Book Review: The Great Coup by Robert Hill
I’ve read quite a few accounts of the air war in World War II (see also Wing Leader) but this was something a little different.
If you’ve watched Top Gun or played air combat video games then you’ll be familiar with the concept of ‘chaff’, the small strips of metallized glass fibre or plastic that are released from an aircraft to confuse the enemy’s radar readings regarding aircraft position and quantity, or at close range to divert a missile lock.
The Great Coup is the story of how this technology, originally codenamed ‘Window’, was developed and deployed during World War II. The pivotal moment came when a Luftwaffe pilot, Heinrich Schmitt, who was already a British informant, landed his Junkers 88 at an airfield in Scotland to defect. The night-fighter was equipped with the Lichtenstein radar unit; by analyzing its operation, British scientists were able to perfect Window and facilitate its successful introduction, helping to reduce bomber losses.
Writing the book 30 years after the war’s end not only provides author Hill with access to a story that was still classified in its immediate aftermath, but also enables him to take a more dispassionate perspective on events. He’s particularly deft in his treatment of the defecting airmen, whose lives were far from straightforward both during and after the war.
Despite the need to deal with some scientific subject matter, the style is very readable, and I enjoyed this account of events of which I had no prior knowledge.
The copy I read was a paperback edition, published a year after the hardback first edition. I don’t believe that the book is still in print but there are plenty of copies available second hand.
The Great Coup
by Robert Hill
Corgi, 1978
Find it on eBay
If you’ve watched Top Gun or played air combat video games then you’ll be familiar with the concept of ‘chaff’, the small strips of metallized glass fibre or plastic that are released from an aircraft to confuse the enemy’s radar readings regarding aircraft position and quantity, or at close range to divert a missile lock.
The Great Coup is the story of how this technology, originally codenamed ‘Window’, was developed and deployed during World War II. The pivotal moment came when a Luftwaffe pilot, Heinrich Schmitt, who was already a British informant, landed his Junkers 88 at an airfield in Scotland to defect. The night-fighter was equipped with the Lichtenstein radar unit; by analyzing its operation, British scientists were able to perfect Window and facilitate its successful introduction, helping to reduce bomber losses.
Writing the book 30 years after the war’s end not only provides author Hill with access to a story that was still classified in its immediate aftermath, but also enables him to take a more dispassionate perspective on events. He’s particularly deft in his treatment of the defecting airmen, whose lives were far from straightforward both during and after the war.
Despite the need to deal with some scientific subject matter, the style is very readable, and I enjoyed this account of events of which I had no prior knowledge.
The copy I read was a paperback edition, published a year after the hardback first edition. I don’t believe that the book is still in print but there are plenty of copies available second hand.
The Great Coup
by Robert Hill
Corgi, 1978
Find it on eBay