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Old 27th Jan 2004, 18:53
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Jackonicko
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
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Because Dr Alf and Jeff Ethell produced their book in double-quick time, and because they worked alone, the book has strengths and weaknesses. They did an excellent job at going around and hoovering up interviews with aircrew, and as a result their (relatively slender) book was high on first hand accounts and incisive analysis from the perspective of those who fought, though it lacks the mind-numbing and tedious attention to detail of the Falklands - The Air War book, which had five named co-authors, tens of 'helpers' and which took four years to produce. It was also a 'labour of love' rather than a commercial proposition. As a result the 480 pages are so denseley packed as to be almost unreadable, but the book is a superb reference source, more detailed and better researched than the Price/Ethell volume.

The Ethell/Price book also gives much the same details of the Nimrod sorties as did ORAC. I refer you to pages 93-94.

With regard to the 'events' in Chile, West says little more than the earlier Duncan Campbell piece in New Statesman which first revealed the use of the Canberra PR9. He did refer to there being only three PR9s in Chile during the war (this may be an assumption based on the number provided to the Chileans post-war but I don't think earlier articles gave a number) and he did refer to the two RAF Hercules deployed as having been deployed for 'Sigint' purposes - which is also different to other sources, which assumed they were specifically deployed for Operation Mikado.
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