Union Jack,
I am not for one second disputing the good Colonel's bravery or the role that he played during the war. But I do dispute his statement, as published in the national press about the use of Stanley's runway and the usefullness of the RAF's contribution to the overall effort. He clearly states that the runway could not take FJs, and yet the photographic evidence cleary proves him to be wrong.
That the MB-339s never got airborne, must in some part be due to the Black Buck raids, but unfortunately without asking the cdr of the 339 detachment, we will never know for sure. I'm sure if the Black Buck raids hadn't been mounted, then people such as Lt Col Ewen Southby-Tailyour would have been clamouring to demand to know why the RAF hadn't done any more to help out.
It is unfortunately becoming more and more common for people with little or no understanding of the RAF and how it operates to criticize us, and it is about time we stood up for ourselves. Unfortunately, when we do, then the same people that are all too ready to denigrate our efforts suddenly get offended. It seems the RAF is in a lose-lose situation these days. So don't be surprised if having been backed into a corner we come out fighting and "correct" a few misconceptions.