Osprey Combat Aircraft 13 : Mosquito Photo-Reconnaissance Units of World War 2

The third book in the trilogy of Combat Aircraft titles devoted to de Havilland's 'wooden wonder', this book focuses on the Mosquito photo-recce variants, and their users. The design's superb performance, and ability to escape interception by enemy fighters made the Mosquito the ideal choice for the RAF's then-embryonic photographic reconnaissance force. The production standard PR1 subsequently became the first Mosquito variant of any kind to see operational service with the RAF, flying its first sortie [over France] on 20 September 1941. No 1 PRUS was the primary user of the recce Mosquito in 1941-42, its aircraft ranging all over occupied Europe providing photographic intelligence primarily for Bomber Command's growing nocturnal campaign. Overseas, photo-Mosquitoes also saw service in the Mediterranean and the Far East [from December 1943]. Aside from its use with the RAF, a modest number of photo-Mosquitoes also saw extensive service with the USAAF's Eighth Air Force in Western Europe. These aircraft flew all manner of bomber support missions ranging from simple post-raid photo-recce to weather checking and experimental H2X radar photo-mapping. All are detailed in this book, which is the first of its kind exclusively dedicated to the photo-recce variants of de Havilland's classic aircraft. Text by Martin Bowman with illustrations by Chris Davey.

Contents

• Blue Birds Over the White Cliffs
• New Horizons
• Stars and Stripes
• Passage to India
• RAF and Commonwealth PR Mosquito Units
• Appendices