Osprey Publising

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #84: American Nightfighter Aces of WWII

by  Andrew Thomas and Warren Thompson

Reviewed By  Keith Pruitt, IPMS# 44770

MSRP: $22.95 ISBN: 978-1-84603-306-3 96 pages, color artwork on front & back cover, with 82 black & white photographs, 12 color photographs, and 33 color profiles, Softbound Web Site: www.ospreypublishing.com Before World War II, the Europeans made great advances in military aviation. During the Battle of Britain, night attacks on English cities caused the United States to realize that having aircraft that could defend against bombers flying under the cover of darkness. With the help of the Royal Air Force, the US began development of a specialized fighter aircraft capable of intercepting the enemy fighters and bombers at night. That aircraft would become the P-61 Black Widow, America's first purpose-built Nightfighter. During the development phase, many pilots and radar operators participated in exchange tours with the RAF, flying Mosquitos and Beaufighters, to learn the skills necessary for flying radar-equipped fighters at night. While waiting for the P-61 to become fully operational, several existing aircraft were converted and used as Nightfighters. These included TBM Avengers, PV-1 Venturas, and P-70 Havocs. In addition to the P-61, the US Navy and Marine Corps also equipped Hellcats and Corsairs with radar to perform the same function in the Pacific theater.

This book concentrates primarily on the men that flew these dangerous missions in both the European and Pacific theaters. And, most of those stories are fascinating! The book, in addition to being a very nice historical reference, is also an engaging reading experience. The sorties and their development, the men and their machines, and the backdrop of the black velvet night all come together to reveal the excitement, the challenge, and the triumph of American Nightfighters during the war. Many of the tactics, and technology, developed during this time still have value in the modern era. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history and development of Nightfighters of WWII. For those individuals, it will become a valuable resource and inspiration for their modeling. Even if the reader does not have that particular interest, this book will still be an educational and fun book to read. I enjoyed it enough that I've just added two US Nightfighter model kits to my "Christmas Wish List". I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Osprey Publishing and IPMS/USA for this review sample.

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