The Millionth Chance: The Story of the R.101

I have read the whitewash official report on the R101 disaster and the psychical occurrences in 'The Airmen who would not die' I have read the scholarly but rather fawning (to Lord Thomson) 'To ride the Storm' but this book is the best all round account. For 1951 it is very critical and well balanced and many of the people who worked on the airship were still alive or still working. James Leesor was allowed access to material that had been seen by noone else as long as Sir John Simon (who headed the enquiry) was alive. To read this modest paperback is to have all the essentials at one go. I first read one of his books in the fifties which was 'The one who got away' about our only German POW escapee. A really fresh and detailed account leaving little out. I bought three, two as presents and one for myself. I had no idea it was still in print!

Whilst very easy to read and well written it is let down by spelling errors and bad layout, it would have benefited by including photos and diagrams. Could have been so much better!

This book had no page numbers

This is an excellent account of the disaster. It covers the technical details as well as the human and political issues in a very readable manner. This is a must for anyone interested in airships or that period of British history. Highly recommended.

A fascinating true story of a tragedy told with the verve of a novel. My only critocism (hence the four stars rather than five) is a lack of illustrations. Nevertheless recommended.