Squadron of Deception: The 36th Bomb Squadron in World War II, by Stephen Hutton, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pa., 1999, $39.95.
For another change of pace from the usual fighters and bombers in the Schiffer series, Squadron ofDeception: The 36th Bomb Squadron in World War II, by Stephen Hutton, deals with missionsthat were somewhat different from those flown by the 8th Squadron in the Pacific. Usingspecially modified Consolidated B-24 bombers, the 36th Squadron’s job was to deny intelligence tothe Germans, as the only radar countermeasures unit in the Eighth Air Force.
By jamming German radar, the 36th may have saved the lives of as many American bomber crewsas did its escorting fighters. The men who developed and operated the unit’s electronic devices wereengaged in an ongoing struggle with their German counterparts that, while less publicized thanthe fighters’ battle for air superiority, was no less relentless. Compiled from once-secret records,personal diaries and interviews with crewmen, Squadron of Deception sheds some light on thevital contribution of a unique, once-classified squadron of the U.S. Army Air Forces’ mightiestcomponent of World War II.
Jon Guttman
