Sea Harrier over the Falklands: Cassell Military
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Sea Harrier over the Falklands: Cassell Military Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Sharkey Ward (Author, Narrator, Publisher)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 434 ratings
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Sharkey Ward commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Invincible, during the Falklands war of April to June 1982 and was senior Sea Harrier adviser to the Command on the tactics, direction and progress of the air war. He flew over 60 war missions, achieved three air to air kills, and took part in or witnessed a total of 10 kills; he was also the leading night pilot and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry.

Those are the bare facts though they do no sort of justice to this remarkable and outspoken book nor to its author. For what after all could 20 Sea Harriers operating from a flight deck bucketing about in the South Atlantic do against more than 200 Argentine military aircraft flown by pilots who, as the raids against British shipping proved, displayed enormous skill and gallantry? The world knows the answer now, as it knows the debt owed to the author and his fellow flyers. What is puzzling therefore is this book's truthful depiction of the attitudes of some of the senior non-flying naval officers and of the RAF towards the men and indeed the machines that made possible the victory in the Falklands.

This extraordinary firsthand account charts in clear and forthright detail the naval pilots' journey to the South Atlantic and how they took on an triumphantly conquered the challenges they faced. It is a dramatic story leavened with brilliant accounts of air to air fighting and of life in a squadron at sea and on a war footing. But it is also a tale of inter-service rivalry, bureaucratic interference, and the less-than-generous attitudes of a number of senior commanders who should have known better. Indeed, some of them might even have lost the campaign through a lack of understanding of air warfare - particularly if all the instructions had been followed to the letter and without question. The author puts the record straight - no one interested in the Falklands or in aircraft and air combat as a whole can afford to miss this marvelous book.

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  1. Listening Length
    16 hours and 21 minutes
  2. Author
    Sharkey Ward
  3. Narrator
    Sharkey Ward
  4. Audible release date
    April 26, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Sharkey Ward
  7. ASIN
    B093574L71
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 21 minutes
Author Sharkey Ward
Narrator Sharkey Ward
Audible.com Release Date April 26, 2021
Publisher Sharkey Ward
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B093574L71
Best Sellers Rank #238,833 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#195 in Air Forces Military History
#1,009 in Military & War Biographies (Audible Books & Originals)
#2,582 in Military Aviation History (Books)

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
434 global ratings
A great chronicle of the SHAR in The South Atlantic!
5 Stars
A great chronicle of the SHAR in The South Atlantic!
It was a great reference when putting together my recently published book; 'Harrier" The illustration is a painting I did to show Sharkey Ward shooting down an Argentine Pucara during the Falklands War.
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Top reviews from the United States

Erl Gould Purnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary story by an extraordinary officer & aviator
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
Sharkey Ward, CO of 801 Squadron RNAS, demonstrates what keen, knowledable leadership does in planning and fighting. An extraordinary pilot of the SHAR (Sea Harrier), he trains is pilots at the cutting edge of their jet and their weapons systems. His descriptions of flying and fighting are simply wonderful and even more wonderful because they are in the unique Sea Harrier.

Although the Navy (fish heads) and the RAF massaged the record of the Falklands War to the exclusion of the RNAS and 801 Squadron on HMS Invincable and to a lesser degree 800 Squadron on HMS Hermes, Sharkey Ward sets the story right. He's a really fine writer with an excellent "voice." The reader is taken into the meetings that matter, the relative quiet of his private quarters and the cockpit of the SHAR. In a compelling and clear way, he shows the folly of MOD and political thinking in the UK to the peril of the fleet, especially its protection at sea and at distance from RAF coverage. Not surprisingly, he's a powerful and thoughtful advocate of the SHAR and VSTOL aircraft as a weapons system that has proven it superiority in training and in battle.

