as they rush to their planes to get up into the air they are chased by a cop for speeding; or the occupational health and safety officer who complains about the danger of an unauthorised awning over a deck despite there being rockets routinely exploding in the base...
Great book, well worth a read.
It covers the deployment of 800 NAS, who fly the Harrier GR7, from September 2006 to January 2007 in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.
This is an extremely well written book which really demonstrates the challenges faced by pilots and soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. It illustrates the important role of close air support as well as providing a scintillating portrayal of events which would rival the majority of fictional war stories.
Events that take place are described in a level of detail that lets you picture it accurately without being bored by details. In addition throughout the book there is the juxtaposition combat to base life where odd events take place such as the pilots being scrambled for an emergency then as they rush to their planes to get up into the air they are chased by a cop for speeding; or the occupational health and safety officer who complains about the danger of an unauthorised awning over a deck despite there being rockets routinely exploding in the base...
Great book, well worth a read.
October 3, 2014
Commander Ade Orchards account of Harrier operations by 800 NAS in Afghanistan during its 4-month deployment from September 2006 to January 2007. In fact, the book is mostly a series of anecdotes about members of the unit and some of the people that they worked alongside during the deployment, as distinct from a linear history of the units activities. Nevertheless, it makes a highly interesting read, and the details of weapons and methods make it unique to the period and theatre in which it is set. Commander Orchard finishes with his optimistic aspirations for the future of the Harrier force, which seems all the more poignant seeing as it was later decommissioned in another round of cuts. A must for all interested in books about the Harrier in British service.
March 16, 2011
A really good book that takes you through Adrian Orchard's service in Afghanistan as a Harrier pilot.
The missions are really well written and a good read, it really brings home just how important the Harrier jets were during the conflict. A great read and highly recommended.
The missions are really well written and a good read, it really brings home just how important the Harrier jets were during the conflict. A great read and highly recommended.
July 3, 2012
Liked it; a harrier pilot driving a jeep to his aurcraft in response to an emergencey request gets pulled over for speeding.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews