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

(Paperback)

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The dramatic true story of Britain's last Top Guns and their most extraordinary mission, from the bestselling author of Vulcan 607 January 1972- the tiny outpost of British Honduras is threatened with imminent invasion by battle-hardened, US-trained Guatemalan paratroops. Britain's response must be immediate and decisive. But there is only one deterrent the government can offer- HMS Ark Royal, once the Navy's most powerful warship, now a white elephant on the verge of being scrapped. To save the small colony, she must launch a pair of Buccaneer fighter bombers on an unprecedented long-range mission. But first the old carrier must make a high-speed, 1,500 mile dash across the Atlantic towards the Gulf of Mexico. The odds of arriving in time are very slim indeed... Drawing on extensive first-hand accounts and previously unseen, classified documents, Rowland White has pieced together one of the most audacious and thrilling missions of post-war British military history.

Reviews

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 -- James Holland * Daily Telegraph *
Reads like a Patrick Robinson or Tom Clancy novel...This is a cracking read * Navy News *
A gutsy, you-are-there true story that throbs with the sound and fury of carrier operations. Military history as it ought to be told -- Robert Gant

Author Bio

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