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Dennis Gosling served as a night fighter navigator for most of the Second World War, flying in the powerful Beaufighter and iconic Mosquito. The navigator in the two-man night fighters of the Second World War was actually responsible for the operation of the airborne radar sets and the interpretation of its often confusing signals.
Gosling is particularly good on the human aspects of night-fighting, charting the crucial relationship between pilots and navigators, the break-down of his relationship with his first pilot and the strong relationship he developed with his second pilot. He also provides a good view of the way the rather snobbish world of the RAF in 1939 evolved during the war, to become much more of a meritocracy.
Gosling took part in some of the most important periods of night fighting during the war. He was present on Malta in March-May 1942, and was the only member of No.1435 Night Fighter flight from that period to survive the war. He thus gives us a unique view of a key part of the siege of Malta. He also took part in the some of the earliest radar interceptions, and in 2nd Tactical Air Force's campaign in Europe after D-Day.
Chapters
1 - Ah Yes, I Remember it Well!
2 - Gathering Clouds
3 - The Impending Storm
4 - 'The Day War Broke Out' - Rob Wilton
5 - The Phoney War
6 - The Day of Reckoning
7 - The Awakening
8 - Padlocked
9 - Blackpool - The Halfway House
10 - The Battle of Britain
11 - No.2 Signals School Yatesbury
12 - No.9 Bombing and Gunnery School, Penrhos
13 - Uxbridge and a False Start
14 - Church Fenton and a Fresh Start
15 - Tangmere and 219 Squadron
16 - Journey into the Unknown
17 - Malta, George Cross Island - March 1942
18 - Recognition Too Late? - Malta, April 1942
19 - The Darkness Before the Storm? - Malta, May 1942
20 - The Long Journey Back Home
21 - The Longest Mile
22 - A Rest and Tragic News from the Past
23 - Back in the Old Routine
24 - The Collapse of the Third Reich
25 - The Ultimate Question
26 - The Aftermath
Author: Dennis Gosling DFC
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 199
Publisher: Pen & Sword Aviation
Year: 2010