Phoenix Squadron: HMS Ark Royal, Britain's last Topguns and the untold story of their most dramatic mission - Rilegato

White, Rowland

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0593054504 ISBN 13: 9780593054505

Casa editrice: Bantam Press, 2009

Riassunto

HMS Ark Royal was the most powerful warship the Royal Navy had ever put to sea.50,000 tons of British Sovereign Territory - a floating airfield that was home to 2700 men, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the most modern, capable air force in Europe. But by the early seventies, Ark Royal was in the twilight of her career. Only kept in service to help face down the Cold War threat from the powerful Soviet Navy, it seemed Ark would play no further part on the world's stage.

Then, in January 1972, intelligence reached Whitehall that British Honduras - now Belize - was threatened with imminent invasion. To defend the colony Britain's response had to be immediate and unequivocal.And Ark Royal offered the only effective means of preventing the little Central American country being overrun by battle-hardened, US-trained Guatemalan paratroops.But to do so the old carrier would first have to endure a destructive, high-speed 1500 mile dash across the Atlantic towards the Gulf of Mexico. Only then would it be possible to execute an audacious, record-breaking plan to launch a pair of Buccaneers on an extraordinary and unprecedented long-range mission. It was an operation loaded with difficulty and danger.

Drawing on many hours of interviews with the participants and previously unseen, classified documents here and abroad, Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607 has pieced together this remarkable episode for the first time.And has brought to life a unique, unfamiliar and thrilling piece of post-war British military history: the world of the Fleet Air Arm's last Top Guns.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

"Aircraft carriers, jet fighters and a crisis on the other side of the world. Who could ask for more? It takes an obscure corner of British military history and weaves a story as gripping as any Tom Clancy thriller. It's completely riveting" (Jeremy Clarkson)

"From the cockpit of a fighter jet to the violently pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night, Rowland White combines pulse-pounding tension with riveting detail. If only all military history was written like this..." (Andy McNab)

"[A] page-turning thriller of a book...White's obvious passion infuses every page and is highly infectious, while the level of detail should send any budding Tom Clancy rushing to the bookshops. ...This gripping, hugely entertaining book is a powerful reminder that we sacrifice strike power at our peril." (James Holland Telegraph)

"Reads like a Patrick Robinson or Tom Clancy novel...This is a cracking read. Based on official documents, interviews and contemporary accounts, White weaves a lively - and complex - narrative on a subject few readers will be familiar with." (Navy News)

"A true story that reads like a Tom Clancy novel" (Defence Focus)

Descrizione del libro:

The dramatic true story of Britain's last Top Guns and their most extraordinary mission.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Bantam Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0593054504
• ISBN 13: 9780593054505
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 432