So why
is it a ‘unique’ account? Well as far as I’m aware, this is the only version of
the Falklands War written through the eyes of the helicopter pilots, or as I
now know them, the ‘Junglies’. The author, Harry Benson was a young, 21 year
old helicopter pilot straight out of training. As a result, Harry didn’t sail
with the task force but went in one of the later waves of pilots sent down to
the battle, only arriving towards the end of the conflict. As a result, his own
experiences of the war largely concern his immensely slow and frustrating
voyage down there and then his flying in the last couple of weeks of the war.
The
lack of personal experience doesn’t detract from the story as Harry has spent a
significant amount of time interviewing his former colleagues, many of whom
have never told their story before. He now presents a chronologically correct
account of helicopter operations from the task force setting sail to the
Argentine surrender and beyond.
Many of
the stories told are pretty rivetting such as the landing of SAS troops on the
Fortuna glacier on St Georgia
and their subsequent evacuation with the loss of two out of three of the
helicopters involved. Descriptions of the rescue operations of the Welsh Guards
after the attacks on Sir Galahad and Sir Tristan in Bluff Cove are particularly
poignant.
A major
takeaway from the book is the number of errors made by our own forces along
with the lack of organization, leadership and co-ordination of resources that
occurred. There are also details of a ‘friendly fire’ incident involving an
Army Gazelle helicopter that I wasn’t previously aware of.
Notwithstanding
the lack of leadership, the bravery of the Junglie crews comes through,
especially as the war progressed. This is where Harry’s own story comes to the fore;
flying night time rescue missions on the
battlefield right up to the front line to ferry back the wounded from both
sides whilst under artillery fire. It shows how adrenalin can often overtake
experience.
One of the scariest moments was a sortie on Mount Tumbledown .
They found themselves in an incredibly exposed position on the ground for,
“little more than a minute but it seemed like an eternity”; they were being
fired upon and could clearly see the heads of enemy soldiers moving around in
their trenches. Only when they reached their debriefing were they informed, it
had been an operational error - they had been sat right in full view of the
Argentine front line.
A particularly obvious theme throughout the book is
that of the inter-service rivalry that exists in our armed forces, I noted there
being a particular lack of respect between the ‘Junglies’ and the ‘Pingers’
(anti-submarine helicopter pilots). Another neat put-down by Harry was of the
RAF’s efforts to bomb the runway at Port Stanley
via the long range Vulcan raids, the implication being it was just a token
effort and a complete waste of time!
There is a level of bitterness in the book from the
author with a recurring feeling that he was cheated out of a proper war by his
late arrival on the frontline. Overall though, this doesn’t detract from what
is an immensely readable and enjoyable book.
Mark Bowden