Three in Thirteen: The Story of a Mosquito Night Fighter Ace

Joe Singleton was an unlikely hero. A junior manager at a paints and varnish company at the outbreak of war, he was surprised to discover he had a hidden talent for flying. Despite RAF Fighter Squadrons crying out for replacements after the carnage of the Battle of Britain, Joe was posted to the rapidly developing world of night fighting. He flew first Defiants then Beaufighters as the technological race to field effective night fighters hotted up leading to the first tentative attempts to put radar inside an aircraft. He found himself in the thick of the very earliest stages of ground controlled interception and airborne radar engagements. But the grind of fruitless searches and patrols only served to highlight the futility of lives lost in training and the inherent dangers of flying at night with relatively primitive equipment. His skills finally began to bear fruit when piloting a Mosquito and he took place in several successful missions. But the pinnacle came on the night of 19th March 1944: scrambled to intercept a big German raid on Hull he located and shot down a Junkers 188, then went on to shoot down two more, all in the space of thirteen dramatic minutes. He and his navigator survived the crash-landing that ensued, and he went on to be feted as a national hero. 'Three in Thirteen' is a unique sortie-by-sortie account of his journey from bewildered recruit to celebrated expert, illustrated with extracts from Joe's RAF logbook, and unpublished photographs and illustrations. Roger Dunsford's extensive experience as an RAF pilot brings a vivid immediacy to Joe's experiences combined with astute analysis of the planes, the tactics and the events of that fateful night.

About the Author :
Roger Dunsford’s Service career took him from Co-Pilot to Captain to Flight Commander on the last Vulcan Bomber Squadron. He was a Vulcan Display pilot before becoming a Qualified Flying Instructor, CO of Southampton University Air Squadron, an Exchange Officer at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, and Wing Commander Air Battle Staff at the RAF’s Air Warfare Centre. In this last post and as a Group Captain he was involved in the planning and rehearsals for the second Gulf War. Geoff Coughlin is the founder and editor of a web-based scale modelling magazine, dedicated to helping scale modellers across the globe develop their skills. He is also author of eight titles on scale modelling and an aviation history enthusiast.

Review :
This is a valuable addition to the bookshelf about a less well-known role and of a little known, but successful, pilot. Roger Dunsford's story of unlikely hero Joe Singleton isn't a rag to riches story, but it tells a dramatic tale of a man finding something he was very good at and then proving it in the most arduous and terrifying manner possible. Inspirational and thoroughly engaging - a true hero's story. An inherently compelling read from cover to cover, it is clear that in Roger Dunsford's account of the life and exploits of Joe Singleton he draws upon his own extensive experience as an RAF pilot to brings a vivid immediacy and accurate accounting to Joe's experiences combined with astute analysis of the planes, the tactics and the events of that fateful night. Impressively informed and informative.