A Bucket of Sunshine: Life on a Cold War Canberra Squadron

A Bucket of Sunshine, a term used for the use of a nuclear bomb, is a firsthand insight into life in the mid-1960s on a Royal Air Force Canberra nuclear-armed squadron in West Germany on the frontline in the Cold War. Mike Brooke describes not only the technical aspect of the aircraft and its nuclear and conventional roles and weapons, but also the low-level flying that went with the job of being ready to go to war at less than three minutes notice. Brooke uses many amusing overtones to tell his story of what was an extremely serious business when the world was standing on the brink of nuclear conflict. The English-Electric Canberra was a first generation, jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers in the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and due to its ability to evade early interceptors was a popular export product and served with many nations.