MOONLIGHT

Flying secret agents in and out of occupied France, transporting arms and radio equipment to the Resistance, and collecting downed airmen from behind enemy lines were all among the most hazardous flying operations of World War II.

These cloak and dagger sorties, always conducted at night by the light of the moon, required a cool head and inordinate flying and navigational skills – a duty performed courageously by the pilots of RAF Special Duty Squadrons.

The aircraft most suited to these difficult tasks was the rugged Westland Lysander – the aircraft Gerald Coulson has chosen to portray in his tribute to the pilots of the Special Duties Squadrons.

With the moon at its fullest phase, a Lysander from 161 Squadron is en-route to France, flying literally into the unknown.