NIGHT FIGHTERS — A development & combat history
Prix régulier 10,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| ISBN-10 | 0850592364 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( round back binding ) |
| Special Features | Dust Jacket |
| Condition | VG |
| Author(s) | Bill Gunston |
| Publisher | Patrick Stephens Limited |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Published date | 1976 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 16 x 24 x 2 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION MILITAIRE • ESSAIS - OUVRAGES THÉMATIQUES • PREMIÈRE GUERRE MONDIALE • SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE |
Description
The thrilling story of night fighters and night fighter operations, from World War 1 to the present day, has never before been told. This dramatic book, which will appeal to the interested layman as well as the serious aviation historian, relates the problems underlying the development of effective airborne radars; of specialised night fighting aircraft such as the famous Mosquito and Ju 88; of night fighting tactics and of specialised weapons. Although technically detailed, it is also a vivid narrative which really puts the reader 'into the cockpit' and conveys all the confusion and downright terror of aerial combat in the dark.
Beginning with the handful of courageous pilots who pioneered night flying techniques in their stick and string biplanes during 1914-1918, it goes on to relate the development of airborne radar in various countries before, during and after World War 2; of special aircraft, such as the famous Beaufighter, Mosquito, Black Widow, Me 110, Ju 88 and Me 262; of weapons like Schrage Musik and, more recently, of radar and infra-red guided missiles; and of effective night fighter tactics.
The author shows the problems of tracking aerial targets by radar, and the even greater problems of guiding a fighter into the right patch of sky to make an interception. He also raises a number of important questions relating to the development of night fighters and airborne radar which have never been satisfactorily answered, such as why British bombers were equipped with a radar device, H₂S, which acted as a beacon for German night fighters; or why another device of incomparably greater value, 'Oboe', was practically ignored.
But as well as being an accurately detailed technical account of the problems and their resolution, the book is at the same time a dramatic narrative which really puts the reader 'into the cockpit', so it will have a wide appeal to the interested layman as well as the serious aircraft historian.