Hercules
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Hercules
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Narrated by:
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Angus King
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By:
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Scott Bateman
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
The legendary story of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules jet, told through the eyes of former RAF captain Scott Bateman
Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow. Whether it’s war, natural disaster, or humanitarian emergency, for over fifty years the RAF’s Hercules force was the first in and last out of any crisis faced by the UK government around the globe.
First conceived in the 1950s, the US-built Lockheed C-130 Hercules earned its spurs flying difficult and dangerous missions in the Vietnam War before entering service with air forces around the world. Originally designed as transport aircraft, the Hercules has been pressed into service as an aerial tanker, gunship, spyplane, air-sea rescuer and bomber. It’s even been flown from an aircraft carrier - the largest aeroplane ever to do so. Instantly recognisable, it became synonymous with daring special forces missions like the legendary raid in Entebbe in which dozens of hostages were rescued from the clutches of terrorists. In RAF colours it's seen action on every continent on the planet including Antarctica, flying life and death missions in the Falklands, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan and all points in between.
Former RAF Hercules Captain Scott Bateman opens the cockpit to give an action-packed insider’s account of what it’s like to fly this legendary flying machine in peace and war, and at home and abroad, paying tribute to the remarkable men and women who operated this much-loved aircraft, and to those comrades in arms who, in doing so, made the ultimate sacrifice.
‘The literary equivalent to injecting pure adrenaline into your brain via your eyeball … it’s a blast from start to finish’ AVIATION HISTORIAN
©2024 Scott Bateman (P)2024 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Hercules
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stu Connor
- 29-05-24
Worth a listen and throughly enjoyed it.
This book describes what life was like working on and around the RAF fleet of Hercules very well.
It tells the story of what bonded everyone at that station in the good times and the bad.
Very well narrated and easy to follow even if you are not military minded.
Really enjoyed the book and it's worth a listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 09-11-24
Interesting stories if an iconic aircraft
Really enjoyed this series of tales about the many varied actions that the C-130 has been involved in with the RAF. Also interesting to hear about Scott’s journey to becoming a pilot. I did feel that some of the stories were a little over dramatic at times - however that’s possibly in contrast to other things I’ve listened to more recently which were more specifically related to military action with a high threat level. That said - any of the stories would be considered pretty dramatic alongside “normal” life. Some sad parts too as there are also recollections of tragedies and the impact they had on crew, friends and family.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- FAB
- 09-08-24
Well written history
Well written history of machine and men of the RAF Hercules squadrons.
Although the more i read of British military history the more amazed i am at how despite the lack of equipment and support given to not only these crews and machines how the men and women of the forces keep their morale up.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Annette Watt
- 13-08-24
A true wonder of the skies
A really easy listen to some amazing and unfortunately sad adventures
A pleasure to listen to and an honour to hear
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nigel Pigdon
- 29-05-24
Excellent Book
Well written good story telling with an excellent narrator. Highlights from many years of service of the Hercules. I have read a number of books on flying and this is up there with the best. The writer covers other peoples events as well as his own. If you like flying books I would recommend this one
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark Maguire
- 05-12-24
A tribute to the Hercules and those who flew it
I was a little disappointed with the way this book turned out. I has anticipated that the narrative would be devoted almost exclusively to the Hercules, documenting it's inception and it's untimely withdrawal from RAF service. Whilst this book partially met my expectations, the narrative quickly became bogged down in trivialities and squadron tales which lacked the breadth and depth of comparable works by John Nichol.
In summary, if you are looking for a detailed overview of the Hercules in RAF service, then look elsewhere. However, if you are a fan of books written in the ilk of the (insert aircraft name) "Boys" franchise, then this may be for you.
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