Mosquito

Author Rowland White
Narrator Roy McMillan
Publisher Transworld
Run Time 17 hours and 30 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Air forces and warfare, Aircraft and aviation, History, Military vehicles, Second World War, Society and Social Sciences.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

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 didn't think it wanted then couldn't 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 Command's heavies the Mossie's 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 Churchill's 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 White's 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.

©2023 Rowland White (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

A captivating history … White used the history of these operations to weave stories of fortitude and courage into the story of a great machine

Daily Telegraph

This is history as it should be written: adrenaline-charged, exciting, impeccably and painstakingly researched with a cast of vividly-drawn characters. Riding through it is among the greatest, most extraordinarily brilliant aircraft of them all: the Mosquito. One of the most gripping works of history I’ve ever read

James Holland

10/10

Helen Fry

Wonderful detail, intricate research and most importantly, powerful & moving human testimony, ensure the reader is gripped from the first page to the last by this incredible story

John Nichol

Believe the plaudits – Mosquito is a wonderful tome … an addictive, moving and tenaciously researched tale … his best book to date

Flypast

No dry history, Mosquito reads like a thriller, not just based on fact, but factual in every detail … this is hard to put down … Unreservedly recommended

Aviation Historian

White’s engaging style has the reader hanging on every line. It’s like the best adventure stories except this one is the real thing

Best of British

The pace at which White’s narrative runs along and the skill with which he ties together the many strands of his chosen story, are exceptional … an excellent read, unreservedly recommended

Aeroplane

White immerses the reader in the action from the first page … a must read

Flight International

Weaving together the story of its evolution with vivid accounts of the crews that flew it and the Special Operations Executive on the ground, Mosquito is both a tribute to the finest aircraft Britain produced during the war and a page-turning thriller about its use as the world’s first precision aerial weapon

Tom Petch, author of Speed Aggression Surprise: The Secret Origins of the SAS

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