Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude.<\/b><\/p>\n
‘We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the target. Then all hell broke loose.\u00c2\u00a0<\/i><\/b>I remember the missile being fired at us; I broke left and shouted, “Chaff!”<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0<\/i><\/b>‘All I could see was a flame, like a very large firework, coming towards me. Then there was a huge white flash. I remember an enormous wind and then I was knocked unconscious.\u00c2\u00a0<\/i><\/b>My last thoughts were that I was going to die.<\/i><\/b>‘<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein<\/b> ordered the invasion<\/b> and occupation of neighbouring Kuwait<\/b>, setting in motion a chain of events that had unimaginable political, military and personal repercussions, which still reverberate around the globe today.<\/p>\n
This is the story of the aircrew at the heart of Operation Desert Storm<\/b>, almost none of whom had any prior experience of armed combat. It is the story of the Tornado’s missions, of those who did not return -\u00c2\u00a0and of the families who watched and waited as one of the most complex conflicts in recent history unfolded live on television.\u00c2\u00a0It is a story of untold fear and suffering, and astounding courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable adversity.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The epic story of the Tornado during Operation Desert Storm, by the bestselling author of Spitfire<\/i> and Lancaster<\/i>, who was himself shot down during that conflict<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[75],"product_tag":[77],"class_list":["post-93420","product","type-product","status-publish","product_cat-history","product_tag-military-history","pa_book_author-nichol-john","pa_cover-paperback","pa_dewey-956-7044248-edition23","pa_imprint-simon-schuster-uk-ltd","pa_language-english","pa_pages-xxii-458-24-unnumbered-of-plates","pa_publisher-simon-schuster-uk-ltd","pa_readership-general-trade-code-k","first","onbackorder","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"yoast_head":"\n