What do you think?
Rate this book
Mosquito Men: The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron
In November 1940, a remarkable prototype aircraft made its maiden flight from an airstrip north of London. Novel in construction and exceptionally fast, the new plane was soon outpacing the Spitfire, and went on to contribute to the RAF's offensive against Nazi Germany as bomber, pathfinder and night fighter. The men who flew it nicknamed this most flexible of aircraft 'the wooden wonder' for its composite wooden frame and superb performance. Its more familiar name was the de Havilland Mosquito, and it used lightning speed and agility to inflict mayhem on the German war machine.
From the summer of 1943, as Bomber Command intensified its saturation bombing of German cities, Mosquitos were used by the Pathfinder Force, which marked targets for night-time bombing, to devastating effect. Mosquito Men traces the contrasting careers of the young men of 627 Squadron, including that of Ken Oatley – last living member of an illustrious group – who flew twenty-two operations in Mosquitos as a navigator. David Price's atmospheric narrative interweaves the human stories of the crews of 627 Squadron with events in the wider war as the Allies closed in on Germany from the summer of 1944.
Mosquito Men is rich in evocative and technically authoritative accounts of individual missions flown by an aircraft that ranks alongside the Spitfire, the Hurricane and the Lancaster as one of the RAF's greatest ever flying machines – and perhaps the most versatile warplane ever built.
For those fans of the Mosquito aircraft recently described by Rowland White, Mosquito Men will add the human element to this iconic plane.
From the summer of 1943, as Bomber Command intensified its saturation bombing of German cities, Mosquitos were used by the Pathfinder Force, which marked targets for night-time bombing, to devastating effect. Mosquito Men traces the contrasting careers of the young men of 627 Squadron, including that of Ken Oatley – last living member of an illustrious group – who flew twenty-two operations in Mosquitos as a navigator. David Price's atmospheric narrative interweaves the human stories of the crews of 627 Squadron with events in the wider war as the Allies closed in on Germany from the summer of 1944.
Mosquito Men is rich in evocative and technically authoritative accounts of individual missions flown by an aircraft that ranks alongside the Spitfire, the Hurricane and the Lancaster as one of the RAF's greatest ever flying machines – and perhaps the most versatile warplane ever built.
For those fans of the Mosquito aircraft recently described by Rowland White, Mosquito Men will add the human element to this iconic plane.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2022
8 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 13, 2024
When I read a book like this, I wonder if I’ve finally reached the point of too many books about aviation history. Maybe this is it, the last one! I doubt it, but I did get quite bored with it towards the end. I don’t really know why, it was well-written, well researched and about a plane I like. One thing I found interesting was how pointless the bombing campaign had got by then, Dresden was only one of similar raids that destroyed historic towns for little military gain.
It was a quite good book.
It was a quite good book.
February 10, 2026
This book was passed on to me by a friend, probably would not have bought it.
I am more interested in the technical side of the plants, strategy and tactics rather than the individuals that took part, hence the three stars.
There were some interesting gems in the book, but perhaps a bit too much filler at the beginning and at the end.
However, at the end of the book you appreciated the brilliance of the Mosquito’s designers, it’s strengths and it’s few weaknesses.
It also charts the changes in tactics during WW2 with the introduction of Pathfinders and Bomb Masters, and the improvements in technical equipment and techniques. You also got a feel for what it was like over the target during a raid. No wonder that the attrition rate for the heavy bombers was so high.
Concerning the technical battle between bombers and defenders I would recommend “The Battle of the Beams”
I am more interested in the technical side of the plants, strategy and tactics rather than the individuals that took part, hence the three stars.
There were some interesting gems in the book, but perhaps a bit too much filler at the beginning and at the end.
However, at the end of the book you appreciated the brilliance of the Mosquito’s designers, it’s strengths and it’s few weaknesses.
It also charts the changes in tactics during WW2 with the introduction of Pathfinders and Bomb Masters, and the improvements in technical equipment and techniques. You also got a feel for what it was like over the target during a raid. No wonder that the attrition rate for the heavy bombers was so high.
