Mosquito: The RAF's Legendary Wooden Wonder and its Most Extraordinary Mission

Mosquito: The RAF's Legendary Wooden Wonder and its Most Extraordinary Mission by Rowland White. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781787634534.

Built of lightweight wood, powered by two growling Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, impossibly aerodynamic, headspinningly fast and armed to the teeth, the de Havilland Mosquito was the war-winning wonder that should never have existed: the aircraft the RAF didnt think it wanted then couldnt do without. Flying on operations barely eighteen months after a single prototype was ordered off the drawing board, it was the answer to its pilots prayers: a stunningly versatile warplane capable of leaving the Luftwaffe in its wake to attack when and where the enemy was least expecting it. Excelling as a spyplane, night-fighter and pathfinder for Bomber Commands heavies the Mossies reputation was cemented by a series of daredevil bombing raids across occupied Europe, including on Berlin itself, where only surprise, speed and precision could ensure success. So when Churchills top secret Special Operations Executive needed to destroy the Gestapo HQ in the centre of downtown Copenhagen to prevent a devastating Nazi last stand that might prolong the war for many months, there was only one machine for the job - the Mosquito. This is the story of that legendary aircraft told through that one impossible mission. Like Rowland Whites previous books, Mosquito is an unputdownable mix of utterly compelling storytelling, incredible human stories and fascinating technological detail, which sheds never-before-told light on a pivotal mission that helped bring the war to its bloody and brutal close.