Scram!
The Gripping First-Hand Account of the Helicopter War in the Falklands
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Scram!
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Narrated by:
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Johnnie Benson
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By:
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Harry Benson
About this listen
In April 1982, Harry Benson was a 21-year-old Royal Navy commando helicopter pilot fresh out of training and one of the youngest helicopter pilots to serve in the Falklands War. These pilots, nicknamed "junglies", flew most of the land-based missions in the Falklands in their Sea King and Wessex helicopters. Much of what happened in the war—the politics, task force ships, Sea Harriers, landings, Paras, and Marines—is well-known and documented. But almost nothing is known of the young commando helicopter pilots and aircrewmen who made it all happen on land and sea. This is their "Boys Own" story, told for the very first time.
Harry Benson has interviewed 40 of his former colleagues for the audiobook, creating a tale of skill, initiative, resourcefulness, humor, luck, and adventure. This is a fast-paced, meticulously researched, and compelling account written by someone who was there, in the cockpit of a Wessex helicopter. None of these pilots have spoken before about:
- The two helicopter crashes and eventual rescue following a failed SAS mission high up on an in hospitable glacier in South Georgia
- The harrowing story of the Exocet strike that sunk the transport ship Atlantic Conveyor
- The daring missile raid on the Argentine high command in Port Stanley
- The constant mortar fire faced while supporting troops and evacuating casualties
- The hair-raising head-on attacks by Argentine jets on British helicopters
- The extraordinary courage shown during the evacuation of the bombed landing ship Sir Galahad
If you liked Apache, Vulcan 607, and Chickenhawk, you'll love Scram! The word "scram" was coined by Falklands helicopter pilots to warn other "junglies" to go to ground or risk being shot down as Argentinean jets blasted through "bomb alley". The term has never been used before or since.
©2012 Harry Benson (P)2022 Harry BensonListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Scram!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Ian Pendlington
- 19-10-22
Excellent
It gives a real insight to the Falklands campaign through the eyes of a helicopter pilot.
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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
- Paul Chaplin
- 18-05-22
So this is what the Junglies do
This is an all round superb listen. Brilliant choice to use his son Johnnie as narrator, lending an authenticity to a young pilot being thrown in at the deep end. Both the humour and doggedness of the crews and the discomforts of life at sea and in the field come through. The dangers of the rôle not exaggerated or glorified-simply as it was recalled by the author.
As a fixed-wing aviator I found this gripping and informative, an aspect of the war experience successfully retold..
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Toby
- 02-12-22
Interesting Listen
With helicopters playing such a big role in the Falklands, it's a must-read for anybody interested in the Falklands.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Fivemacs
- 02-07-23
Fascinating and gripping account.
I have spent a lot of time in the Falkland Islands over the last 30 years and been fortunate enough to explore many of the key areas of the conflict. I also considered myself very well read on the war. This book has opened my eyes to a whole new level of the story that I was unaware of, and added a layer of fascinating detail over the top of many of the main events of the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am grateful to Harry Benson for telling his tale and others. A must for anyone with an interest in the Falklands War.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- mick
- 18-10-22
highly recommended
Highly recommend, a very interesting book, puts you right in the cockpit of these young men,
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-23
118 audible books later this is by far the best.
having a family connection to someone mentioned in this book is the main reason why I listened to it. the narrator made it an easy listen and in places I found myself becoming very emotional .
what all the brave men and women went through is unimaginable and a credit to everyone of them.
sometimes the book itself is great but the narrator can sometimes be the reason why or why not you listen . this in my opinion was spot on.
highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the Falklands conflict.
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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
- Pierre Bovington
- 21-11-23
" Aircraft warning red" !
I very nearly skipped this based on the artwork. The " military fiction" allocation did not help either.
My headline is what I heard while making toast for fellow trench foot victims aboard the Sir Galahad, on 8 June 1982.
The normally calm voice was replaced by a very un-British scream.
Almost immediately the toaster and its contents were ripped away in a thundering flash of grey acrid, blinding smoke.
As a Royal Marines Commando, I knew RFA ships well, scampering up to the open deck there was chaos, Chinese crew members clearly burned, and one shouted at me his mate was still down in the galley. Taking a deep breath, I went back down and found a body. Returning to the top deck I realised I was in trouble, so I went over the side into the water. To this day I still think about that man, a baker, as it turned out, I had abandoned.
Once in the water, being a strong swimmer, I was confident of making the swim. The cold water hit me like a punch. Finding a jerry can I used it to start paddling. That was when the sea churned up all around me and then a harness appeared right next to me.
Hauled up into the Wessex helicopter the crewman gave me a grin and I was deposited on the ground.
So, a big thank you to Harry and his colleagues who flew multiple missions that day into blinding smoke and exploding ammunition.
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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
- 19-04-23
Gripping account
An excellent history of the role the helicopter crews played throughout the Falkland war.
Traumatic stories of casevac rescues of the burned and injured to supply runs in total darkness feet from the ground with the constant stress of enemy attack and sudden weather changes.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Bligh
- 20-02-24
I was there ( pinger )
For some unknown reason , tears silently flowed down my cheeks as The book finished . Go figure !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Big Bad Bear
- 19-11-22
The exploits of people doing their job in the uniform they are so proud to wear.
I am old enough to remember the sinking of…. The landing on… the operational miscalculations. These are the things that you remember.
The incidents of individual men doing what they were trained for. Then looking at situations, knowing the capability’s of the equipment, juggling them all to get the best outcome in all conditions is impressive.
Pushing limits to do and save is the acts that are often not recorded this book changes that.
Sitting stunned at the exploits, glad we had the men trained to do it and their abilities to go above and beyond have been recorded here
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