Exclusion Zone

During his 15 years in the RAF, John Nichol flew Tornadoes in Air Defence and Ground Attack roles around the world, from the Nevada Desert to the Falkland Islands. He and his pilot John Peters were shot down on the first low-level daylight raid of the First Gulf War. Captured and tortured, they were paraded on TV, provoking worldwide condemnation, and leaving one of the enduring images of the conflict. He returned to active duty as part of the UN force maintaining the fragile peace in Bosnia. John is the bestselling author of 15 books including the bestselling Tornado Down written with John Peters which describes their POW ordeal, The Red Line which is a classic account of the ill-fated Nuremberg Raid and its tumultuous and deeply moving aftermath and After the Flood: What the Dambusters Did Next. His latest book, the Sunday Times bestseller, Spitfire: A Very British Love Story is a passionate portrait of the magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them. He has written for all of the UK national newspapers and is a widely quoted commentator on military affairs, in print and on television.