Dropzone Borneo

[Snapper]

Dropzone Borneo by Roger Annett is a colourful account of his time flying RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy transports during the "confrontasi" between beligerent Indonesia and the British Commonwealth in the early 1960s. This is a grand tale of the end of Empire and the delights of the Far East as much as it is about the operations to resupply the troops keeping Sokarno's armies at bay in the jungles of Borneo etc. I love this book. Masses of detail, humourous stories and lots of heroics are mixed with a fair degree of tragedy. A little known conflict is brought to life with due respect to the British and Gurkha troops, Aussies, Kiwis and Malays. There is even a view of the wholly disproportionate events breaking out in Vietnam and a glimpse of British troops building bases for the Americans in Thailand. Picture the good life in Singapore mixed with flying at 100mph in a RNZAF Bristol Freighter ("Frightener") to drop supplies into a football pitch sized DZ cut out of dense jungle and you have some idea what to expect.