Mosquito at the movies

Foxbat

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I've been reading Mosquito by Rowland White and, although I was already aware that this aircraft played a very significant role in WW2, the book has highlighted to me that the contribution it made to victory was even more significant than I first thought. With that in mind, I went hunting for movies featuring this fabulous aircraft.
I found this.



Some closing thoughts. It's interesting that today, modern aircraft technology is moving to the use of carbon fibre composites and low radar signature stealth technology. The Mosquito used wooden composites for strength at a very light weight. The wood also gave it a very small radar signature and it was often able to slip past German radar undetected. Although the Focke Wolfe 190 could, in the right conditions, deal with the Mosquito, it wasn't until the introduction of the jet powered Me 262 and the rocket powered Me 163, that the nazis finally created fighters able to out perform the wooden wonder from de Haviland.

And finally - all I have learned about this magnificently designed machine has led me to the conclusion that it is positively criminal that no Mosquito is present in the RAF Battle Of Britain flight. And, before anybody says 'but it didn't take part in the battle of Britain', well neither did the Lancaster but there is one included in the flight. The last Mosquitos were retired from the RAF in the mid 1960s so, if anybody had shown any forward thinking, inclusion might have been possible.
 
Are there any Mossies still flying? They were superb aircraft, and I would love to see one in flight. I guess part of the reason that the Lancaster is in the BoB flight is because it is one of the most magnificent things you will ever hear or see; like the Electric Lightning.

If you haven't already, it's worth checking out the movie 633 Squadron, which is fantastic (fictional) story about Mosquitos in action, and has a tremendous theme tune.
 
I've camped many times at Mosquito Lake, Haida Guaii, one of the locations that was logged to provide the wood for the aircraft. Luckily, there are very few mosquitoes at Mosquito Lake.
 
Are there any Mossies still flying?

I think the video says there are three still flying and fourteen more exist but not in an airworthy condition.

My cousin helped maintain the BOB flight many years ago. His proudest moment was going up in the Lancaster.
His previous RAF role was maintaining F4 Phantoms - which probably explains why he has a hearing aid in each ear.
 
There are two engines that are recognisable as soon as you hear them. The first is the engine in a Harley Davidson. A friend of mine had one and I always knew when he was around. It just sounds different from any other bike.

The other engine is the Rolls Royce Merlin V12. A few years back at the British Grand Prix, the RAF put on a bit of a display. The mighty Typhoon may have wowed the crowds with its near vertical climb jet fed aerobatics but it was the appearance of the Hurricane and Spitfire from the Battle Of Britain flight that stole the show. I'll never forget the sounds of the engines powering those two iconic aircraft. Even on a video, I can hear the distinctive tones of those Merlins giving the Mosquito all the power that it needs (and some more).

Merlin V12 - powered Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster, Mustang and others. Some call it the engine that won the war.

I'm busy reading up on Operation Carthage (the plan to destroy Gestapo HQ in Copenhagen) and that video helps imagine what it must have been like to see a number of Mosquitos fly in at low level in broad daylight - packed with HE bombs and Napalm heading straight at you. I think I'd need clean underwear :D
 
Just been reading in the book that the Mosquito was feared as a night fighter. During bombing raids, Mosquitos from 100 Group would lurk near Luftwaffe airbases ready to pick off any fighters scrambled to deal with the bombers.

The German pilots called the trepidation they felt for this night fighter version Moskito Panik.

My first thought was: what a great name for a rock band:)
 
I managed to get a new copy of 633 Squadron on DVD for the princly sum of £1.29 (plus £1.26 postage).
It might be a fictional story but I think it captures quite well the bravery and skill of the men who perfected low level precision bombing in the Mosquito. It's amovie that also belongs next to The Great Escape, The Dam Busters and Battle Of Britain with its iconic theme tune.

I think the Mosquito is now number two on my list of all-time favourite planes.
The de Haviland Dragon Rapide is still my number one because that isn't just a plane, it's a work of art(deco).
And here it is
dh89adragonrapide_d-ilit_01_hahnweide2013.jpg
 
I managed to get a new copy of 633 Squadron on DVD for the princly sum of £1.29 (plus £1.26 postage).
It might be a fictional story but I think it captures quite well the bravery and skill of the men who perfected low level precision bombing in the Mosquito. It's amovie that also belongs next to The Great Escape, The Dam Busters and Battle Of Britain with its iconic theme tune.

