Book Review: Mosquito Intruders - Target Burma

Mosquito Intruders -Target Burma

Jeremy Walsh

Review by Geoff Simpson

Air World 2023

ISBN 9781399052658

288 pages, hardback

In a workmanlike book, packed with detail, Jeremy Walsh tells the story of, “The exploits of the Mosquito crews in Burma, skimming at low-level and at speed along rivers and over treetops to their targets.”

He regards their exploits as “the stuff of legend” and expresses surprise that  only five RAF squadrons created the legend. Often the targets were Japanese airfields and communications, notably railways.

The author served in the RAF and, more importantly, his father was one of the Mosquito intruder pilots (with Nos 27 and 45 Squadrons) and created descriptions and images of his experiences.

There are plenty of accounts used from other aircrew and groundcrew and many tales of bravery and, sometimes, terrifying flying conditions. That is to say that this reviewer would have been terrified and so, I suspect, would most readers of this review. However, the vast majority of those who performed the deeds described just got on with it, apparently keeping themselves well under control.

If, you enjoy learning the nicknames and diminutives of the period, Mosquito Intruders is an impressive source, with “Nank”, “Blink”, “Ossie”, “Duke”, “Benny”, “Soapy”, “Twitch” and many more emerging from the pages. I suppose some writers of history are reluctant to go deeply into the subject because the names and their precise spellings (if ever established) were relatively undocumented at the time. How pleasant that Jeremy Walsh has not been deterred.