Night Fighters : A Development and Combat History

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780750934107
• ISBN10: 0750934107
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: The History Press

Summary

From its beginnings during the First World War, the role of the dedicated night fighter aircraft and its pilots has evolved almost out of recognition. The Second World War proved to be a hot house for development in aircraft technology and fighting tactics, honing the night fighter into a deadly combat machine. Featuring an updated glossary and appendix, and with new illustrations throughout, this new edition reflects the massive changes in technology, specifically today's radars and air-to-air missiles, and in tactics in recent years. Legendary aviation author Bill Gunston shows the problems of tracking aerial targets by radar, and the even greater problems of guiding a fighter into the right patch of sky at night to make an interception. As well as being an accurately detailed technical account of the problems and their resolution, the book is also an exciting narrative that actually puts the reader into the cockpit.

Author Biography

Bill Gunston is probably Britain's best-known and most respected aviation author, with more than 300 books to his credit in a writing career spanning more than 30 years. He served in the RAF as a pilot and flying instructor from 1945-1948, before joining the editorial staff of Flight International in 1951. In 1970 he became a freelance writer. He lives near Haslemere, Surrey.

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
Captain John Cunningham
Author's Introduction	vii
Riddles of the Night Sky	ix
Stick and String	1	(26)
Piercing the Darkness	27	(18)
Years of Crisis	45	(16)
The Blitz	61	(12)
Centimetric AI	73	(20)
Battle For Germany	93	(34)
Other Theatres	127	(14)
The Post-War Era	141	(54)
The Modern Era	195	(32)
Glossary	227	(6)
Appendix	233	(35)
Bibliography	268	(1)
Acknowledgements	269	(1)
Index	270