Deborah Lake

This type of aircraft history is not usually on my acquisition list. However, with the Crowood volume selling for it's weight in silver this seemed like a nice budget book to stick one's toe into the Shackleton water so to speak.
Ms. Lake writes with obvious sensitivity about the RAF and her personnel and this shows in how she conveys the affection of the air and ground personnel towards the Shackleton. While not particularity heavy in terms of technical details, any one familiar with postwar RAF ops will find a bit to bite into.
Ms. Lake was fortunate to be able to tap into the memories of the aircrew and ground personnel especially those that participated in Aden (Yemen) and the other Gulf states as those operations are now, like the aircraft also fading from memory. Other operations such as the blockade patrols out of Madagascar opened up areas of RAF operations that are also probably relatively unknown. Overall, a world-wide operational area is covered with a fair amount of detail and filled in with anecdotes by the participating crews

The chapters covering the travails of the AEW conversion, crew training and operations will ring absolutely familiar to anyone who has operation in austere budgetary environment with senior officers who either don't understand the aircraft or do not support it.

Not recommended for modeler or nuts and bolts types. If you're looking for ASW reading, look elsewhere. Strongly recommended for those interested in RAF overseas operations and day to day life in the RAF from the late 1940's until 1991.… (mehr)