| The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II

Conquering the Night      Army Air Forces Night Fighters at War

Stephen L. McFarland

The author traces the AAF�s development of aerial night       fighting, including technology, training, and tactical operations in the       North African, European, Pacific, and Asian theaters of war. In this       effort the United States never wanted for recruits in what was, from start       to finish, an all-volunteer night fighting force.

**"*Cut short the night; use some of it for the day�s       business*."**

 -Seneca
For combatants, a constant in warfare through the ages has       been the sanctuary of night, a refuge from the terror of the day�s armed       struggle. On the other hand, darkness has offered protection for       operations made too dangerous by daylight. Combat has also extended into       the twilight as day has seemed to provide too little time for the       destruction demanded in modern mass warfare. 

In World War II the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) flew nighttime missions to counter enemy activities under cover of darkness. Allied air forces had established air superiority over the battlefield and behind their own lines, and so Axis air forces had to exploit the night�s protection for their attacks on Allied installations. AAF night fighters sought to deny the enemy use of the night for these attacks. Also, by 1944 Allied daylight air superiority made Axis forces maneuver and resupply at night, by air, land, and sea. U.S. night fighters sought to disrupt these activities as an extension of daylight interdiction and harassment efforts. The AAF would seek to deny the enemy the       night, while capitalizing on the night in support of daylight operations.

Contents
-  **Airmen Claim the         Night Skies****Conquering the         Night through Research****Night Fighters in         the European War****Radar Illuminates         the Night****Developing a True         Night Fighter****Training for War****Forth to Battle****D-Day and Beyond****Against the Rising         Sun****Missions in the         China-Burma-India Theater****The Legacy of         Night and All-Weather Flying****Official Victory         Credits for Night Flying Fighter Squadrons****Night Fighter         Aces****Suggested Reading**                |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|