Dell, Frank Mosquito Down!

A Bomber Command Pilot on the Run in Germany and Holland

Frank Dell's experiences as a pilot with the Royal Air Force's Light Night Striking Force during the Second World War take an even more dramatic turn when his Mosquito is shot down over Germany on the night of 14 to 15 October 1944. In Mosquito Down, Frank Dell recounts his escape from the crumbling aircraft, his parachute jump and how, battered and injured, he lands in a field next to a German V2 rocket launch pad. Determined to avoid capture, Frank crosses Germany and finds refuge in Holland with a Dutch resistance group. Frank Dell, who was still a schoolboy when the conflict broke out, experiences an extraordinary war that takes him from a Home Guard unit defending the English coast against enemy invasions in 1940 to a tragic incident that leads to the execution of Dutch civilians just weeks before the end of hostilities. Frank Dell's keen eye provides insights into training and deployment with the RAF, and then there are the even greater challenges he faces when he narrowly escapes capture while fleeing from the Germans. In a gripping narrative, Frank Dell shares his unique story with honesty and openness, finding humour and camaraderie along the way. He emerges from his traumatic experiences with increased respect for the courageous Dutch families who risked their lives to hide him and other Allied airmen.