Concerning the technical battle between bombers and defenders I would recommend “The Battle of the Beams”
October 16, 2022
A truly inspirational look at the men who flew the Mosquito during WW2, as well as a history on how the aircraft was designed and used during the war. The hardships and horrors faced by these men on a daily basis is a inspirational story on overcoming adversity. A great read.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 2, 2023
A mediocre accounting of a fascinating topic.
February 5, 2024
Remembering Uncle Jimmy
I wanted to read this book because my wife’s Uncle, Flt. Lt. James David Mitchell, DFC, was a 627 Navigator. My Dad flew with the American 5th Air Force in the South Pacific, so my interest in WWII flyers is long-standing.
Author David Price did a thorough job in explaining the finer points of Mosquito path finding, bits I never fully understood. Certainly, these brave guys fully earned their part of “greatest generation” history.
“Uncle Jimmy” returned to Canada, married and raised two daughters and had a decent post-war life, but remained close to his pilot and reportedly never forgot his service, particularly with the path finders of 627 squadron.
This book brought his service into focus for me and was an interesting read.
I wanted to read this book because my wife’s Uncle, Flt. Lt. James David Mitchell, DFC, was a 627 Navigator. My Dad flew with the American 5th Air Force in the South Pacific, so my interest in WWII flyers is long-standing.
Author David Price did a thorough job in explaining the finer points of Mosquito path finding, bits I never fully understood. Certainly, these brave guys fully earned their part of “greatest generation” history.
“Uncle Jimmy” returned to Canada, married and raised two daughters and had a decent post-war life, but remained close to his pilot and reportedly never forgot his service, particularly with the path finders of 627 squadron.
This book brought his service into focus for me and was an interesting read.
April 30, 2023
Excellent account of a single RAF squadron and its men.
The book tells the stories of many of the men who flew the De Havilland Mosquito in 627 Squadron, marking targets for the heavy bombers attacking Germany and occupied Europe. The origins of the men, and their journey through training and prior postings in Bomber Command are well told.
A good book to understand not only the men who flew the `Wooden Wonder', but also their view of the war; operations that are now considered controversial (the Battle of Berlin, the bombing of Dresden). A book that puts a human face on modern warfare.
The book tells the stories of many of the men who flew the De Havilland Mosquito in 627 Squadron, marking targets for the heavy bombers attacking Germany and occupied Europe. The origins of the men, and their journey through training and prior postings in Bomber Command are well told.
A good book to understand not only the men who flew the `Wooden Wonder', but also their view of the war; operations that are now considered controversial (the Battle of Berlin, the bombing of Dresden). A book that puts a human face on modern warfare.
March 6, 2023
I read David Price’s earlier book The Crew and liked it but his Mosquito Men is a masterpiece. It has the right mix of detail about 627 Squadron’s activities but also features very interesting background on the pilots and navigators who flew the missions. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope David Price continues in this vein with future books.
January 29, 2024
A lot of information thrown at you. I had issues at the number of tangents it seemed to go off on however. Interesting to learn about the histories of the individual pilots but I got to book to learn about the squadron and not what they did before they joined.
The forming and setting of the scene of 627 Sqn also seemed to take a lot longer than was necessary.
The forming and setting of the scene of 627 Sqn also seemed to take a lot longer than was necessary.
May 13, 2024
I listened to this book - it was a good listen with many interesting facts and points but the most interesting thing for me was the personal stories about the Airmen. The Mosquito was a very good plane, I knew it was made of wood and it was fast, but I didn’t know about the specifics of its use or its service history and this book helps fill that gap.
February 14, 2023
I was reading this fascinating book about 627 squadron and the Mosquito while in Australia. By coincidence I visited the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra. They have corner of the hangar devoted to Don Bennett’s history in the RAF provided by his family.
November 19, 2023
What a fantastic book a great read couldn't put it down. The wooden wonder has definitely been a fantastic plane of ww2
June 11, 2024
Detailed account of one of the RAF's pathfinding squadrons. Full of human detail and wider context.
June 22, 2024
Audiobook
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews