In March 1945 Reg Cleworth, a navigator on PBY Catalina seaplanes flying out of Darwin, went missing in action. No details were ever given about the incident that took his life, nor the reason his plane went down. For Reg's younger brother, Robert, the news came as a fulfilling prophecy. The last time they saw each other, Reg confided in Robert, 'I don't think I'm coming back'. Forty years later Robert decided to investigate what happened to his brother. What he uncovered was an extraordinary story of a covert Australian airborne mine-laying operation in cooperation with the US Seventh Fleet to disrupt the Japanese supply routes. One of the riskier and more dangerous RAAF undertakings of the Pacific War, secrecy restrictions were imposed on everyone involved. They were never formally lifted. Had it not been for a chance meeting that allowed Robert access to previously unopened files in the US national archives, this remarkable story may never have been untold. What he unearthed revealed the sacrifice and achievements of the RAAF Catalina crews and the vital role they played in MacArthur's strategic plan for the south-west Pacific. Absorbing, compelling and powerfully told, RAAF Black Cats is an important addition to our understanding of Australia's role in the Pacific War.

Recounts the exciting story of the PBY flying boats, their bold pilots, and the daring night raids made against Japanese shipping in the South Pacific during World War II

The story of operations by RAAF Catalina flying boats from 1942 to 1945 against Japanese forces in the Western Pacific: long-range minelaying, bombing, supply drops and air-sea rescue, told by the Catalina pilots themselves.

Traces the history of aircraft camouflage from the age of the biplanes to today's jets, including data on the shapes and insignia of one hundred forty aircraft