de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber
Ranked #579 in Education, #14,416 overall
About the Mosquito
It was built by de Havilland in the Second World War. The photo shown is from RAF Hendon, which has an excellently preserved Mosquito in the History of Flight hall.
Other Related Lenses:
The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth, Avro Lancaster, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Blenheim Nightfighter, Hawker Hurricane
Contents
- The de Havilland Mosquito
- The De Havilland Mosquito in action
- Design and Technology
- Technical Specifications
- 618 Squadron - A Most Secret Squadron
- Mosquitos in Flight - Videos
- Surviving Mosquitos
- Colour video footage
- Pilot's manuals and Maintenance manuals
- Spotlight on 633 Squadron
- 633 Squadron - the Paperbacks
- Spotlight on Mosquito Squadron
- The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth
- More about The Shepherd
- More resources about the Mosquito
- Blog Posts from fans
- Mosquitos and Spitfires
- Other Aviation Lenses
- More Aircraft lenses
- Like this Lens?
- Visitor's Book
- About the Lensmaster
The de Havilland Mosquito
The Timber Terror
De Havilland Mosquito Postcard by KitteasGallery
More De Postcards
The aircraft's design and production was surprisingly fast. The first Mosquito test flight was in May 1941 and the first sortie in September the same year.
A brief video doc about the Mosquito by thewaryears on Youtube, describing its origins, performance and more.
The De Havilland Mosquito in action
More about the Timber Terror
Mosquito FB.VI's of
Coastal Command
(greetings card)
In a matt-black finish it swiftly replaced the Bristol Blenheim as a night-fighter for home defense and in the following three years downed over 600 enemy aircraft and a similar number of flying bombs. From 1942 it also served as a dayfighter, and from 1943 onwards as the fighter-bomber which made it famous.
Production of the Mosquito did not end until 1950, and the aircraft saw action with the Israeli airforce in 1956 in the Suez Crisis.
Dubbed the Wooden Wonder or Timber Terror, the Mosquito was one of the most famous aircraft of World War Two.
In flight it was stunning. A display by the last flying Mosquito one month before it was destroyed in a crash.
Design and Technology
The Mosquito's revolutionary design and build
The Mosquito was a taildragger (that is, the third wheel of the undercarriage was under the tail, not the nose) giving it a very noticeable nose-up stance on the runway. During takeoff the tail would lift first (as you can see in the videos), bringing the plane level before it left the ground.
It was powered by two Merlin engines, the same type that powered the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster. However it had superb performance even on one, performing a climbing roll with one engine in demonstration.
Although designed as a bomber, when built it was faster than the fighters, so a fighter variant was created. Legendary for its versitility, it went on to serve in a wide number of roles, including pathfinder, bomber, night-bomber and fighter among others.
The airframe was almost entirely wooden, although later variants had armour added. Made of a variant of moulded plywood and largely glued together, parts of the wings were actually ironed into shape. Incredibly tough it was also easy to produce, and could be built in furniture factories and similar, increasing Britain's wartime aircraft production. Others were built in Canada and Australia.
Total production was over 7700 aircraft.
Technical Specifications
Type:
Many variants
Crew:
2
Max Speed:
370mph*
Service Ceiling:
34,000 feet
Range:
1,600 miles
Engines:
2 x Rolls Royce Merlin engines
Length:
41 ft 2 inches
Wingspan:
54 ft 2 inches
Height:
17 ft 5 inches
Weight:
20,000lbs loaded
Later Mosquitos broke 400mph. Also, the length varied slightly depending on the build - e.g. the early MkII Nightfighter had a set of cannons and arrowhead radar extending in front of it. The crew almost always consisted of Pilot and Navigator.
A cutaway view of the Mosquito Mark II is available from Amazon.co.uk. Click the link to view:
- 10x8 Photograph (25x20cm) DH Mosquito NF11 Published 06/05/43 from Flightglobal: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
- 10x8 Photograph (25x20cm) DH Mosquito NF11 Published 06/05/43 from Flightglobal: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
- Photographic Print of De Havilland Mosquito (exploded view), World War II, c1939-c1945 from Heritage-Images: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
- Photographic Print of De Havilland Mosquito (exploded view), World War II, c1939-c1945 from Heritage-Images: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
Unstuck
The problem with an all-wood aircraft became apparent in India. In the heat the natural glue that held the aircraft together began to melt! It's forerunner, the Bristol Blenheim saw an unexpected extension in its tour of duty.
