Hostile Skies Paperback – February 1, 2007

Dave Morgan's book is unique, and that makes it tough to write about. This is not the usual pilot's memoir (which I have read plenty of), nor is this a history book about the Falklands War.Flight Lieutenant David Morgan was just a third of the way through his training when he was called up for the Falklands War, and yet he became one of the most successful pilots of the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross as he shot down two Argentinean A-4s and two helicopters. Actually he was a Harrier pilot with the RAF, who had been sent on an exchange with the RN to learn to fly the Sea Harrier. He was then sent to the Falklands with 800 NAS, on board the Hermes aircraft carrier, and flew throughout the war, both in the ground attack role and in combat air patrols. At the same time, his personal life was in turmoil, with a marriage crisis, infidelity and the mounting stress symptoms associated with, basically, being shot at!While overall the authors succeeds in presenting his personal account of each day at war (the work-up period is rather briefly reviewed, as well as the period after the war was over), together with the bigger view of the overall advance in first the sea and later the ground campaign, he alternates this part of the story with his personal struggles, to a point where at parts is becomes almost embarrassing to read. Somehow, a war pilot's memoir does not really fit well with complete love letters to his (then) wife, and right after it the next letter to the mistress. Those are part of a very personal story that at least for me detracts from the Falklands War story. Clearly, writing this book must have been a cathartic experience for the author. There is also in some parts a noticeable lack of details, explained by the long time period between the war and the actual writing of the book. Luckily for us, the author kept a diary that formed the basis for the book, together with the results of the (published) post-war research.You cannot help but compare this book to Sharkey Ward's (  Sea Harrier over the Falklands (Cassell Military Paperbacks)  ) and Jerry Pook's (  RAF HARRIER GROUND ATTACK - FALKLANDS  ) books. Overall, personally Sharkey Wards book, even with his repetitive rant against the higher commands, is still the benchmark when it comes to the UK flying part of the war. Jerry Pook's book would have been a great companion if he actually would have finished it (too much missing), and so for me David Morgan's one ranks last amongst them.

Well written and thoughtful account of life aboard and combat. A bit of less-than-interesting infidelity details and verbatim letters, but overall a decent tome. Some highlights of poetry are notably proffered that appreciably help to describe the emotions of life and loss in mortal combat, which the author describes vividly. Scenes of pre and post-war events are also done well and I certainly feel enriched by reading David Morgan's heartfelt account. Well done and with honor to country served.

This insightful memoir in a must must read book for all who seek a first hand account of the british Sea Harrier force in this conflict.Morgan shares with us not only his memoir of the conflict, he also shares and expreses his feellings, his private life, the fear and the ways he and his fellow pilots couped with the war.Be aware that you will not only read about his unit's and personal exploits in the Falklands, but also you will find an open window to that intimate part that warrios seldom share. The author will share his poetry and letters he wrote to his loved ones, he will openly talk about the sequels he brought back home and the personal aftermath he faced.You will see a rare glimp at the soul of a unique character, and will complement others books such as the written by Sharky Ward and Jerry Pook.

David Morgan does an admirable job laying out the incredible challenge Sea Harriers (SHAR) had during this unfortunate war. Can't help but admire these aviators for guts and gumption while always short on fuel. The war was won in large part because the Brits could control the skies, but not without significant ship losses and three Harriers lost to enemy fire. Good action in the air and some really hairy shipboard landings. Go for it.

Very good book written by a real airman who would not take any c**p from the brass , really gives a good feel for what the Falklands was like - I was surprised at how good the Harrier was in comparison to more modern fast jets , especially the Yanks with their F's - beaten most of the time - funny how these guys appear when they are needed

Great writing, good facts and plenty of aviation and air battle accounts. This is the best Falklands war book that I was able to find

A very well written book. I could feel the tension and fear of some of the moments experienced by the author. This book certainly puts you in the front seat of the air war over the Falklands. One can imagine the feelings and emotions that David Morgan felt upon his return to the old battlefields some 25years after the war. Highly recommended reading.

So bad I threw it in the trash. Save your money.

As a former Bootneck I have a natural bias against the crabs. They were generally a massive pain in the ar**, poncey and just screwed everything up.This is an ok read. It obviously was cathartic for the author and like all the blokes down south I will doff my hat to them and him.I'm not sure if he is looking for public redemption regarding the waffle about his letters to wife and mistress. But it was a bit of a throbber's attitude and he does come across as a wan*er.

I always thought that people who fly from ships are a bit strange and David Morgan's book just reinforces that view.The day by day exposition of the Task Force's expedition lifted from his daily diary is a very compelling read, especially the airborne action. In this day and age of technical wizardry one can be surprised at just how "clunky" the Harrier systems were, but yet they coped.He briefly makes mention of some Skyhawk vs Seawolf encounters. As I worked at the company making the weapon system at the time of the Falklands War and actually saw the boresight camera video, I can say that his description is quite understated.What I wasn't keen on was his Mind/Body/Spirit ramblings and his adulation of Richard Bach's Johnathan Livingstone Seagull. Some people find it inspirational, some find it absolute tosh. You will be able to guess which camp I am in.As for communicating with his German lover using the amazing power of Chi, well, see my opening remarks.

This is Flt. Lt. David Morgan's part in the retaking of the Falklands, as an R.A.F Officer serving with 899/800 Sqs.By his own admission he has referred to other works such as The Falklands Air War to straighten out the time lines and link the action to the hardware and I noted some references to "Sharkey" Ward's biography and others, but it helps to give a balanced view of the action. It was interesting to compare life in H.M.S. Hermes, as opposed to that of 801 Sq. based in H.M.S. Invincible as narrated by Lt. Cdr Ward.David Morgan's story is unique in that a significant part of the narrative is linked to his home life - rather brave I thought. Still two Skyhawks in as many minutes proves that he earned his keep and even the Navy recommended that he was awarded a DSC!

This is a first-hand account of the Falklands War through the eyes of a Sea Harrier pilot. It is a detailed and candid. Personally, I would rather he had left his rather odd female relationships out of it and concentrated more on the camaraderie, social interactions and conflicts amongst the pilots and crew. It is astounding what was done to modify the aircraft and the risks that were taken to complete the missions. Well worth reading and a fantastic record of what happened from the British viewpoint.

Just read this for the second time. All I can say is that if (like me) you are really not interested in the social media content and poetry then just skip it! It's a pretty small part of the overall book and (I believe) reflects the author's personality which some reviewers clearly seem to like: You don't have to like Hitler to read Mein Kampf in order to understand something about the cause of WWII.I think you have to accept the writer and get on with the content: David Morgan seems to be the sort of chap that can do observation and descriptive writing which I felt could really take you there. He is clearly aware how he felt personally each step of the way and is able to get these different feelings across to you. On the other hand I found Sharkey Ward generally to be cross (quite rightly at time!s) about things that he felt could have been done better (like more Pilots and Harriers) which I think he successfully argues could have saved some of the ships sunk by bombs.For example at the start of the book Morgan tells you he had suffered PTSD before writing it. I suspect that Ward didn't and even if he had he wouldn't add it to the pages, they are just different authors with different ideas about what matters.Both chaps were extremely courageous, served their country, lost valued comrades and saved peoples lives.I believe this is a very valuable contemporary account and I'm glad David Morgan took the time to write it