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Mosquito

The extraordinary true story of the legendary RAF aircraft from the bestselling author of Harrier 809

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Mosquito

By: Rowland White
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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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

Aeronautics & Astronautics Astronomy & Space Science Europe Great Britain History History & Culture Military Science Aviation War Thought-Provoking Winston Churchill Technology Air Force
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Critic reviews

A captivating history ... White used the history of these operations to weave stories of fortitude and courage into the story of a great machine
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
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
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
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
White immerses the reader in the action from the first page ... a must read
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)
All stars
Most relevant
Another truly fantastic book from Rowland White coupled with the narration of Roy McMillan I felt myself going through the whole range of emotion’s listening to this!

Well worth a listen!

Emotional rollercoaster!

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Learnt some things I didn’t know and was a good informative story. Showed how good an aircraft this was

Really enjoyable

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Let me start by saying up-front that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. well read, obviously well researched and well put together into a logical narrative.

Why not 5 stars then?

Well, when you're listening to a book entitled Mosquito, you'd expect it to have more about the plane than the occupation of Denmark. it was about 70-30 background to plane, with huge swathes needing some serious thought to join the dots to link it back to this superlative aircraft. Worth a listen for sure but don't expect about 10 hours of the duration to be about the lead character: the Mosquito.

Is the title wrong

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a good listen. Enough technical detail, including the Mosquito's genesis, but ultimately the human tale of several WW2 raids.

a very human tale of a fighting machine

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I knew a little of the daring raids carried out by the balsa wood bomber, and had seen the recent Danish movie on Netflix about the Gestapo HQ raid, so wanted to n in more.
This book did not disappoint.
I cannot fault the narrator. If I ever write a book I will get him to narrate it!
The story was superb, detail meticulous but not irrelevant or boring in any way. You get to know the men, the machines and the missions they flew.
Simply awesome.
They were real heroes, will we ever see their kind again?

Captivating from beginning to end

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