In 1918, the RAF was established as the world's first independent air force. To mark the 100th anniversary of its creation, Penguin are publishing the Centenary Collection, a series of six classic books highlighting the skill, heroism esprit de corps that have characterised the Royal Air Force throughout its first century.
RAF Flight Lieutenants John Peters and John Nichol were shot down over enemy territory on their first mission of the Gulf War. Their capture in the desert, half a mile from their blazing Tornado bomber, began a nightmare seven-week ordeal of torture and interrogation which brought both men close to death.
In Tornado Down, John Peters and John Nichol tell the incredible story of their part in the war against Saddam Hussien's regime. It is a brave and shocking and totally honest story: a story about war and its effects on the hearts and minds of men.
The Centenary Collection:
1. The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary
2. Tumult in the Clouds by James Goodson
3. Going Solo by Roald Dahl
4. First Light by Geoffrey Wellum
5. Tornado Down by John Peters & John Nichol
6. Immediate Response by Mark Hammond
Pilot John Peters and navigator John Nichol were shot down over Iraq at the start of the Gulf war in January 1991. The two RAF flight lieutenants were held prisoner for 47 days and their battered faces flashed across the world's television screens. John Peters, 32, joined the RAF in 1980 as a university cadet. Upon his release on 4th March 1991, John resumed his flying career, retiring from the RAF as a squadron leader in 2000. John Nichol, 30, joined the RAF in 1981, and served in the South Atlantic, Norway, Denmark and Kenya. He is the author of several highly acclaimed Second World War epics including Spitfire and Lancaster, both of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.
