Tornado over the Tigris – Recollections of a Fast Jet Pilot. By Michael Napier
For anyone with an interest in military aviation, this recently published book is a must. It can stand alone as a very well written account or complement perfectly a number of other recent works which cover the Cold War.
However, Tornado over the Tigris goes much further describing one man’s experience of the Cold War, in which he served on two Tornado squadrons in Germany, and what came afterwards when he returned to his first squadron as a flight commander deployed on operations in Iraq.
The author writes from the heart. This is no simple ‘Boys’ Own’ tale of ‘daring-do’ but a totally honest account of one man’s thoughts and feelings, his early lack of confidence, and concerns about a potential nuclear exchange, as he strove to become combat-ready. Very much a thinking airman, Napier offers his personal thoughts about attacking Saddam Hussein’s vile regime in the years between the Gulf wars. Shining through his account is a story of professionalism and adaptability of a service that remains second to none. Inevitably there is much poignancy too.
I very much enjoyed the richness of the narrative: the joy and excitement of fast jet flying coupled with evocative descriptions of terrain and of weather that took me back to long-forgotten places, with my fingers moving almost automatically through the ‘switchery’ as I desperately searched for the IP while looking for the ‘bounce’. It was all too easy to become totally immersed.
Whether you have done some of what the author describes or not, this is an important personal account of a service that was in transition. And it is great fun.
Highly recommended.