Scram! cover art

Scram!

The Gripping First-Hand Account of the Helicopter War in the Falklands

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Scram!

By: Harry Benson
Narrated by: Johnnie Benson
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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 Benson
Military Military & War Aviation War Witty US Air Force Air Force

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All stars
Most relevant
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.

Gripping account

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Overall I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the junglies role in the Falklands Campaign. Whilst it was nice that it was read by the authors son, the fact that he had not been in the forces and was not a helicopter pilot was rather obvious at times with the strange emphasis and cadence of some of the text. Not his fault of course. Overall I would recommend 👍

Very interesting

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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

The exploits of people doing their job in the uniform they are so proud to wear.

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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.

" Aircraft warning red" !

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An account that gives a thorough description of the rather unknown world of helicopter operations in an unexpected conflict. The clear descriptions of flying and operational details is both informative and refreshing. It reveals many details of the war previously unreported and while knowing many of the characters added a personal touch, Harry’s narrative brought them all to life… mind you I have to say that what he reports is entirely in character for them!
Thoroughly recommended

Excellent

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