V-BOMBERS: BRITAIN'S NUCLEAR FRONTLINE IN THE COLD WAR

V-BOMBERS: BRITAIN'S NUCLEAR FRONTLINE IN THE COLD WAR
by Dr Tony Redding.


To quote the book's sypnosis, 'much has been written about the V-bombers, but virtually nothing has been said about their nuclear strike role.'

Dr Redding's book follows seven years of research. He begins in London on the day after the Nagasaki bombing in 1945. The new British PM, Clement Atlee, formed a committee charged with establishing Britain as a nuclear deterrent. 
As this book will reveal, the  following years & decades proved it was to be a long & costly road ahead.

Tony's years of research now provide an incredibly comprehensive account not only looking at Britain's nuclear deterrent & how the V-bombers were the main focus, but Britain's ballistic missile capabilities, as well as what Russia's own nuclear threat posed.

We learn about the various weapons that were trialled & tested (including the much troubled 'Blue Steel') & what life was really like for those crews constantly kept at a readiness to be in the air within minutes. 
What also becomes clearer is how both the political & especially the financial decisions taken, would be the leading factors in the strengths of a capable deterrent. 

The subject of the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) is particularly interesting. A number of bomber crews were kept at a readiness of 30 minutes, often less. 
If a Russian attack was in process, these crews would be expected to immediately take off, attempt to fly out of the damage radius of a nuclear weapon,  avoid Russian defences & then bomb their chosen targets.
Whilst they had a plan to land in another country, many believed that this would be a one-way trip!
Had most of the V-bombers reached their targets, they would of dropped an equivalent, if not greater, bomb load than the combined Allied bombing of Germany during the second world war! 
A sobering thought to end on.

If like me you have multiple books on the history of the Vulcan & the V-bombers, then this really is an essential addition to your library. It will complement perfectly those books that have already told the aircraft's stories from design to flight. 

I have been so impressed by what this book has revealed & the amount that I have learned from it. 
It is a book that truly deserves to be far better known.

This hardback book is available now & is published by Grub Street.








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