We Landed by Moonlight: Secret RAF Landings in France, 1940-1944

Great story of gallant I lots and agents.

Clandestine operations in WW2 have been the subject of fictional accounts in books, films and television series. But I would imagine that if some of the stories featured in this book had been suggested as plot lines they would have been dismissed as too unbelievable; however, the accounts related in this volume were not fiction but true stories involving real people. Hugh Verity was a pilot with 161 Special Operations Squadron. Their job was to fly agents and material in and out of occupied France to assist the resistance movement and gather vital intelligence. In addition to agents, aircrew who had been shot down and evaded the Germans were recovered, including on two occasions, pilots from their own squadron. They flew Lysanders, slow, single engine monoplanes with virtually no armament. As well as flying the aircraft, the pilot had to navigate in the dark to find a field in occupied territory with a landing path illuminated by only three torches. Despite these obstacles and on many occasions, appalling weather, most pick-ups were successful and, in the absence of fighters and flak, aircrew casualties were relatively light. The same could not be true for the agents on the ground who suffered terribly at the hands of the Germans. Unknown until after the war, the Special Operations squadrons were running a regular service back and forth between France and England. Most of the agents were French but other nationalities were involved and many were women, one of whom, Violette Szabo, was the subject of the film 'Carve Her Name With Pride' and another was Noor Inayat Khan; neither survived the war. Later, Hudsons were used to pick up larger numbers but all landings were terribly risky, with the constant threat of betrayal and the practical problem of becoming bogged down in the field after an unexpected change in the weather. Even if you have no interest in history, this is a really exciting book. The exploits of the Special Operations Squadrons became the subject of a docudrama released after the war under its original title 'School For Danger', subsequently retitled 'Now it can be told'. This is available on You Tube and features two real agents in the lead, including Jacqueline Nearne, who appears in this book, and aircraft from 161 Squadron. All those involved were incredibly brave and books such as this will ensure that they are not forgotten.

I rarely fail to finish a book, especially one giving the inside story of what it was like to fly on operations in WWII, but I was well and truly beaten by this book. Hugh Verity has a fascinating tale to tell, but the way in which he tells his story reads like a dull history text book rather than a gripping tale of adventure. There are some real gems, but for me they they only emerged when Hugh is recalling one of his personal flights. Then you could sense the drama and emotion. Otherwise, I found it to be very pedestrian and was never drawn in. I wanted to enjoy this book. I even tried skipping some parts in the hope that things would get better, but alas they never did. As a reference book for the secret work undertaken by the Lysander pilots and their groundcrews, it no doubt has a great deal to offer, but it’s not an easy read and failed to capture my attention. Nevertheless, Hugh Verity certainly whetted my appetite. The introduction to the book suggests that it is filling a gap in our knowledge of the work of RAF Tempsford, but I have since found that there are a number of other books out there about what went on at Tempsford, so I will probably try one of them and hope that it is an easier read. Overall, given the plethora of information that Hugh Verity has gathered together, for which he has to be congratulated, I’m left thinking that this could perhaps have been a real cracker of a book if he has used a professional ghostwriter to bring his story to life. So near but so far. What a pity

Highly recommended. This is one of those time-warp books, where you are transported back to a world of cheery young men and staunch women-in-waiting, respectively risking their necks and worrying in the great adventure of World War II. Hugh Verity commanded the highly secret 161 Squadron, which flew single-engine Lysanders and twin-engine Hudsons into farmers' fields in occupied and Vichy France. They dropped off and collected agents, and couriered invaluable intelligence reports back from under the noses of the Germans and their Vichy allies. It is fluently written, highly-readable and modest.I particularly commend it to pilots. Anyone who has ever been lost--and who of us hasn't--will recognise the agony of being lost at night over hostile territory while navigating visually by moonlight. Have you ever known the sinking feeling, literally, of landing on a soft field and gunning the engine to full power while the aircraft remained stubbornly stuck in the mud? Then you'll understand the frustration of the pilots as they tried to drag their heavily-loaded aircraft off short, soft, improvised landing grounds, usually with the odd tree on the boundary to add a little interest to the angle of climb.These were young men, usually around 25, highly individualist in style and approach. There were remarkably few casualties, though many of the crew were subsequently killed in action after transferring to Bomber Command. The calibre of their passengers is remarkable. The pilots seldom knew their real names, only their code names, but the passenger lists included a couple of future French presidents, some future French prime ministers, as well as those who went on to run huge French companies. Violette Szabo was a customer of Verity Air. So was François Mitterand.This is a book for anyone who likes adventure. It is also, let it be said, a return to a glorious and honourable past, when wars were just and those who fought them knew they had right on their side.