Armed Action

by James Newton

I couldn't see the tank. I couldn't see it . . . Someone was screaming over the radio. "Scream all you want, I still can't see it," I said to my pilot. The next explosion was so close it lifted my chest armour off my body in the shock wave. The noise brought me back to my awful reality. I looked out of the sight to see the shattered cockpit glass. The next one would be it and we knew it. Lieutenant Commander James Newton survived and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery. In a career that has seen him on operations over Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, and most recently Iraq, Newton is no stranger to being shot at. He has flown all the aircraft the Navy has and even ones it doesn't. Thrilling, fast-paced, and an adrenaline-fuelled adventure, this is a fascinating insight into life in the air.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

An account of a Naval pilots fight in Iraq during Op Telic. I found the book tedious in parts as it seemed to be padded out with pointless waffle of what other squadrons were doing. I know it was to give the bigger picture but this was his memoir.
If he wanted to pad it out he could’ve give us more on his training or exercises etc.
You get about 3/4 of the way through the book and before he reaches the Gulf and then it seems a little rushed through the deployment. I’m not taking anything away from what he did or where he served just merely his writing style. Looking at it objectively it sums the military up nicely ‘hurry up and wait’

[TheodoreB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating first person account of what certain aspects of the Iraq War was like. Very interesting and insightful to understand what these soldiers were going through, what their thought processes were and how they felt. This cannot be transmitted as well through movies or documentaries

[Mark Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read and very hard to put down ! The perspective of helicopter pilots was a very interesting one .

[Simone Perren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I start this review, I would like to throw it out there, I technically did not finish this book. I got about 50 pages from the end and decided I didn't have it in me to complete a book that I really wasn't enjoying. However, I still wanted to review this book because I would say I read the majority of it and I feel like I got the general feeling for how the book was going to end.
This is not the normal type of book I would ordinarily read, as I'm not usually one for military books based on true stories. I love watching the movie adaptations of real life events and so I thought I would try a few of the books. The middle of last year I read 'Black Hawk Down' and absolutely adored it and so when my Dad gave me this book I thought it would be really interesting to see how it compared and whether I liked it as much. The answer to that is quite simply NO.
All the reasons why I loved BHD were not present in this book and I felt like I was reading a manual rather than a storyline. While I appreciate that as it is true to life, Lieutenant Commander James Newton didn't have a plot to create; he could only tell the tale as it happened; I did feel like the writing style was way too report style. It almost felt like reading a basic play by play of each tactical move made (like the report he probably had to write up afterwards) rather than something enjoyable or even informative to read.
In order to get anything from this story, I think it is essential to be some form of military person with a background in piloting and plane mechanics. There were so many technical terms and phrases that it started to resemble a military dictionary and while I know that some jargon is inevitable with the topic at hand, it became overwhelming and meant that not only was I bored by it but it also made no sense to me whatsoever.
My Dad was in the navy and therefore I do have some knowledge and experience with some military phrasing but I was at a loss with this book as it was just too much!
Overall, I'm sure that the premise and the battle behind this book was massively inspirational and courageous and I do respect the Lieutenant Commander greatly for his achievements and bravery; however I just can't recommend this book and honestly, I don't think I'm going to read another war/military book for a good while now.
Let me know what you think about this genre and if you have any recommendations for better ones, I would be very glad to hear them. Let's chat in the comments below.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent account of some of the contacts encountered in the gulf, however the book doesn't really go into great detail about the battles and I found myself at the end of the book thinking, "so what did he do again?"

Not the best book about the war in the gulf, but I've also read a lot worse.

Credit where due to the soldiers / pilots etc though. Hardest job in the world and for terrible pay!

[Ryan Wulfsohn]

I have to disagree with most people here, I thought this was fairly average. More Andy Mcnab than Robert Mason...