Harrier 809: Britain’s Legendary Jump Jet and the Untold Story of the Falklands War
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- Create Date：2021-08-03 08:52:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Rowland White
- ISBN：0552176354
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Summary
'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。
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。
Reviews
Ian
，
In 1982 as the British task force sailed for the Falklands， it took with it the Fleet Air Arm's only two squadrons of Harrier jump jets - the aircraft that would be key to liberating the islands following the Argentine invasion。In just three weeks the navy needed to scrape together pilots and planes to create a third force - 809 Naval Air Squadron - to head south along with the RAF's ground attack Harriers on the merchant ship Atlantic Conveyor， hastily converted into a makeshift carrier。White t In 1982 as the British task force sailed for the Falklands， it took with it the Fleet Air Arm's only two squadrons of Harrier jump jets - the aircraft that would be key to liberating the islands following the Argentine invasion。In just three weeks the navy needed to scrape together pilots and planes to create a third force - 809 Naval Air Squadron - to head south along with the RAF's ground attack Harriers on the merchant ship Atlantic Conveyor， hastily converted into a makeshift carrier。White tells the story of putting together 809 NAS and it's subsequent role in the conflict with the pace of a thriller and the detail of a history。 There's a lot of jargon which will have you scrambling for the glossary， but that doesn't detract from a great read charting a remarkable achievement。 。。。more
Alex
，
A highly interesting if slightly disjointed account of the part played in the Falklands air war。 I enjoyed the first hand accounts from the pilots involved and learnt a great deal about the war in the air which I hadn't known previous。 A highly interesting if slightly disjointed account of the part played in the Falklands air war。 I enjoyed the first hand accounts from the pilots involved and learnt a great deal about the war in the air which I hadn't known previous。 。。。more
Robert Walden
，
Enjoyed this - a good narrative， well referenced and well researched。 Some good description of the tempo of the work that went into standing up a squadron and getting it to war。
Allan
，
An interesting and fascinating read covering the Falklands conflict from the point of view of the Harrier Squadron （and seconded RAF planes） created to provide backup to the two existing Harriers squadrons based on the Navy's two aircraft carriers。 Inter-service rivalries， international politics and secret and unofficial support from allies add a new dimension to the details of the conflict。 Sad in parts， this is a warts and all tale。 An interesting and fascinating read covering the Falklands conflict from the point of view of the Harrier Squadron （and seconded RAF planes） created to provide backup to the two existing Harriers squadrons based on the Navy's two aircraft carriers。 Inter-service rivalries， international politics and secret and unofficial support from allies add a new dimension to the details of the conflict。 Sad in parts， this is a warts and all tale。 。。。more
Grant S
，
Enjoyable but not as good as the earlier 'Vulcan 607。'Very in depth but a dry read。 Good on the facts but a little lacking in excitement。I think something about the land war in the Falklands next for me。 Enjoyable but not as good as the earlier 'Vulcan 607。'Very in depth but a dry read。 Good on the facts but a little lacking in excitement。I think something about the land war in the Falklands next for me。 。。。more
nick mercer
，
A great book covering the Sea Harrier story of the Falklands War of 1982， from the viewpoint of 809 Sqn RNAS resurrected in the early days as attrition replacements for the RNAS and covering the air war comprehensively。 Its intimately knowledgeable
frazer livingstone
，
Couldn't put it down。 Reading it brought back all the memories of watching the Falklands War unfold on the TV and the pride I felt in my country and the servicemen and women that took part in the war。Expertly written and very informative。 Highly recommended。 Couldn't put it down。 Reading it brought back all the memories of watching the Falklands War unfold on the TV and the pride I felt in my country and the servicemen and women that took part in the war。Expertly written and very informative。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Richard Wickenden
，
Excellent What a wonderful story full of detail and daring do from participants。 I worked on Sheffield before she sailed and was upset upon her demise less than a month after I got off her 。
Fraser
，
This was a great read。 Fact filled， with unbelievable amounts of rich detail。 You could have forgiven Rowland for therefore writing something dense and hard going - but far from it。 The way he has shaped the events and dialogue around that detail make this a real template for this type of historical review。 Strongly recommended。
