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By: - 8th April 2009 at 12:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Does it mention the story of the Sea Harrier which made the CVS concept work, including its premature demise (discussed at HUGE length here on the PPRuNe Sea Jet thread)?
.....and about the survival of fixed wing air power in the Navy.
Still an issue, sadly.
By: - 9th April 2009 at 12:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Up to a point Idi. It doesn't really go into the same detail on Sea Harrier development as it does on the ships themselves. But it does talk about how the decision to order them came about. And how, from very early on in the ship's design provision was made for the possible inclusion of V/STOL.
By: - 10th April 2009 at 17:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
What we need is a Pikereet carrier ;)
By: - 10th April 2009 at 22:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Pykrete
By: - 13th April 2009 at 20:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Regarding both the Sea Harrier and the Invincible class, try Sea Harrier Over The Falklands by Cdr Sharkey Ward, ideally with something to add a wider perpective such as One Hundred Days by Admiral Sandy Woodward, the Falklands task group commander.
Also try No Escape Zone by (Lt Cdr) Nick Richardson, which covers the deployment of Ark Royal and 801 NAS to the Adriatic in 1994, his getting shot down by Bosnian Serbs and his esacpe - it also covers the horror of ethnic cleansing.
By: - 13th April 2009 at 21:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Naval aviation, surely.
By: - 14th April 2009 at 18:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Forgot to mention Hostile Skies by Dave Morgan, a RAF Harrier pilot on exchange with the Navy during the Falklands, who got several kills whilst flying Sea Harrier. Later he transferred to the Navy.
By: - 25th September 2009 at 22:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Any other recommendations?
By: - 28th September 2009 at 21:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Book recommendations about 80s/90s British naval aviation that is....
By: - 29th September 2009 at 14:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
other falklands books
While not Naval aviation exactly, I found 2 other books on the Falklands very insightfull. Both give a glimpse of the FAA/Navy from an outsider. Both excellent reads for anyone interested in the 1982 conflict:
RAF Harrier Ground Atttack. Jerry Pook. Great compliment to books by Sharkey Ward and Dave Morgan.
Special Forces Pilot, Richard Hutchings.
By: - 1st October 2009 at 19:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I'd almost forgotten about the book by Richard Hutchings. He was a Royal Marines Officer who was selected to fly, and was a Pilot in one of the Jungly (Commando Sea King) squadrons. A quick search of my books shows he was the pilot of the Sea King that mysteriously(?) made a forced landing in Chile.
I was going to suggest Pheonix Squadron by Rowland White (author of Vulcan 607). It's the tale of the then secret mission of HMS Ark Royal and her escorts and air group to prevent Belize getting invaded in 1972.
Back on a helicopter theme, there are various books by fliers of Apaches and Chinnoks and Armed Action by James Newton (from 847 NAS - flying green Lynx in support of the Royal Marines) but otherwise not many helicopter tales. Not sure why?
One exception is Weapons Free by Richard Boswell, about his experiences as a RN Lynx Pilot during the (first) Gulf War, including the build up and actual attacks against Iraqi missile boats. Now this aspect of aviation, helicopters flying from naval ships (other than carriers etc) really hasn't been covered in many books, although I am sure there are some incredible tales from the Navies of the World, in both war and peace.
By: - 12th October 2009 at 17:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A very good read is 'I counted them all out and I counted them all back' as it shows all aspects of the Falklands and gives a very good account of the conditions the islanders were kept in and the attempts at the carriers. Slightly off the point does any one have an opinion whether the HMS Sheffield did its job by taking the Exorcet that was bound or the Invincible?
By: - 12th October 2009 at 18:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Slightly off the point does any one have an opinion whether the HMS Sheffield did its job by taking the Exorcet that was bound or the Invincible?
Shiney Sheff took a missile that it should've been able to defeat and wasn't within 20 miles of the Invincible. The '42' picket line was there to screen the group and it did its job, more or less, but Sam Salt shouldn't have lost his command and the officer largely responsible for the missile getting in should have answered for it.
This is not the place to go into detail about this event though Nick. To be honest if you put HMS Sheffield and PWO(A) into the search engine on this site you should find a link to the story anyway.
By: - 12th October 2009 at 20:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
6th July 2005, 04:42 - posted by someone called Jonesy
By: - 5th November 2009 at 12:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
One very good book is One Hundred Days by Admiral Sir John "Sandy" Woodward, the Falklands task group commander. I've got the first edition although it has been revised and added to more recently. It shows aviation in the context of a task force at war, both the task force's own Sea Harriers (and later RAF Harrier GR3s) and helicopters, but also long range sorties by land based Nimrods (and the problems of incorrect analysis by the RAF), as well as seeing Argentine airpower from the recieving end.
Several books were written about ships that did not survive the conflict, Captain David Hart-Dyke's Four Weeks In May about HMS Coventry's war and her loss is one. A BBC2 docudrama was based on it. I found the book not to be the easiest of things to read, the descriptions of the brave acts by his sailors to rescue shipmates from smoke and fire filled spaces, or to help men struggling in the water, may cause a feeling of wetness in the eyes.
Going even more off topic....
During the Falklands conflict there was an attempt by some elements within Argentine Naval Intelligence to use ex terrorist divers to attack British ships in Gibraltar harbour, as described here.
A film was made about the operation. Has anyone seen it?
By: - 23rd December 2009 at 20:53 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I really ought to apolegise for focusing to much on the Falklands and the Royal Navy. There are lots of other good military aviation books, perhaps someone can make a suggestion for rmutt?
You might be interested in some book related PPRuNe threads:
Additionally try the Books and other Literature forum on ARRSE.
By: - 17th October 2010 at 20:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Any more suggestions?
By: - 17th October 2010 at 21:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It's a shame that there don't appear to many books on the RAFs input to the Falklands war, as an example the Harrier missions were incredible in planning, pilot endurance, and deployment.
Logistically it is a great story.
By: - 17th October 2010 at 22:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are books about the RAF contribution to the Falklands confict the best I would say are:
RAF Harrier Ground Attack, Falklands by Jerry Pook
http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAF-Harrier-Ground-Attack-Falklands/dp/184415551X
And Vulcan 607 by Rowland White
I must admit I would be interested in a book about the RAF transport fleet including the Hercules and VC-10 and their contribution to the war effort. I think it would serve to give an alternative view to their vital contribution over the rather vitriolic attack on them by Sharky Ward in his book, then again Jerry Pook's book does much to show this anyway.
Posts: 9
By: rmutt - 5th April 2009 at 13:05
If anyone's looking for a good read, I can thoroughly recommend The Age of Invincible by BBC journalist Nick Child. A very readable account of how the Invincble class ships beat the odds to get built - and about the survival of fixed wing air power in the Navy.
I also ordered a copy of Rowland White's Phoenix Squadron after reading the piece in the Torygraph about the British and Top Gun. Turns out that it's not really about Top Gun at all, but about HMS Ark Royal, Phantoms, Buccaneers and when they 'persuaded' Guatemala not to invade Belize in 1972. I can't put it down. It's about best thing I've ever read about Britain's last big carrier.
Any other good military aviation book recommendations gratefully received!