618 Squadron - A Most Secret Squadron
The story of the sub hunters
618 squadron hunted U-boats. In addition they took on more complex missions - training to use Highball ("the bouncing bomb") against shipping, assigned against the Tirpitz and a number of other roles. The secrecy of the roles and operations meant that they are often overlooked.
The story of 618 squadron is told in full detail in "A Most Secret Squadron" the acclaimed book by Des Curtis DFC.
A MOST SECRET SQUADRON: The First Full Story of 618 Squadron and its Special Detachment Anti-U-Boat Mosquitos
Amazon Price: $21.71 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price: $39.95
Used Price: $20.05
The history of 618 squadron, written by one of the pilots. Des Curtis DFC writes about part of the history of World War Two that is not widely known, from the point of view of someone who was there and brings it to life.
Mosquitos in Flight - Videos
Actual film of wartime missions
Surviving Mosquitos
Where to see a de Havilland Mosquito
Unfortunately there are no flying surviving Mosquitos. The last known flying Mosquito crashed in 1996 during an airshow with the tragic loss of the crew. Some held in museums are potentially airworthy, but untested, and there are work on some replicas and scratch builds. Hopefully we will see this legendary aircraft fly again.A number survive in museums or under the care of restoration trusts, both in Canada and the UK. A notable example is at RAF Hendon, which was used for the photos on this lens. It is displayed with its tail raised as it appeared in flight, rather than sitting on its tailwheel ready to take off.
A complete list of survivors can be found here:
Surviving Mosquitos
Pilot's manuals and Maintenance manuals
PDF and paperback pilots' manuals for the Mosquito
Women's Auxiliary Air Force Plane Mechanic Checking
Wiring of a Mosquito Engine - From Art.com
Zeno's warbird videos - Pilot Manual for De Havilland Mosquito
The Pilot's Manual can also be purchased from Amazon.co.uk:
Pilots Manual for Mosquito [Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions for de Havilland Mosquito]
However for paperbacks and the flight manuals for other Mosquito variants, try Amazon.com, as de Havilland Canada built many of the warplanes:
Spotlight on 633 Squadron
The most famous film about the Mosquitos.
UK Version:
633 Squadron
After many requests I am making this available through the lens. See the "Controversy" label below as to why it initially was not.
Due to region coding and speed of delivery considerations, the link below takes you to the US edition of the film, while visitors from the UK and Europe should use the one to the right for Amazon.co.uk.
633 Squadron
Amazon Price: $26.75 (as of 05/30/2012)
Used Price: $5.97
Probably the most famous film about Mosquitos, the film depicts an attack by a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron.
Controversy
633 Squadron is a good film, but one that is difficult for aircraft buffs to watch due to an act which has been called "aviation vandalism" during filming. At least one, and by rumour as many as three, surviving Mosquitos were crashed to produce the explosions on screen.
633 Squadron - the Paperbacks
by Frederick E.Smith
A selection are below, but he wrote quite a number.
Spotlight on Mosquito Squadron
A second film about the Mosquito
UK Version 
Mosquito Squadron
(The Avro Shackleton has its own lens at http://www.squidoo.com/AvroShackleton)
Once again, the link on the right is for Amazon.co.uk, while the link below is US format.
Mosquito Squadron
Amazon Price: $6.98 (as of 05/30/2012)
Used Price: $2.17
Made with aircraft footage from 633 Squadron with a different story added. The film is usually considered inferior to 633 Squadron, but is useful for completists or Mossie fans who simply want to see the aircraft.
The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth
The best known book about Mosquitos
When a de Havilland Vampire pilot loses his electrics and is left stranded over the North Sea over Christmas Eve, rescue comes from the most unlikely aircraft. A Mosquito appears out of the fog and takes him in tow to act as a shepherd, the escort plane that guides in damaged and lost aircraft. Will they land successfully, and who is the brave pilot flying through the North Sea fog?
Often reprinted, there are unfortunately few versions out there featuring the iconic UK cover image, shown to the left.
The Shepherd
Amazon Price: $120.10 (as of 05/30/2012)
Used Price: $0.01
It is a short and sweet story, some editions beautifully illustrated, and a stunning Christmas story, deserving its 5-star rating.
More about The Shepherd
The short story by Frederick Forsyth
More resources about the Mosquito
Sites about the de Havilland Mosquito
RAF Mosquitoes Bombing a Nazi House at the Hague, 1944
Buy at AllPosters.com
As a vital piece of history, the de Havilland Mosquito has a great many resources devoted to it. Here are several more for further reading.
