Thread: V-1 "aces"
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Old July 7th 03, 06:15 PM
Gordon
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OK, can anyone direct me to any accounts of a Mosquito victory over a V-1?

Martin Bowman includes an account of one by 418 RCAF sqn in the Osprey
book "Mosquito Fighter/Figher-Bomber Units of World War Two". Lewis
Brandon describes his experiences of intercepting them in his memoir
"Night Flyer", and Jimmy (C. F.) Rawnsley in "Night Fighter".


With the exception of the Error-Spray title you mention, these are good first
person sources. Brandon told me that he didn't realize Rawnsley was writing a
book when he shared experiences with him in the immediate postwar period, so
"Night Fighter" has some great insights that were gathered when the iron was
still hot.

To the original poster: I have access to none of my references (Hint: never
move from a 3,000 square foot home into a 900...) but any book on the fighter
variants of the Mosquito will have info on their service as V-1 chasers. They
experimented with all sorts of speed-related upgrades to get the Mossie in
amongst the V-1s over the channel. It was such an all-out race for Divers that
frequently, RAF nightfighters fired on each other or nearly collided. Any
suggestion that V-1 chasing was not aerial combat simply didn't have the
experience to draw from to make an accurate judgement. German fighters, a
robotic target of great speed and loaded with enough explosive to take down a
good sized building, trigger-happy defenses on both sides of the channel, and
flying souped-up fighters in the pitch darkness may not sound like combat to
some, but it does to me.

v/r
Gordon