deHavilland DH 98 Mosquito

[Aussie Dave]

History:
The all-wood Mosquito bomber was designed with war in mind. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Mosquito was as fast as a fighter and could carry the payload of a medium bomber. Flying high and fast, it was believed it could perform the mission without defensive armament. In a display of incredible foresight, deHavilland constructed the airplane almost entirely out of balsa and plywood in case strategic metals became scarce. The Air Ministry originally wanted nothing to do with the aircraft, and rejected it as unsuitable because of its wooden construction.

When World War Two broke out the Air Ministry began to reconsider its position. With Germany ready to unleash her wolfpacks and the United States still restrained by the Neutrality Laws, construction materials became a strategic concern. On March 1, 1940, an order for 50 Mosquitos was placed, but it was soon postponed while the Allied armies replaced the material lost on the beaches at Dunkirk. The first prototype flew on November 25, 1940, and the Air Ministry officials who had been so skeptical were amazed to see the Mosquito performing climbing rolls on one engine, and dashing across the sky at speeds expected of fighters. Production of three prototypes for official consideration were built: the Mosquito PR.Mk I, a photo-reconnaissance plane, the Mosquito B.Mk IV, a medium bomber to replace the Blenheim, and the Mosquito NF.Mk II, a night fighter. The first operational flight of the PR.Mk I confirmed the Mosquito needed no armament when on a flight over Brest it outpaced three Luftwaffe Bf 109s and returned home.

The B.Mk IV entered combat in the early months of 1942, after a period of familiarization. The Mosquito was much faster than the Blenheim and required new tactics to hit its targets. The bomber crews were soon very impressed with the amount of damage the Mosquito could absorb. Its construction took full advantage of the flexibility of its wooden construction, the two sides being fully equipped with controls and wiring runs before being joined together.

The Mosquito NF Mk II had a heavy armament of four cannons and four machineguns. It carried the AI Mk IV radar. The Mosquito NF was the first night fighter to be stationed in the Mediterranean, fighting from Malta as day and night fighter. It was also used as a night intruder, performing its first intruder mission on December 30-31, 1942. Because of its high speed, crews needed some time to grow accustomed to the new machine. For this reason, de Havilland also produced a training version, the Mosquito T.Mk III, with dual controls. All versions had a crew of two, seated side-by-side. The last Mosquitos were withdrawn from RAF photo-reconnaissance units in 1961.

Specifications: (FB.Mk VI)

Engines: Two 1,620-hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 25 V-12 piston engines
Weight: Empty 14,300 lbs., Max Takeoff 22,300 lbs.
Wing Span: 54ft. 2in.
Length: 40ft. 10.75in.
Height: 15ft. 3in.
Performance: Maximum Speed: 362 mph (Later photo-recon versions could exceed 425 mph)
Ceiling: 33,000 ft.
Range: 1,650 miles with full bomb load

Armament:
Four 20-mm cannon in nose
Four 7.7-mm (0.303-inch) machine guns in nose
2,000 pounds of bombs, or 1,000 pounds of bombs and eight rockets

Nicknames:
Mossie; Balsa Bomber; Wooden Wonder; Freeman's Folly (early nickname referring to Air Council member Sir Wilfred Freeman); Tsetse (Mk XVIII anti-shipping variant).

The Mosquito was also manufactured under license in Australia and Canada.
In all, 7,781 Mosquitos were built.

[cyberia]

OK, I see someone will have to do a ME110 thread as a response.
I wonder who that will be?

[Brett]

I recall reading that the Mosquito could be considered the best
bomber of WWII because it had the best ratio of bomb tonnage
dropped over Germany to losses of any Allied aircraft.

[Aussie Dave]

The Mosquito excelled in a variety of roles during World War II, including as day or night fighter, strike fighter-bomber, photo-reconnaissance, pathfinder, intruder, maritime strike, and surprisingly, a few BOAC mailplane variants flew regular nightly services over Nazi-occupied Europe!

It was conceived as a fast twin engined day bomber that could outrun all contemporary fighters.

With no heavy defensive armament to man, the crew was reduced to pilot and navigator so the aircraft was lighter, faster and overall more efficient.
Mosquitos were widely used by the RAF Pathfinder Force to mark targets for night-time strategic bombing, and Mosquito bombers hauled a 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) "block-buster" bomb in their internal bomb bay to Berlin at a comparitively fractional cost when compared to the contemporary B-17 or Lancaster running costs and operational-losses.

The Mosquito ended the war with the lowest loss rate of any aircraft in RAF Bomber Command service during WWII. The last RAF Mosquito to remain in operational service was retired in 1956. Total Mosquito production was 7,781 of which 6,710 were built during the war - De Havilland accounted for 5,007 aircraft built in three factories in the UK. Mosquitos were also built by Airspeed Ltd, Percival Aircraft Company and Standard Motors. 1134 Canadian and 212 Australian built Mosquitos were also produced by the Commonwealth.

Cheers,
Dave

[McCoy]

How 'bout some carpentry?

[McCoy]

The Buissness end of the 'Wooden Wonder'



Mossies on a attackin' run in some harbour in '44

[mfg495]

Here are some shots I took about 30 years ago at RAF Cosford.







History of this aircraft:-

1945 Constructed by de Havilland's at Hatfield to contract No.555 for 80 Mosquito B.35 aircraft, serial numbers TA617-8, TA633-70, TA685-724, delivered 29 Mar 45 - 16 Jul 45. Merlin 113/114 engines.

13Apr45 To No.27 MU Shawbury, Salop for storage.

19May52 Taken out of store and sent to Brooklands Aviation Ltd, Sywell, Northants for conversion to Target Tug standard as a Mosquito TI35 - one of those aircraft fitted with the under fuselage mounted ML type G wind-driven target winch.

30Sep52 Work completed.

17Oct52 To station flight, RAF Ballykelly, Londonderry, Northern Ireland -sharing the airfield with two Shackleton squadrons.

05Dec52 To RAF Aldergrove Station Flight, Antrim, Northern Ireland. Shared the base with Shackletons and, as more likely `customers', No.502 Squadrons' Vampires.

16Dec54 To No.38 MU Llandow for storage.

10Jan57 To No.27 MU Shawbury for further storage.

21Apr58 Last major inspection - had flown only 105.55 hours since new. This and other details taken from the aircraft's Form 700s - 13 of them - covering the period 23 Sep 59 - 23 Jan 67.

24Sep59 Flown by Flt Lt. Curtis, made 55 minute Flight on delivery to No.3 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit (CAACU) at Exeter Airport. This civilian manned but Air Ministry equipped unit exercised the guns for all three services from Portland to Cardigan Bay, and further afield during big exercises the Mosquitos' 4½-5 hour endurance taking them as far as Scotland. TA639 carried the fuselage code `55' with the unit. Painted silver overall, yellow/black target-tug stripes were worn on the wing undersides.

05Nov59 Piloted by Harry Ellis, Chief pilot of No.3 CAACU, with Pete Howland as his winch operator (`TTO') TA639 made a two hour flight to the Army’s' School of Anti-Aircraft Artillery at Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, flying a low-level drogue towing sortie.

The unit also provided local support for the Naval Gunnery School at HMS Cambridge, near Plymouth and for ships at sea needing both visual and radar gunnery practice, both towing drogues and making mock low-level attacks.

08Jun 60 Displayed at Air Show at Exeter Airport.

Oct62 Originally intended as withdrawal date for the units' Mosquitoes, with replacement by Meteor TT20 aircraft, but full conversion postponed.

09May63 Took part in `official last fly-past' by Mosquitos at Exeter, but suffered port engine failure at end of the flight, causing a hurried landing after 50 minutes flying. At the end the unit had two Mosquito T.3 and seven TT35 aircraft still airworthy, of which T3. TW117 and B35s, RS709, RS712, TA634, TA639 and TA719 took part in the final display.

20May63 Following engine repairs, given 25 minute test flight at Exeter.

21May63 Target-towing buffer and tail guards removed.

30May63 Formally transferred from strength of No.3 CAACU to Central Flying School, Little Rissington, Glos, as a flying display aircraft.

31May63 Formally struck off RAF charge. Had flown 547.35 hours (315 landings) since new.

