Rowland White

"Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, [this book] reveals the dramatic untold story of the first space shuttle and the dedicated people who brought the United States into the next stage of space exploration"--Dust jacket flap.

The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her

Into the Black

When Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands Islands in 1982, it took the British government by surprise. They needed a fast response, and military chiefs came up with a plan of action - Operation Black Buck. This is an account of the last British bomber raid, recalling the long-range attack on Port Stanley that opened the Falklands War.

Vulcan 607

Built of lightweight wood, powered by two growling Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, impossibly aerodynamic, headspinningly fast and armed to the teeth, the de Havilland Mosquito was the war-winning wonder that should never have existed: the aircraft the RAF didn't think it wanted then couldn't do without.

Flying on operations barely eighteen months after a single prototype was ordered off the drawing board, it was the answer to its pilots' prayers: a stunningly versatile warplane capable of leaving the Luftwaffe in its wake to attack when and where the enemy was least expecting it.

Excelling as a spyplane, night-fighter and pathfinder for Bomber Command's heavies the Mossie's reputation was cemented by a series of daredevil bombing raids across occupied Europe, including on Berlin itself, where only surprise, speed and precision could ensure success.

So when Churchill's top secret Special Operations Executive needed to destroy the Gestapo HQ in the centre of downtown Copenhagen to prevent a devastating Nazi last stand that might prolong the war for many months, there was only one machine for the job.

This is the story of that legendary aircraft told through that one impossible mission.

Like Rowland White's previous books, Mosquito is an unputdownable mix of utterly compelling storytelling, incredible human stories and fascinating technological detail, which sheds never-before-told light on a pivotal mission that helped bring the war to its bloody and brutal close.

The RAF's Legendary Wooden Wonder and Its Most Extraordinary Mission

Mosquito

"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."--Publisher.

HMS Ark Royal, Britain's Last Topguns and the Untold Story of Their Most Extraordinary Mission

Phoenix Squadron

'Utterly brilliant: a fantastically exciting book... This really does read like the best kind of thriller. His best book yet' James Holland, author of Normandy '44 April 1982. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. In response, Britain despatches a naval task force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just twenty Sea Harriers against the two hundred-strong might of the Argentine Air Force. The odds against them are overwhelming. The MoD's own estimates suggest that half the Harriers will be lost in the opening days of the conflict. They need backup. Within three weeks 809 Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and heading south, ready for war. Not since World War Two had so much been expected of such a small band of pilots.

Britain’s Legendary Jump Jet and the Untold Story of the Falklands War

Harrier 809

In early 1970, the Commanding Officer of 22 SAS flew into the strategically critical Sultanate of Oman on a covert intelligence mission to monitor a Communist rebellion threatening the Arabian Peninsula. Within six months, the Regiment arrived in theatre to lead a fierce, secret war against the rebels, reinforced by an elite band of RAF pilots flying out of a remote airbase in the desert. But for the British soldiers and airmen, it was to be no easy victory. And despite confronting the largest assault force ever deployed by the SAS, many months later the enemy were still far from beaten. Something had to give. Then at dawn on July 19th, 1972, and without warning, a force of nearly 300 heavily armed, well-trained guerillas attacked the little fishing port of Mirbat. Between them and glory stood a team of just nine SAS men, aided only by the skill of the fighter pilots overhead. It was to be an epic encounter; a modern day Rorke's Drift. Their heroism that day would become SAS legend.

Storm Front

Dambuster 617

Everybody dreams of flying. For as long as we've been able to look up and see the birds we've wanted to join them. But our efforts to do so have not always been as elegant or accomplished. Instead, there's been danger, excitement, courage and brilliance. The Big Book of Flight is a celebration of it all, and a lot more besides, packed with derring-do stories of aviation's pioneers as well as fascinating profiles of remarkable planes, from Spitfires to Space Shuttles (and a number of other wondrous projects that never quite got off the drawing board). Along with a unique collection of fantastic flight trivia, crucial questions are also addressed: What's so scary about the Bermuda Triangle? Why does airline food taste so bad? And how do you make the perfect paper dart? With stunning photographs and illustrations throughout, The Big Book of Flight promises to surprise, entertain and fire the imaginations of anyone with their head in the clouds.

Rowland White

About

Books

Join the club