Bart Gauvin
，
Great book that 'fills in the corners' in a lot of the history。 Theme remains positive when it could easily take a very negative spin on the state of RN/RAF readiness at the time。 Great book that 'fills in the corners' in a lot of the history。 Theme remains positive when it could easily take a very negative spin on the state of RN/RAF readiness at the time。 。。。more
Mac McCormick III
，
I've read a number of books on the Falklands War。 While the ones covering the war from a broad perspective covered the problems with defending the task force sent to retake the Falklands from aerial attack， it did so from an upper-level view。 Harrier 809， instead， is more of a micro view of the Falklands from 809 Squadron's perspective。 It tells the story of how 809 Squadron was put together from scratch in a very short amount of time and how they fit into the Falklands air war。 It also tells th I've read a number of books on the Falklands War。 While the ones covering the war from a broad perspective covered the problems with defending the task force sent to retake the Falklands from aerial attack， it did so from an upper-level view。 Harrier 809， instead， is more of a micro view of the Falklands from 809 Squadron's perspective。 It tells the story of how 809 Squadron was put together from scratch in a very short amount of time and how they fit into the Falklands air war。 It also tells the story of that air war from the Sea Harrier and Harrier community's point of view， warts and all。 For those interested in the history of the Falklands War， Naval History， or the history of Air Combat， this is definitely a book to read; I thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
James Michael
，
Wow - What an epic page-turner！I thoroughly enjoyed this book！ Exceedingly well written， fast paced and chock-a-block full of excellent details， Mr。 White has produced a highly detailed account of the air war as seen from the SHAR's contribution。 Highly recommended！ Wow - What an epic page-turner！I thoroughly enjoyed this book！ Exceedingly well written， fast paced and chock-a-block full of excellent details， Mr。 White has produced a highly detailed account of the air war as seen from the SHAR's contribution。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
DaveRed
，
Just brilliant 。 It is what I have come to expect from Rowland White 。 His books proudly sit on my bookshelf amongst titles by Hastings ， Ambrose， Bishop， Arthur and Holland as an equal 。 Keep them coming 。
Roy Szweda
，
Hmm nominally finished， well， I got more than two-thirds in and I had a rest then this morning tried again… Tom can have his copy back。 Sometimes， quite often in fact， I thought I was reading a racey novel the hyperbole just overwhelmed me。 Modern non-fiction bookstore shelves are replete with these vox-pop treatments of wartime adventures and I suppose sales would confirm that market exists and maybe growing but it is not for me。 Last month I had a go at Lancaster by an author who I had time fo Hmm nominally finished， well， I got more than two-thirds in and I had a rest then this morning tried again… Tom can have his copy back。 Sometimes， quite often in fact， I thought I was reading a racey novel the hyperbole just overwhelmed me。 Modern non-fiction bookstore shelves are replete with these vox-pop treatments of wartime adventures and I suppose sales would confirm that market exists and maybe growing but it is not for me。 Last month I had a go at Lancaster by an author who I had time for John Nichol but while I applaud his intentions I could not finish that either。 But unlike that work which has a fair bit in common with other recent treatments of the heroes of WW2， the Flaklands gets less shrift。 Plus， I enjoyed RW's Vulcan book et seq。 Yes， I was disappointed or maybe it is just my mood and concern about time running out with so many other books calling out to me。 I lived through this war and have even examined the flak guns mentioned here not to mention seen other machinery at airshows back then so I have a soft spot for those events while all the time the feeling persists of a "war" we should not have had to fight and for that I blame the politicians and others in military intelligence for bringing about the demise of so many fine young men on both sides。 Not least those exceptional men who took to the air in machinery that was clearly inferior to the opposition。 It is outrageous to make our young warriors keep having to honour such political commitments without proper support and equipment。 Here， this book provides good coverage so maybe in time I will get my own copy and finish it as I hate leaving books unfinished。。。However， one last point of irritation for me， oh， that and G instead of the lower case letter （misused in too many "serious" books）。。。 anyone who uses or rather misuses the word “shrapnel” is not worthy of my reading time。。。 it should IMHO be "splinter"。。。 shrapnel is balls！ 。。。more
John Lomnicki，
，
Intriguing fast paced air war vignetteThis is air war and overcoming details that plagued bad planning decisions that cost men their lives on both sides。 It is a technical， yet human story that is actually exciting。