- De Havilland Mosquito - Great Britain
- De Havilland Mosquito Great Britain By late 1942 the Mosquito was becoming operational in ever increasing numbers, and its unique qualities of very high speed and long range were clearly ideal for many missions.
- The Mosquito Page
- Information about the de Havilland DH98 Mosquito concentrating on surviving worldwide examples.
- Mosquito Aircraft Museum - de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
- Aviation Museum focusing on the de Havilland Mosquito
- De Haviland Mosquito in Colour!! - Aircraft of World War II - Warbird Forums
- De Haviland Mosquito in Colour Avro Lancaster in colour
There is far too much on the mosquito for one lens. For a more complete history see
Aviation History
Blog Posts from fans
Entries about the Mosquito
- New chapter on our leading lights
- Araldite epoxy resin, used in the construction of the Sidney Opera House and the de Havilland Mosquito multi-role combat aircraft. Sinclair ZX80, the world's first affordable home computer. Acorn BBC micro, used almost universally in British schools ...
- Ontario-made planes travel the world
- Avionics technicians Derek Dunn, left, and Shaun Courtepatte install a relay into a twin engine plane at Diamond Aircraft, in London, Ont. The company employs just under 200 workers in a factory that used to build de Havilland Mosquito fighters during ...
- A Chair Made Of Balsa Wood Weighs Under 3 Pounds, And Still Won't Shatter
- The South Korean?born, UK-based designer says he was inspired by Britain's de Havilland Mosquito combat aircraft used in World War II. Constructed almost entirely of wood, the Mosquito (nicknamed the ?Wooden Wonder?) was one of the fastest--if not the ...
- This Day in GovCon History, May 4, 1904: Rolls Meets Royce
- The Merlin engine, which had been in use since 1935, was utilized in British military planes such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster bomber and the de Havilland Mosquito. The engine especially proved to be a great asset in ...
Mosquitos and Spitfires
A beautiful fan made video
Other Aviation Lenses
More lenses by tirial
More Aircraft lenses
Like this Lens?
Rate or Digg it here!
or
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
Visitor's Book
Please leave your feedback
Dehaviland Mosquito warplane T-shirt by Siegeworks
See more Mosquito T-Shirts
-
-
GenesisLabs
Dec 9, 2011 @ 7:05 pm | delete
- Mosquito bomber is one of my favorite planes. I used to have a neighbor who was a Mosquito pilot in the war. He sure loved that plane.
-
-
-
francis
Aug 20, 2011 @ 5:51 am | delete
- reg! i was born sep 16 1956!
i have a question for anybody.
why was the mosquito faster than the spitfire when it weighed almost 3 times as much with only twice the power?
-
-
-
annrhi
Sep 23, 2010 @ 10:58 am | delete
- A beautiful aircraft and a lens obviosuly created with love and much thought. You may be interested to know the novelist Nevil Shute worked for De Havilliand and went on to help design and build the R100 airship. See our lens: squidoo.com/;portsmouth-nevil-shute
to find out more
-
-
-
Reg Loraine
Mar 8, 2010 @ 3:03 pm | delete
- What an aircraft.
always my favorite -my first model when I was 6- I was born sept 16 1940 (battle of Briton)
-
-
-
Ria
Mar 16, 2009 @ 7:50 am | delete
- I loved those planes! Any chance of personal stories or memories on the lens?
-
- Load More
About the Lensmaster
Tirial&Error Lensography
Other Related Lenses:
The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth, Avro Lancaster, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Blenheim Nightfighter, Hawker Hurricane
I have done a series of lenses, mainly about aviation, videogames, books and anything else that caught my eye.If you would like to see more about my lenses, please see my lensography at http://www.squidoo.com/tirial
by tirial
Aviation, IT, History, Gaming, I'm interested in just about anything! I made the Squidoo Top 100 Club in June 2009. I have three fiction books in print... more »
- 276 featured lenses
- Winner of 12 trophies!
- Top lens » Free Online Hatching Games - Virtual Pet Sims
Explore related pages
- The Short Stirling bomber The Short Stirling bomber
- Avro Vulcan V Bomber Avro Vulcan V Bomber
- Classic British Bomber aircraft Classic British Bomber aircraft
- The Shepherd - a short novel by Frederick Forsyth The Shepherd - a short novel by Frederick Forsyth
- Avro Shackleton - bomber and maritime patrol aircraft Avro Shackleton - bomber and maritime patrol aircraft
- Fire Season by VH Folland Fire Season by VH Folland
The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth
The sheperd
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 05/30/2012)
More historic bombers
Aviation adventure
Firestorm - A debut novel
