Buccaneer Boys: True Tales by Those Who Flew the 'Last All-British Bomber'

By: Graham Pitchfork

Narrated by: Roger Davis

Twenty-four aircrew who flew the iconic aircraft with the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force, and the South African Air Force (SAAF) relate their experiences and affection for the Blackburn Buccaneer. Arranged in chronological order, the book traces the history of the aircraft and the tasks it fulfilled. In addition to describing events and activities, it provides an insight into the lifestyle of a Buccaneer squadron and the fun and enjoyment of being a "Buccaneer Boy" in addition to being part of a highly professional and dedicated force.

The introduction into service is fully described before further chapters cover the development of the air force's maritime tactics and the deployment of two squadrons to Germany in the overland strike role. Two chapters deal with the aircraft's stunning successes at the Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises flown in North America, which took the USAF hierarchy by storm. A further chapter is devoted to the intensive but little known Bush War operations by 24 SAAF Squadron on the borders of Angola.

Two USAF exchange officers who flew Buccaneers relate their experiences and the aircraft's deployment for the Lebanon crisis, and the reinforcement exercise to the Falkland Islands is examined. The introduction of new air-to-surface anti-ship missiles is covered before the Buccaneer left to go to war in the Gulf where it distinguished itself providing precision laser marking for the Tornado force, in addition to carrying out its own precision bombing attacks. This lavish book concludes with accounts of the aircraft's final days in RAF service and some reflections on its impact on maritime and overland air power.

©2013 Grub Street LTD (P)2015 Grub Street LTD

A Good Story but.......

I have just got to the end of this eminently readable book and whilst the story is excellent and the narration keeps one interested one thing right near the end really wound me up, as in clockwork.....there is a chapter where one of the Squadron Commanders mentions the queens 75th birthday flypast and how he valiantly led the whole formation from the front seat of his trusty Buccaneer. He then goes on to extol the virtues of the designer, the builder and, above all the aircrew of said Buccaneers. As a graduate of RAF Halton, the Number 1 School of RAF Engineering Training it is endlessly difficult to listen to these clowns who seem to think that all RAF aircraft just fix themselves or, better yet, never break and are just sat waiting for entitled people such as himself to jump into the front seat and sally forth into the wild blue yonder. Graham Pitchfork has done an excellent job pulling together these tales but he seems to have forgotten that the engineers were also Buccaneer Boys and, in some instances worked a lot harder than the seat to stick interface ever did. In another volume, the Lightning Boys, there is a chapter by the SENGO of a Squadron from Binbrooke, not so in this book and it is all the worse because of it.