American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2
An illustrated description of the famous US Nightfighter aces and their planes.
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.
Warren Thompson has had numerous books and magazine articles published over the past 30 years. His interest in the role of the American nightfighter in World War 2 has spanned this entire length of time, although he has also been successful in writing on the Korean War and Vietnam. Thompson has written books for Osprey since 1990, including the Aces volumes on the 4th and 51st Fighter Wings in the Korean War, and a Combat Aircraft title on the F-117 in Operation Desert Storm.
Andrew Thomas is one of Britain's leading RAF researchers, having published numerous articles and books on the subject, as well as readily assisting other authors. Having joined the RAF to fly straight from school, he has maintained his enthusiastic interest in the history and development of his Service throughout his career. He has previously published six volumes on British and Commonwealth Aces in the renowned Osprey series.
Chris Davey has illustrated more than 20 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Elite Units series since 1994. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business, he has become the artist of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter.