Download or read book Night Fighter Navigator written by Dennis Gosling and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-02-28 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A British Royal Air Force navigator shares his experiences during World War II in this compelling memoir. Yorkshireman Dennis Gosling joined the RAF on 24 May 1940. Having completed his training, he was posted to 219 Squadron flying the night-fighter version of the Beaufighter from Tangmere in 1941. As a navigator, he became part of a two-man team that would endure throughout his first operational tour. In those infant days of radar interception, he honed his skills in the night skies above southern England and the English Channel but without a firm kill. On 12 February 1942, he and his pilot were instructed to pick up a brand-new aircraft and deliver it to North Africa, flying via Gibraltar, a hazardous flight at extreme range. In March the crew were posted to 1435 Flight of 89 Squadron with the task of defending the besieged island of Malta. The flight’s four Beaufighters flew into incessant bombing raids by the Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force. Because of these raids the damage to aircraft on the ground was devastating and the flight was often reduced to a single serviceable aircraft. Gosling’s first success came in April 1942 with a confirmed kill, and then shortly after his twenty-first birthday on 13 May, a triumphant night on the seventeenth brought three certain kills and one damaged enemy aircraft. After being the squadron’s virgins, they shot into the record books—Gosling’s pilot being awarded the DFC. Flight Sergeant Gosling, however, received no award. At this stage he became somewhat embittered by the class system he felt was operated by the RAF. Having endured the torment of constant bombardment, serious stomach complaints (even flying with a bucket in the aircraft) and near starvation, he completed his tour and was repatriated to the UK via Brazil and Canada in the Queen Mary. After a spell instructing new night navigators, he joined 604 Squadron and in December 1943 he was promoted to Warrant Officer. February 1944 saw the squadron reequipped with the Mosquito and assignment to 2 Tactical Air Force in preparation for D-Day. Now once again he was flying initially over southern England and the Channel. The squadron became mobile after the landings and were based in various captured airfields in France, but the conditions were so inadequate for operations that the squadron returned to English bases, from where they operated over and beyond the advancing Allied troops. Eventually, after having been awarded a much-deserved DFC, he accepted the King’s Commission. This autobiography is written as stated by the author, “I want my readers to relive my experiences as they happened to me—to take their hands and have them walk beside me. I want them to feel the joy and the pain, share the laughs and the heartache, take pleasure in the triumphs, agonise with me when things went wrong and understand why my Service years influenced so much of my life.” He has succeeded magnificently

Download or read book Nightfighter Navigator written by E. G. White and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Night Fighter Over Germany written by Graham White and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-03-28 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This WWII memoir of an NCO Royal Air Force pilot offers a vivid, personal account of wartime life and dangerous operations over Europe. In 1941, Graham White was passing a Royal Air Force recruiting center and, on the spur of the moment, signed up. As a non-commissioned RAF pilot, he went on to fly long-range night-fighters against the Luftwaffe. White experienced badly designed and dangerous aircraft, such as the Beaufighter with its Merlin engine. But he also flew some of the finest planes ever built, like the “Wooden Wonder” Mosquito. In this candid memoir, White offers a rare glimpse of what life was really like in that time of international crisis. He pulls no punches as he describes the blinding errors made by officers who conceived impossible operations for young airmen to fly. But he also shares tales of nights out on the town, when crews could relieve the stress of combat.

Download or read book Night Fighter over Germany written by Graham White and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-03-28 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These are the highly evocative wartime memoirs of a young NCO pilot whose operational experience was with Beaufighters and Mosquitoes flying in the long-range night-fighter role. It is not a gung-ho account of daring-do, but a 'warts and all' story of what life was really like in that time of international crisis. No punches are pulled when the author experienced badly designed and dangerous aircraft, such as the Merlin-engined Beaufighter that was almost impossible to fly and killed many pilots during training, nor are the blinding errors made by those staff officers who conceived impossible tasks and operations which these young airmen were ordered to fly and survive. Threaded into a fascinating story of flying with the then leading-edge electronic technology, are the entirely human tales of nights out on the town, when stressed crews could relieve the stress of combat. Some hilarious accounts of wild nights on the ground blend comfortably with the dark skies over Europe and the endless search for the invisible Luftwaffe who were tasked with the destruction of Allied heavy bombers.