By way of conclusion, I would love to buy a Scotch for Sharkey Ward and to raise my own glass in toast to a truly great Naval officer, aviator and writer. Thanks Sharkey.
6 people found this helpful
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Marcos
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book full of tasty details
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2022
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Great Book.
Remarkable contrast with David Morgan's Ostile Skies. If Morgan recounts the human aspect of a pilot, Nigel "Sharkey" Ward introduces us to preparation and self-demand seeking constant improvement of procedures. The enemy is not only the Argentines, but also conformism and unprofessional attitudes. Surprisingly, I found the lack of coordination between the embarked wing of the invincible (801 squadron) with that of the Hermes (800 squadron), the suspicions between the RAF and the embarked wing of the royal navy and the little initial faith in the sea harrier to despite the successes against the f15.
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TOWGunner
5.0 out of 5 stars The story you don't see on documentaries.
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021
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Great insight from one of the squadron commanding officers. Good read.
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Mark Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2014
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good book
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant and important if your into military history and aviation
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020
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This book provides a very interesting point of view from one of the main actors of the conflict. Even the pre war back ground about the Harrier is very interesting in its performance development.
Dont take it as the last word on the conflict but as a very relevant piece of the discussion.
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L. Drendel
5.0 out of 5 stars A great chronicle of the SHAR in The South Atlantic!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
It was a great reference when putting together my recently published book; 'Harrier" The illustration is a painting I did to show Sharkey Ward shooting down an Argentine Pucara during the Falklands War.
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L. Drendel
5.0 out of 5 stars A great chronicle of the SHAR in The South Atlantic!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
It was a great reference when putting together my recently published book; 'Harrier" The illustration is a painting I did to show Sharkey Ward shooting down an Argentine Pucara during the Falklands War.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
One person found this helpful
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Ricardo Burgos
5.0 out of 5 stars The bitter truth narrated first hand by one of the top Sea Harrier pilots.
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Fantastic read. Very interesting and honest view from first hand of the Falklands conflict. Changed my idea of how the war was fought.
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P. Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Company was GREAT!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
Company was GREAT!!! Wonderful Customer Service!!!
Met author of this book, so wanted to read it.
Haven't finished the book yet, but so far, well written, so good read!!!
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Top reviews from other countries

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James in Honduras and sometimes in Canada
5.0 out of 5 stars Some history that I vaguely remember but is very interesting
Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
I was actually looking for "Harrier 809" which is a new book but I bought this by mistake. 809 squadron were absorbed into 800 and 801 squadrons and came a little later in the war - so I don't know exactly how they would write a whole book about a themselves when they weren't called "809" once they arrived at the war.

This was a great read. The author had detailed stories about night raids and bombing runs and his "kills" as well as the men that served under him and the men they lost. Well worth the $18
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars immersion dans la guerre des Malouines par un acteur côté anglais
Reviewed in France on March 13, 2024
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Récit sur la guerre des Malouines par un de ses acteurs côté britannique. L’auteur commandait l’escadron 801 de chasseurs Sea Harier embarqué sur un des deux portes aéronef britannique engagé (HMS Invincible). Il nous fait un récit vivant tant des combats et des opérations auxquelles il a partipé que de son rôle de chef d’unité qui doit aussi gérer l’activité et les relations avec l’etat major. A lire, absolument pour ceux qui s’intéressent à l’aviation moderne en général et à ce conflit en particulier.
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perhaps
5.0 out of 5 stars Sobre la guerra de las Malvinas
Reviewed in Spain on February 8, 2022
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Dependiendo del país, el punto de vista sobre el mismo hecho es diferente. Aquí en España siempre se conoce como la guerra de las Malvinas en favor de Argentina. Aunque no leo libros sobre guerra, leí una reseña sobre este y probé. Está escrito por participantes británicos. Cómo sufrieron y ganaron. Muy interesante documento histórico.
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Skipresto
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating. straight from the front line
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a very uplifting read. It's a long time since I've read anything about total confidence in a man, his men and his machines.
Well, the Fleet Air Arm, that is.
Sharkey had the Harriers of 801 Sqn and in particular its "Blue Fox" radars set up to the peak of their specification. His team on "Invincible" were far in advance of the RAF (800 Sqn.) on "Hermes", and the woeful Admiral Woodward's flagship, whose experience had been in submarines....
The RAF in Sqn. 800 were under-prepared and couldn't use their radars, preferring standing patrols, flying off on a wild goose-chase, removing the CAP, and allowing the attack on the Sheffield to be pressed home.
They also cut short their mission time and flew back with more fuel than necessary.
There turned out to be an un-bridgeable gulf between RAF and Navy flight command.
Unbelievable arrogance and ignorance from the Admiral and RAF Top Brass, and an unforgivable snubbing of Squadron Commander Ward after the return.
Sharkey doesn't mince his words over the extravagant "Black Buck" Vulcan bombing missions.
The subsequent scrapping of the carriers and the Harriers before their time was also a source of heartbreak.
However, It's clear that if it hadn't been for Sharkey, the outcome would have been a different prospect.
10 people found this helpful
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Salty Seadawg
4.0 out of 5 stars The SHAR at war.
Reviewed in Australia on August 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
Worth the read if you're into military aviation and history or simply love the legendary Harrier. A good first-hand account of SHAR operations during the 1982 Falklands conflict.
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