Vulcan 607 - Hardcover

White, Rowland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593071263 ISBN 13: 9780593071267

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2012

Synopsis

Reissued with additional pictures, new material and a revised introduction by Rowland White to mark the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, "Vulcan 607" is a classic of aviation history. 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...When Argentine forces invaded the Falklands in the early hours of 2 April 1982, Britain's military chiefs were faced with a real-life Mission Impossible. Its opening shot, they decided, would be Operation Black Buck: to strike a body blow at the occupying army, and make them realize that nothing was safe - not even Buenos Aires...The idea was simple: 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 was 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 a hornet's nest of modern weaponry defending the Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands. There would be no second chances...It was the end of an era - the last time the RAF flew heavy bombers into combat before they were replaced by their digital, fly-by-wire, laser-guided successors. There were many who believed it couldn't be done. Drawing on extensive interviews with the combatants, Falklands residents and British High Command, and with unprecedented access to contemporary military records, Rowland White takes us, for the first time, to the beating heart of the legendary raid. "Vulcan 607" is a story of ingenuity, courage and sheer bloody-mindedness that's has already become a classic since its first publication in 2006.

About this title

About the Author

Rowland White is the author of five critically acclaimed works of aviation history: Vulcan 607, Phoenix Squadron, Storm Front, Into the Black, and most recently Harrier 809, as well as a compendium of aviation, The Big Book of Flight. Born and brought up in Cambridge, he studied Modern History at Liverpool University. In 2014 he launched Project Cancelled to produce apparel inspired by the best in aviation, space and other cool stuff. Find it at projectcancelled.com

For more information on Rowland White and his books visit his website at rowlandwhite.com or find him on Twitter at @rowlandwhite

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593071263
• ISBN 13: 9780593071267
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 464