Claringbould, Michael J. Pacific Profiles. Volume 19: American Night Fighters Pacific Theatre 1943-45

The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate profiles of Second World War aircraft used in the Pacific War. Volume 19 deals with American night fighters that were deployed from 1943 until the end of the war in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Philippines and throughout the Pacific region. The history of Pacific night fighters is particularly fascinating for aviation enthusiasts, partly because of the opaque and sometimes mysterious nature of these operations. It also covers units of the USAAF, USN and USMAC. The technologically advanced P-61 Black Widow was eventually deployed in eight USAAF night fighter squadrons, but by the time it saw action on the front lines, the Japanese air threat had already greatly diminished. Instead, these squadrons took on a variety of other tasks, including night penetration missions. Prior to the arrival of the P-61 in late 1943, early USAAF night fighter units pioneered the use of the makeshift Douglas P-70 and the radar-equipped P-38. An important contribution to night operations in the Solomon Islands was made by a USMC unit that employed the PV-1 Ventura in 1943-44. Meanwhile, two USN night fighter units employed the rare radar-equipped F4U-2 Corsairs, of which only three dozen were built. The author is known worldwide for his expertise on air warfare in the Pacific. Never before have so many different types been illustrated with such accuracy and detail, along with a brief history of their use and the units that employed them.