Squadrons! No. 16

The North American Mitchell The Dutch, French & Poles

Phileditions

Reviewed by Mark Davies

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron

The Mitchell was one of the major medium bombers of the Second World War. It was operated by many air forces during the war including the RAF. The RAF received about 900 Mitchells among them some Mitchells coming from a Dutch order which were exclusively used by No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron. The Mitchell was also used by two other foreign units in the RAF, the Polish 305 and the French 342 Squadrons.

Source: RAF-IN-COMBAT.com

• 
• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

It is a good thing to have a publication dedicated to the Dutch, French and Polish RAF squadrons’ use of the Mitchell. This is the sixteenth in a series from Phileditions, all of which follow a similar format; in this case this being:

• Glossary – Personnel, Ranks, Other, and Fighter Command Offensive Operation Codenames.

• The Mitchell – Brief development history and production serial numbers.

• Squadron Usage – Preceded by a brief background history of the units concerned, operational accounts, summaries of aircraft lost on operations and to accidents. Covering Nos. 320, 305 & 342 Squadrons.

• A list of Mitchells purchased under the Dutch contract covering aircraft mark, serial number, code, date of first mission and total missions flown.

• In Memoriam – Aircrew killed flying the Mitchell in the squadrons covered

The book features 30+ photographs, most good, featuring the Mitchell, and several including air and ground crews. At the end are seven nicely rendered full-page colour profiles.  

The book is available in four formats; printed paperback, or in three digital formats downloadable from the publisher and others. The printed example’s quality of production is good, although on matt paper. I cannot comment on the appearance of the digital formats.

This series is quite specialized in nature with its focus firmly on squadron usage - hardly surprising given the series’ title! The booklet gives a good insight into the Mitchell’s RAF service with Dutch, French and Polish squadrons, as well as interesting accounts of the operational experiences of those who flew it. I recommend it to Mitchell aficionados.

Thanks to RAF-In-Combat.com for the review samples.

Review Copyright © 2016 by Mark Davies
This Page Created on 17 January, 2017
Last updated 17 January, 2017

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page