Night of the Intruders: The Slaughter of Homeward Bound USAAF Mission 311

By: Ian McLachlan

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Synopsis: This WWII history recounts the harrowing Allied bombing mission that led to heavy losses for American pilots as German fighters followed them home. On April 22nd, 1944, Allied forces launched an audacious assault on Germany&’s largest railway marshalling yards, located in the city of Hamm. The raid resulted in ferocious aerial combat against night fighters. But the worst was yet to come for the USAAF pilots who sought the sanctuary of their own airfields. The German fighters followed the air armada home after the raid, picking individual bombers off on their return over Europe and England as the American force struggled to land. Aviation historian Ian McLahclan vividly describes the aerial combat involving many famous USAAF, RAF and Luftwaffe units. With a combination of powerful human stories and fascinating technical details, this volume chronicles the mission from the planning stage to its bloody finale, untangling what went so horribly wrong.