Mark Polino
，
Great book。 Reads like thriller。 It needed an improved timeline for specific events in greater narrative， but that’s a quibble。
J R Boote
，
I had already read Vulcan 607 and Into The Black by Rowland White so my decision to read his latest book was based on those two books which were excellent reads， Vulcan 607 being my favourite。If you enjoy reading Rowland White's books， you won't be disappointed by Harrier 809 and you'll know what to expect。 His books are well researched。My only criticisms are that I had expected a bit more detail into the development of the Harrier in the first part of the book， and I had expected there to be a I had already read Vulcan 607 and Into The Black by Rowland White so my decision to read his latest book was based on those two books which were excellent reads， Vulcan 607 being my favourite。If you enjoy reading Rowland White's books， you won't be disappointed by Harrier 809 and you'll know what to expect。 His books are well researched。My only criticisms are that I had expected a bit more detail into the development of the Harrier in the first part of the book， and I had expected there to be a mention of the attack on the Sir Galahad by Argentine Skyhawks on 24th May and this wasn't mentioned at all。Overall， this is still a good read and I would recommend it。 。。。more
Stephen Mercer
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An amazing story with a nice happy-ending twist at the end。 If you’re into learning about a small naval task force supported by Air Force and Army sailed 8，000 miles and took on a fight inside the WEZ of their enemy， this is a good book。 I’d say there are five main areas， Sea Harrier history， status of the RAF/RN harrier force and larger air forces of the time， outfitting of the Atlantic Conveyor， and the fight off Argentina。 If those interest you， you’ll like the book。
Gavin
，
A well written account of 809 getting to the war with some nice pictures included to compliment the text。
Brian
，
This book is fast paced and reads quickly。 White is focused on telling the story and does not let this book get bogged down by analysis or other factors。 There are some parts of this book that I enjoyed - White kept the book fast paced。 I think his focus on 809 squadron was an interesting way to tell the larger story of the Fleet Air Arm's role in the Falklands War。 I also appreciate that he worked to tell the story of the Argentine Air Force and Navy flyers。In my view， there are also some drawb This book is fast paced and reads quickly。 White is focused on telling the story and does not let this book get bogged down by analysis or other factors。 There are some parts of this book that I enjoyed - White kept the book fast paced。 I think his focus on 809 squadron was an interesting way to tell the larger story of the Fleet Air Arm's role in the Falklands War。 I also appreciate that he worked to tell the story of the Argentine Air Force and Navy flyers。In my view， there are also some drawbacks to this book。 To keep it fast paced， White changed perspectives and story lines frequently。 Much like a movie， you have to be careful because at some point if you cut too often and too quickly between perspectives， you can lose the audience （in this case the reader）。 At times for me， it felt like the book would be clearer if White stuck with some of the perspectives for longer。 Another issue in my view is that while 809 Squadron is an interesting focus to tell the story， you have to provide perspective and context from outside events。 Sometimes this worked well; other times， I wasn't sure I understood the outside context。 Finally， understand this book for what it is - an enjoyable， interesting book that is very focused on the narrative with limited analysis。 。。。more
Irwin Fletcher
，
I think I'm being kind of generous even giving this two stars but 1 seems a little harsh。 I have never read a book in my life that had such an uneven focus and incomplete narrative。 For starters this book assumes you've already read every book there is about the Falklands and want some supplemental material about the air war。 The ground war is neglected to the point that I kept forgetting there even was one。 I understand the focus of the book is on the Harriers （though not too focused as I'll ex I think I'm being kind of generous even giving this two stars but 1 seems a little harsh。 I have never read a book in my life that had such an uneven focus and incomplete narrative。 For starters this book assumes you've already read every book there is about the Falklands and want some supplemental material about the air war。 The ground war is neglected to the point that I kept forgetting there even was one。 I understand the focus of the book is on the Harriers （though not too focused as I'll explain） and it's not going to go into the finer points of the ground war but they don't even give you enough information about it to give the air war any context。 I was a 1 year old American when the Falklands happened and went to school at a time where it wasn't old enough to really be history or new enough to be a current event。。。 