Squadron/Signal books have generally been a very good deal, and this one is no different. It is on a subject on which little has been written; Marine Night Fighters. Being basically a quick history of the subject, there isn't any really detailed info given on the operations of the various units. However, for most of us, it is sufficient and does give forth some interesting information on the units and aircraft.

The first part of the book is an introduction to the topic of night fighting and the training of the first squadrons. The first mount for these units was the Ventura bomber. It was felt that a large aircraft was needed in order to properly house the equipment and the pilot with his operator. These PV-1s were moderately successful, however it was realized that something a bit faster was needed.

This brought in the F4U-2 Corsair. As many of you know, the Corsair wasn't really cleared for carrier use until quite late in the war, so early users were mostly Marines and always land based. The Corsair turned out to be a fairly good night fighter and many units were scattered on various atolls during the war. Some of these units saw almost no action at all. It must have been an extremely boring existence.

It was the F6F-5N Hellcat that proved the be the most successful of the night fighters. Able to operate of carriers and much easier to fly than the Corsair, it eventually became the most numerous Marine night fighter of WWII.

Right at the end of the war, the F7F Tigercat was developed into a night fighter, but too late to see any action in that conflict. It was Korea that saw the greatest use of the F7F. Not only that aircraft, but also the F4U-5N and the F3D-1 Skyknight were used with success during that conflict.

Overall a very good book and a nice primer for those who know little or nothing about the subject.

Review copy courtesy of your editor. 

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