Valiant Units of the Cold War
By Matt Bittner
Author: Andrew Brookes
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-84908-753-7
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 96
I have mentioned plenty times how if you don't learn something new every day, then you have squandered that day. Whether the knowledge gained for that day is "trivial", or something more substantial is irrelevant – learning something new is the important part. That is definitely my case when reading Valiant Units of the Cold War.
I knew about the three 'V-Bombers' the UK had during the Cold War (Valiant, Victor and Vulcan). However, there is plenty I did not know about the Valiant and the men that flew her. For example, I did not know the Valiant was the first – and the last – to drop an atomic bomb during testing. The bigger part that I learned was just how the Valiant history coincides with "my" local history. Living in Omaha, and working at Offutt AFB, I knew what role this area played during the Cold War. What I didn't know what the Valiant was part of that local history. First and foremost, the bombers that made the second atomic-bomb drop actually flew through Offutt AFB. No, the bombs weren't carried with them, as they were sent ahead of the bombers, and assembled on the base the Valiants would fly from for the tests. I also found out one of the color profiles in the book showcase an aircraft that not only flew "through" Offutt, but also crashed here. Valiant WZ399 actually had to abort take off, but didn't do so in time, flying off the end of the runway, first crashing into the road that was there, then ending up on the railroad bed that was also at the end, just beyond the road. Thankfully the crew compartment separated from the rest of the airframe because when it finally ended up on the railroad bed, it burst into flames but all crew escaped unharmed.
There is much more than that in this book, of course. For example, I also didn't know the Valiants were also reconnaissance and tanker aircraft. Plus they were eventually moved to low-level bombing, which turned out to be their downfall and why they were retired.
This is the type of information that I really enjoy gleaning from most of the review books I read. The best part is having a local bent to any of the stories we read.
Many, many thanks to Osprey Publishing for sending this book to review. I definitely learned plenty from reading it.