in America at least， so my knowledge was limited to something a saw on the History Channel probably 15 years ago and the Top Gear Patagonia special。 I was hoping this book would remedy that， though it was focused on the air war I'd hopefully/probably get the broad strokes of the entire war but I had to do a lot of Google searches just to figure out what all was happening。 The sinking of the Belgrano was barely mentioned and the only mention of the Argentine surrender or the end of the war at all was an offhand mention in one of the photo captions: "After the Argentine surrender on 14 June， HMS Hermes sailed close to the islands for the first time"。 I don't even know how or why they surrendered or how it came about， and after reading a book THIS size about the Falklands War that's pretty amazing。 If the author were just laser focused on the Harriers or 809 I could understand but a good 1/3 of this book could have been completely cut because it had nothing to do with the narrative or it just went nowhere。 Like Operation Folklore， this operation and the people on the ground trying to make it happen plus the personnel whose names I had to learn all end up just not happening。 It's like the second biggest focus for a good portion of the book then they just cancel it and I think they ended up spending the war on Easter Island or Hawaii or something。 I can understand mentioning it but going into so much detail was pointless filler and it wasn't even that interesting。 The author would rather talk about ANYTHING but the Falklands sometimes。 He goes into the whole history of the Hurricat plane just because there's a similarity （in so much as it's similar to launching any plane from a carrier I suppose） to a proposed plan to launch one of the Harriers from Atlantic Conveyor。。。 an operation which also doesn't happen。 So I got the history of a WWII plane that has nothing to do with this and all for the sake of an operation that doesn't take place。 Near the end he goes into more detail about Mike Tyson's 1981 Junior Olympic fights （just to compare him to the Sidewinder missile because I guess it was also dangerous or some crap） than the ground war and Belgrano combined。 Those are just two examples， he covers a wide variety of topics that have nothing to do with it while ignoring so much that was not just relevant but vital to telling the story。 While this guy was talking about everything under the sun he could have painted a more complete picture of what was going on。 It's hard to care about the missions these guys are flying when it's not always clear why they're flying them。 Oh it's a ground support mission？ Supporting who doing what？ I have no clue what happened on those islands except that overhead there were jets and out to sea there were boats。And as others have mentioned， even the air war focus is kind of uneven。 The title implies the focus is on the 809 but as I said it covers things like Operation FOLKLORE， various refueling efforts and just about anything a plane did in the war。 It's only when they talk about the Harrier pilots that the focus is on 809。 Which is kind of a weird focus given their late arrival but I'll admit their struggle to get operational and moving in time was extraordinary。 However while the book focuses on the administrative work， training and new paint jobs being applied the Harrier pilots who were already in the fight take a backseat to everything。 Which once again I could understand if it were focused solely on the 809 but they take a backseat to the Operation Folklore people who spent the war on some far off island。 Lastly though the author didn't make me care much for any of these people。 With the exception of Tim Gedge and Ian North most of them are just names in a book with too many names to keep track of。 It's all just very dry and more about airplane minutiae than the people who flew them or even the war they flew in。 。。。more
Mark Milsom
，
First became of the book via the ‘We have ways’ Podcast and hearing Mr White talk about the conflict and the preparations to go to war。 I found it absorbing and was completely astounded by some of the clandestine activity to ensure success。 I would thoroughly recommend the book。 It made me nostalgic for the days of the Sea Harrier and the GR3。
Andy Chase
，
An amazing book， as an ex RAF Officer I've served in the Falklands and read several books on the subject， this along with his previous work Vulcan 607 blurs the line between fact and fiction。 It delivers a page turner that I was devastated to finish。 Superb。 An amazing book， as an ex RAF Officer I've served in the Falklands and read several books on the subject， this along with his previous work Vulcan 607 blurs the line between fact and fiction。 It delivers a page turner that I was devastated to finish。 Superb。 。。。more
Rick
，