Download or read book Night Fighter written by Wing Cmdr. J. R. D. Braham and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2017-06-28 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST DECORATED FIGHTER PILOTS TELLS HIS RIVETING TRUE STORY OF AERIAL COMBAT... Fast-paced, hard-hitting and personal, Wing Commander J. R. D. “Bob” Braham recounts his brilliant career as a World War II fighter pilot. Beginning with his pre-war training, he takes us battle-by-battle through that fateful afternoon in June, 1944, when he was shot down over occupied Denmark and taken prisoner. From the desperate night-time sorties against the Luftwaffe’s air strikes during the Battle of Britain to the daring daylight intruder raids against Hitler’s crumbling Reich, his story reveals the skill, courage and teamwork between pilot and navigator that made him one of the RAF’s most deadly fighter pilots. “HE’S 400 YARDS DEAD AHEAD!” Suddenly there he was as clear as could be—twin engines, twin tail, our opposite number, an Me110 night-fighter. He was turning gently to port. I climbed back to 16,000 feet, heading again towards Ameland. Before we had straightened out Jacko called urgently: “Hard starboard!” I hauled the Beau round in a tight turn when Jacko called, Look out, you’re closing too fast!” “I’ve got him,” I yelled. He was above me, in a tight turn, and at the speed we were travelling we looked as if we were going to ram him. I eased back the stick, put the sights on him and fired at the point-blank range of about fifty yards. There was a blinding flash as the Me exploded in my face.

Download or read book The Navigator written by and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 828 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Night Fighter written by C. F. Rawnsley and published by . This book was released on 1999-07 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once the day fighters had saved Britain from invasion, it fell to the night fighters to save her cities from destruction. At the beginning, interception by night proved virtually impossible, particularly, as the German bombers carried out their raids in cloudy weather. Soon, however, the navigator was presented with a mysterious little black box, which turned out to be the parent of airborne radar and the key to aerial tactics. This made a major contribution to the war in the skies, first protecting the British cities from the incessant raids of 1940 and later enabling the bombers to carry out their vital operations over Germany. 'Jimmy' Rawnsley, crewed with gunner 'Cats-eyes' Cunningham were among the first to use this new technology when it was introduced to the Blenheim they were flying and went on to become one of the RAF's leading night fighter crews, destroying over 20 enemy aircraft.

Download or read book Night Flyer Mosquito Pathfinder written by Lewis Brandon and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: * Two gripping memoirs by British night-fighter crewmen * Action-adventure tales of aerial combat aboard Beaufighter and Mosquito aircraft * Accounts of Pathfinders who flew ahead of bomber formations and marked targets deep inside German territory * How new technologies like airborne radar, one of World War II's best-kept secrets, were used * How night-fighters helped save British cities from destruction Lewis Brandon was a navigator and squadron leader with the Royal Air Force in World War II, earning the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions. Albert Smith joined the RAF at sixteen and completed 90 missions in Wellingtons and Mosquitos.

Download or read book Night Flyer written by Lewis Brandon and published by Fighter pilots. This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The art of successful night fighting was not something that could be easily learned. Pilot and navigator had to work together as a team, to think and move as one man. Lewis Brandon, a navigator throughout WW2, recounts his experiences.

Download or read book American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2 written by Warren Thompson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-20 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Americans lagged behind their European contemporaries in military aviation in the late 1930s, and it took the Battle of Britain to awaken America to the necessity of having aircraft that could defend targets against night-time attack by bomber aircraft. This book examines the numerous aircraft types that were used by the US in this role, beginning with the early stop-gap conversions like the TBM Avenger, Lockheed Ventura and the A-20 Havoc (P-70). It goes on to detail the combat history of the newer, radar-equipped Hellcats, Corsairs and Black Widows that were designed to seek out enemy aircraft and which registered most of the kills made by the Navy, Marine Corps and USAAF in 1944–45. With full-colour profiles and rare photographs, this is an absorbing account of an underestimated flying force: the American Nightfighters.