I think the Mosquito is now number two on my list of all-time favourite planes.
The de Haviland Dragon Rapide is still my number one because that isn't just a plane, it's a work of art(deco).
And here it is
View attachment 121016

I have the Lancaster, Vulcan and Vampire vying for my top spot. I also think the Lysander is a pretty cool looking plane.

What also impresses me are the size of the seaplanes. It's hard to appreciate their scale when floating in the open ocean. But having stood next to one at RAF Cosford their enormity really impresses.
 
I have the Lancaster, Vulcan and Vampire vying for my top spot. I also think the Lysander is a pretty cool looking plane.

What also impresses me are the size of the seaplanes. It's hard to appreciate their scale when floating in the open ocean. But having stood next to one at RAF Cosford their enormity really impresses.
The nearby air museum has a Vulcan. It’s an awesome plane even when stationary. I also like the Lysander and I think the first time I saw a picture of one was on the front cover of a Commando comic. I was taken by the high position of its wings.

One aircraft that is much maligned for performance but I think looks good is the Blenheim (the plane that the Mosquito replaced). I’ve never seen one but a few years ago, visiting the air museum, I wandered past an open hangar and saw a plane that looked very familiar. It was being restored and I got talking to one of the guys working on it. Turned out it was a Bristol Bolingbroke. This was the name for a Blenheim built under licence in Canada.

Here is a picture of the very aircraft I wandered into at the museum (not my photo - official museum photo).
IMG_0156.jpeg
 
The nearby air museum has a Vulcan. It’s an awesome plane even when stationary. I also like the Lysander and I think the first time I saw a picture of one was on the front cover of a Commando comic. I was taken by the high position of its wings.

One aircraft that is much maligned for performance but I think looks good is the Blenheim (the plane that the Mosquito replaced). I’ve never seen one but a few years ago, visiting the air museum, I wandered past an open hangar and saw a plane that looked very familiar. It was being restored and I got talking to one of the guys working on it. Turned out it was a Bristol Bolingbroke. This was the name for a Blenheim built under licence in Canada.

Here is a picture of the very aircraft I wandered into at the museum (not my photo - official museum photo).
View attachment 121026

I was lucky enough to see a Blenheim flying in an air show in the UK. What struck me was how fast and maneuverable the plane is; closer to a fighter than a bomber.

The problem during WWII was that it was neither one thing nor the other; not heavy enough to be an effective bomber, not fast and agile enough to outfight fighter planes.
 
I managed to get a new copy of 633 Squadron on DVD for the princly sum of £1.29 (plus £1.26 postage).
It might be a fictional story but I think it captures quite well the bravery and skill of the men who perfected low level precision bombing in the Mosquito. It's amovie that also belongs next to The Great Escape, The Dam Busters and Battle Of Britain with its iconic theme tune.

I think the Mosquito is now number two on my list of all-time favourite planes.
The de Haviland Dragon Rapide is still my number one because that isn't just a plane, it's a work of art(deco).
And here it is
View attachment 121016
IIRC my parents went on their honeymoon to Jersey on a Dragon Rapide in 1948
 
It would be a pretty cramped ride for your parents. Found this drawing that shows the seating.


drawing.jpg
 
And finally - all I have learned about this magnificently designed machine has led me to the conclusion that it is positively criminal that no Mosquito is present in the RAF Battle Of Britain flight. And, before anybody says 'but it didn't take part in the battle of Britain', well neither did the Lancaster but there is one included in the flight. The last Mosquitos were retired from the RAF in the mid 1960s so, if anybody had shown any forward thinking, inclusion might have been possible.
As I recall, the Mosquito was not available until a couple of years after the Battle of Britain.
 
As I recall, the Mosquito was not available until a couple of years after the Battle of Britain.
The first production Mosquito was built in July 1940 and by mid 1942 was being deployed as a highly effective night fighter against Luftwaffe bombing raids. Although it didn’t take part in the time period of the Battle Of Britain, it did make a significant contribution to the air defence of Britain from 1942 onwards.
 

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