Overview

When the US president, Harry S Truman, declared the Truman Doctrine in March 1947, he could not have known that the resultant Cold War would persist for over forty years until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. In addition to nuclear and conventional military friction between the Eastern and Western blocs, the struggle for dominance involved a remarkable range of activities including the space race, psychological efforts, espionage, even rivalry at sporting functions and technological events. This diversity is reflected in the twenty chapters of Cold War Boys which opens with a vivid description from the author of survival procedures used by English Electric Lightning pilots in the event of nuclear war. From there on, various contributors share their original experiences on a range of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft across the world, including tales from RAF Germany, the Falklands, and the Far East. Each story demonstrates some of the intriguing circumstances faced by aircrew and ground crew whose tenacity and professionalism had to cope with miscellaneous situations of danger, excitement, risk, pathos, and humor. This book serves as a reminder of what air forces faced during the Cold War years as the ever-present threat of nuclear war persisted. A must for all aviation fans.

Full Product Details

9798212520751

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Richard Pike became a flight cadet in 1961 at the RAF College, Cranwell, where on graduation, he was awarded the Dickson Trophy and Michael Hill memorial prize for flying. In the early stages of his forty-year flying career he flew the English Electric Lightning before converting to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom. On leaving the Royal Air Force he became a civilian helicopter pilot. His duties took him to a wide variety of destinations at home and overseas, including the Falkland Islands not long after the end of the Falklands War. His last assignment was in Kosovo helping to distribute emergency humanitarian aid on behalf of the United Nations World Food Program. He and his wife live in Aberdeenshire. He is the author of several Grub Street titles, including: Lightning Boys, Lightning Boys 2, Hunter Boys, Phantom Boys, and Phantom Boys Volume 2. Elliot Fitzpatrick studied acting at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire before going on to appear in theater in London's West End, at Shakespeare's Globe, and with the Rose Theatre Kingston, as well as in international tours across Asia. As an audiobook narrator he has read over fifty titles, including books by Bear Grylls and mountain-climber Nims Purja, and in 2021 was nominated for an Audie for his work on the mystery thriller The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell. His voice can be heard in the video games Kings Bounty II and War Tales, as well as commercial work for Starling Bank.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available