Peter Hinchliffe served as a navigator with RAF Bomber Command during the pivotal years of 1944 and 1945. His profound interest in the German night-fighter force was ignited in November 1944 when his own aircraft was downed over Belgium by such a fighter during an operational sortie. Following a period as a schoolteacher, Hinchliffe rejoined the RAF in a different capacity as a fighter controller, retiring in 1966. His subsequent career at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where his German language skills were invaluable, frequently took him back to Germany.
Disastrous day-time losses in WWII forced Bomber Command to switch to night bombing. When this happened the Germans had neither a night fighter force nor any night-fighter policy. RAF attacks filled that gap rapidly. This book traces these developments and also the strategic, tactical, technical, and personal aspects of these battles.