Roddick Chisholm‘s “COVER OF DARKNESS: THE MEMOIRS OF A WWII NIGHT FIGHTER"
Book review by Dennis D. McDonald
Some war reminiscences are fairly descriptive and interesting but don’t get into some of the larger themes involving strategy, electronics, and change over time.
This memoir is different.
It starts with the terror experienced by initial British attempts at aerial night fighting with Defiance and Beaufighter aircraft. Then it progresses from semi independent night forays to radar- and radio-aided integration of Mosquitoes with Bomber Command night raids on Germany.
The author’s writing is thoughtful, expressive, and at times almost lyrical about the joys – and terrors – – of flying at night. He also takes us through how radio based countermeasures evolved to the point where it was possible to convincingly deceive the German anti-aircraft defenses. This helped reduce for the British the awful attrition America’s Eighth Air Force was experiencing with its initial focus on aerial daytime “precision bombing.” (That situation is terrifyingly described in Donald L. Miller’s nightmarish Masters of the Air.)
This book is an object lesson in how WWII accelerated technological innovation and how such innovation could — if managed correctly — influence the course of the war.
Review copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald
