Mosquito Attack!: A Norwegian RAF Pilot at War

by Finn Eriksrud, Tor Larsen

Overview

In 1943, Norwegians formed their third squadron flying under RAF command: No. 333 Squadron. One of the chosen few to fly 'The Wooden Wonder', the revolutionary and deadly de Havilland Mosquito, was 21-year-old Finn Eriksrud. Eriksrud had traveled all the way across the world to end up in Scotland to fly the Mosquito after a hazardous escape from Norway. He would now fly over his native country on extremely dangerous low-level reconnaissance and patrol missions from May 1943 onwards. By December 1943, all of the original Mosquito pilots were either killed from flying accidents or shot down over Norway. That same month was Eriksrud's final mission with No. 333 Squadron. He was forced to ditch his Mosquito off the coast of Norway where he was taken prisoner alongside his navigator Erling Victor Johanssen. Eriksrud had not gone down without a fight. During those dangerous months, he had shot down a Junkers Ju 88, his navigator taking a snapshot before the German bomber crashed in flames.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781553114
Publisher:	Fonthill Media
Publication date:	06/02/2015
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Tor Idar Larsen lives in Eina, Norway. He is the author of ‘Viking Sptifire’, ‘Into the Swarm’, and ‘Mosquito Attack’ [Fonthill Media]. He's also the author of two Norwegian war novels, and has written articles for several publications since 2009. He holds a Master degree in Pedagogy and works full time as a consultant.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 Escape from Norway 13

2 Stuck in Stockholm 17

3 Dodgy Bars and Friendly Swedes 20

4 Revolt in Baghdad 26

5 The Atlantic Crossing 31

6 Little Norway 36

7 First Solo Flight 48

8 A Temporary Fear of Flying 59

9 Final Steps at Prince Edward Island 66

10 In the Spotlight 69

11 The Fate of Harold Odman 76

12 The Deadly Norwegian Coast 84

13 B-Flight's Losses 94

14 Hunting the Lützow 102

15 The Last Sortie 114

16 Prisoner of War 120

17 Germany 125

18 Stalag Luft III 130

19 Tunnelling 135

20 Final Victory 140

Appendix: Letters Home 146

Endnotes 158