Mosquito Men: The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron

(Paperback)

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Description

In November 1940, a remarkable prototype aircraft made its maiden flight from an airstrip north of London. Novel in construction and exceptionally fast, the new plane was soon outpacing the Spitfire, and went on to contribute to the RAF's offensive against Nazi Germany as bomber, pathfinder and night fighter. The men who flew it nicknamed this most flexible of aircraft 'the wooden wonder' for its composite wooden frame and superb performance. Its more familiar name was the de Havilland Mosquito, and it used lightning speed and agility to inflict mayhem on the German war machine. From the summer of 1943, as Bomber Command intensified its saturation bombing of German cities, Mosquitos were used by the Pathfinder Force, which marked targets for night-time bombing, to devastating effect. Mosquito Men traces the contrasting careers of the young men of 627 Squadron, including that of Ken Oatley last living member of an illustrious group who flew twenty-two operations in Mosquitos as a navigator. David Price's atmospheric narrative interweaves the human stories of the crews of 627 Squadron with events in the wider war as the Allies closed in on Germany. Mosquito Men is rich in evocative and technically authoritative accounts of individual missions flown by an aircraft that ranks alongside the Spitfire, the Hurricane and the Lancaster as one of the RAF's greatest flying machines and perhaps the most versatile warplane ever built.

Reviews

David Price's outstanding book reminds us why and provides superb detail about the human factor in its success the crew whose skill, courage and teamwork ensured that a first-class aircraft became a great one -- Lloyd Clark, author of Blitzkreig: Myth, Reality and Hitler's Lightning War
Richly detailed and superbly evocative in the telling this is a compelling account of the wartime RAF's most glamorous plane and some of the brave men who flew it. Gripping individual episodes are set in context brilliantly, to produce a history that's both satisfyingly rounded and appropriately intimate, too -- Duncan Campbell-Smith, author of Jet Man
His book is a tribute as much as a history, written with real passion and enthusiasm for these mechanical marvels * Mail on Sunday *
PRAISE FOR THE CREW: 'Price has given the bomber offensive a human face... A sensitive account' The Times. 'His eyewitness account is frank about the dangers of the role' The i. 'A fascinating and fast-paced account of the exploits of an Avro Lancaster bomber crew... A poignant epilogue [in a] riveting book' Herald. 'A sobering and poignant book' Daily Mail. 'A remarkable insight into the bravery, determination and skill of British Bomber Command crews during WWII' * Waterstones *

Author Bio

David Price's early interest in aviation was inspired by days exploring deserted RAF airfields in his native Cumbria. He has written for many newspapers and magazines on military aviation and is the author of A Bomber Crew Mystery: The Forgotten Heroes of 388th Bombardment Group, and The Crew, the story of an Avro Lancaster crew during the Second World War.