06Jun63 Made a 45 minute flight to its new base at Little Rissington where it was kept airworthy although nominally allocated maintenance serial 7806M on 6th May 63. Remaining TT equipment was removed and the aircraft given a grey/green camouflage colour scheme, with silver undersides.

Jun63 Loaned to Mirisch Films Ltd for production of the film `633 Squadron' at RAF Bovingdon, Herts, as one of five airworthy and three taxiable Mosquitoes, all ex-No.3 CAACU, used in the film.

15Jul63 Flew to Bovingdon via Dishforth for filming, flown by Air Commodore Bird-Wilson. Given the fictitious serial HJ682 and codes HT-B on 20th July, and modified to look like a Mosquito FBV1 by having the nose perspex painted over and possibly dummy machine guns fitted.

Late July 63 Filming began around the Bovingdon Area. Photo of TA639 as `HJ682' - `Warbirds Worldwide' 29 and 34 p.26. When filming moved to the Scottish Lochs, based at Inverness, the RAF would not allow TA639 to be used since the flying there was considered too dangerous. TA639 was used extensively for filming up to mid September, being at Tern Hill 14 Sep 63.

After filming was complete TA639 returned to Little Rissington for personal use by the CO, and made one display flight over the Mosquito Museum at Salisbury Hall. By Dec 1964 TA639 had flown 588.05 hours - 391 landings.

18Sep65 Photographed at RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire. This was the aircraft's Penultimate Flight.

03Oct65 Final flight - 1 hour 20 minutes. Total flying hours 607.10/ 415 landings. The next major servicing was due at 705.55 hours.

19Nov65 Engines ground-run.

23Nov65 Engines inhibited. At this stage, further flying was not ruled out.

17Mar66 Given a glued joint inspection, the results of which ended its flying career.

The March 1966 inspection confirmed that the glued joints had deteriorated since the last inspection 4 months previously and that other joints would go if the aircraft was taxied or flown. Repairs would take 6 months, it was estimated - wing joints were loose, dry and flaky. `Rectification is beyond unit ability and capacity to repair and is considered completely uneconomical'. This recommendation was adhered to and the aircraft grounded permanently.

05Jul67 Transferred to RAF Museum Collection.

9-10 Aug 67 Transferred by road by No.71 MU from Little Rissington to the RAFM store at RAF Henlow.

Oct67 The two inhibited Merlins that had seemingly been retained at Little Rissington as spares engines for this aircraft, a Merlin 113 and Merlin 114, followed the Mosquito to Henlow as 67/E/731-732; they are both presently on loan to the Derby Branch of the Rolls Royce Heritage Trust.

14Jun68 Displayed at RAF Abingdon for the RAF's 50th anniversary display.

Sep68 Displayed with other historic aircraft on Horseguards Parade, London during Battle of Britain week.

Sep69 Moved to storage at RAF Cosford by this date, possibly after the Horseguards display. By the 1970s TA639 was part of the regional collection of aircraft at the Cosford Aerospace Museum, still in its mid-late 1960s applied camouflage scheme.

1988 Repainted at Cosford in the colours and markings of the Mosquito XX of No.627 Squadron, AZ-E, in which Wing Commander Guy Gibson was killed on a pathfinder sortie 19/20 Sep 1944. It remains on display at Cosford.

Several Mosquito B/TT35s are preserved, including fellow Hatfield batch members TA634 at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, London Colney, and TA719 at the IWMs' Duxford base.

[Whiterook]

Jeeez Dave, what an amazing writeup lad! Nice work. And the Headline lettering is marvelous, too! I heard of te Mosquito, but I didn't know of it's all wood construction. Cool stuff! Would make a nice model, too!

[Whiterook]

Great shots Mick! Was that a show craft based at RAF Cosford?

[mfg495]

Originally Posted by Whiterook

Great shots Mick! Was that a show craft based at RAF Cosford?

The RAF has a museum based at the unit. - Cosford Air Museum, Shropshire, West Midlands days out - RAF Museum

They have a number of aircraft on display, cold war period and modern times.
later this year I have been moved to this camp, so I will have access to the museum in my spare time.