Review 112 - Harrier 809 by Rowland WhiteThis book is another fantastic book telling a true story about a Harrier jump jet squadron。 It is a bit slow to start， but this is because a lot of information is passed along setting up 809 squadron and introducing all of the people involved。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading about another side of the Falklands War。I've read several of this authors other books and have enjoyed them all。 I have one more book to read by him。 *****5*🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Review 112 - Harrier 809 by Rowland WhiteThis book is another fantastic book telling a true story about a Harrier jump jet squadron。 It is a bit slow to start， but this is because a lot of information is passed along setting up 809 squadron and introducing all of the people involved。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading about another side of the Falklands War。I've read several of this authors other books and have enjoyed them all。 I have one more book to read by him。 *****5*🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 。。。more
Dougie Brimson
，
I should preface this review with a few facts。 First， I'm an RAF veteran， second， I was on Ascension Island throughout the conflict and third， up to 1982 I served with the Harrier Force as part of 4 Sqn at RAF Gutersloh。 In other words， I have some insight into both the events covered in the book and the world of the Harrier。With that in mind， this book isn't about the RAF per se， and having read Vulcan 607 I approached it with some trepidation。 It surely couldn't be that good could it？ In all h I should preface this review with a few facts。 First， I'm an RAF veteran， second， I was on Ascension Island throughout the conflict and third， up to 1982 I served with the Harrier Force as part of 4 Sqn at RAF Gutersloh。 In other words， I have some insight into both the events covered in the book and the world of the Harrier。With that in mind， this book isn't about the RAF per se， and having read Vulcan 607 I approached it with some trepidation。 It surely couldn't be that good could it？ In all honesty， no it isn't。 But it's close。 Very close。 As others have already mentioned， there are a few oversights and a couple of minor errors and if you're looking for a definitive account， this isn't it。 That said， only those who have an intimate knowledge of the conflict and the Harrier will spot those and the truth is that this is as good an account of the Sea Harrier's role in the conflict as anyone will ever need。 More importantly， it's a fantastic read。 For as with Vulcan 607 （one of the great aviation books in my opinion） it's written in a style that perfectly captures the tension and excitement of the operation as it unfolded。 Brilliant stuff。 。。。more
Tom Watson
，
Excellent story of how the Falklands air war was wonI got this book to learn more about the air war over the Falklands that led to the British retaking the islands from Argentina。 Its a really remarkable story of British ingenuity and grit that also characterizes great courage and creativity in solving huge logistic and operational issues。 Written from the British point of view it gives great credit to the Argentinean airmen for the courage。 White transitions from strategic to tactical to very p Excellent story of how the Falklands air war was wonI got this book to learn more about the air war over the Falklands that led to the British retaking the islands from Argentina。 Its a really remarkable story of British ingenuity and grit that also characterizes great courage and creativity in solving huge logistic and operational issues。 Written from the British point of view it gives great credit to the Argentinean airmen for the courage。 White transitions from strategic to tactical to very personal seamlessly which results in a book that is informative and hard to put down。 Highly recommended 。。。more
Stuart
，
What a exciting and informative book this proved to be。 Well written and well researched。 The information provided in relation to the operational level is intriguing。 I always find the logistic element of any war interesting。 The author provides a indepth insight into the planning and organization that went into 809sq and the wider task force。 I loved all the information that was devoted to the Atlantic conveyer。 As well highlighting the British task force shortcomings， of Radar， gun sights and What a exciting and informative book this proved to be。 Well written and well researched。 The information provided in relation to the operational level is intriguing。 I always find the logistic element of any war interesting。 The author provides a indepth insight into the planning and organization that went into 809sq and the wider task force。 I loved all the information that was devoted to the Atlantic conveyer。 As well highlighting the British task force shortcomings， of Radar， gun sights and up to date weapon systems。 During the action， the book becomes exciting and at times I was unable to put it down。 Telling the story perfectly from both the Argentine and British points of view， it really is gripping stuff。 This book is definitely one that should be read if you have a interest in fleet air arm， the RAF and Falklands conflict。 You won't be disappointed。 。。。more
Terence Lionel
，