Download or read book Marine Night Fighters Association written by Herbert C. Banks and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 1999 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Airmen Behind the Medals written by Graham Pitchfork and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2015-08-10 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the many human characteristics, few evoke greater admiration and respect than gallantry in the service of one's country. Here, Graham Pitchfork describes the outstanding bravery of twenty-one air men who served in the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. These accounts encompass most theaters of operation as well as a host of aircraft types and aircrew categories. Accounts of the gallantry of those who served on the ground in support of flying operations are also relayed in this substantial anthology. rnrnThe book explores the gallantry of airmen who fought in a variety of contexts, including that band of men who are so often forgotten, the Burma veterans. A gallant RAF sergeant and an RAF doctor who cared for and inspired fellow prisoners in Japanese camps are both included here, as are stories relating the extreme bravery of a Fleet Air Arm pilot, a Pathfinder pilot and a Typhoon wing leader.rnrnThe valorous acts of these airmen serve as inspirational examples to a new generation of flying men and women. Graham Pitchfork extracts the drama and poignancy of their tales, enlivening them to great effect in this riveting publication that is sure to appeal broadly to enthusiasts of the era.Links End Links Author End Author

Download or read book German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943 1945 written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-06-19 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new volume from Martin Bowman examines the closing years of the Second World War, as the tide turned against the German and Axis forces. It includes riveting first-hand accounts from German fighter pilots caught up in some of the most dramatic night time conflicts of the latter war years.Viewing Bomber Command's operations through the eyes of the enemy, the reader is offered a fresh and intriguing perspective. Set in context by Bowman's historical narrative, these snippets of pilot testimony work to offer an authentic sense of the times at hand.

Download or read book Night Flyer Mosquito Pathfinder written by Lewis Brandon and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2011-01-31 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two gripping memoirs by British night-fighter crewmen Action-adventure tales of aerial combat aboard Beaufighter and Mosquito aircraft Accounts of Pathfinders who flew ahead of bomber formations and marked targets deep inside German territory How new technologies like airborne radar, one of World War II's best-kept secrets, were used How night-fighters helped save British cities from destruction

Download or read book The Navigator written by and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Beaufighter Boys written by Graham Pitchfork and published by Grub Street. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of Shot Down in the Drink shares photos and anecdotes detailing the history of the World War II fighter plane and its crews across the globe. Researched many years ago by Graham Patrick for a project that did not come to fruition, Beaufighter air and ground crew gave freely of their stories, which ranged from complete memoirs to brief anecdotes. And there were a plethora of original photographs for him to choose from. He has built on these tales to trace the roles of Beaufighter squadrons spread across all the theatres of World War II operations. From home bases, through northwest Europe, North Africa, Malta and the Mediterranean, to the Far East and southwest Pacific, the Beaufighter served far and wide, as did the crews of the RAF, RAAF, SAAF, and New Zealand and Canadian squadrons. All are covered in this quite unique book to be savored by all those interested in the war in the air from 1939–1945.

Download or read book Beaufighters in the Night written by Braxton Eisel and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2007 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 417th Night Fighter Squadron USAAF was only the fourth such unit to be formed. In the early days of WWII, the US sent observers to England to study how the latest form of air warfare would take shape and it very soon became apparent to them that a night fighting capability was of increasing importance. When they joined the battle against the Reich they found themselves without a suitable American aircraft and were forced to utilize RAF Beaufighters. Having 're-learned to fly' this British design the 417th were sent to North Africa. Most of the ex-RAF aircraft they had inherited were battle weary and no supplies of spares were available through the US supply chain. The squadron found an elderly B-25 bomber, nicknamed the "Strawberry Roan," and they ranged throughout the Mediterranean in search of Beaufighter parts. 417 soon built a healthy score of downed German and Italian aircraft and as the war progressed they were moved to Corsica to support the Italian invasion, After D-Day they were moved to Le Vallon from where they attacked the night-time movements of the German Army. Perhaps their most famous operation was to attack the low flying German Condor that ran the route from the Reich to Spain carrying Nazi gold and treasures.