The Strange Plane Nobody Expected to Become an Insane Killer in WW2

[@tonyworkswood]

I worked under a cabinet shop manager in the mid 1970's who once assembled wooden component parts for the Mosquito aircraft as a young lad in a furniture factory in Bradford UK. In 1983 I bought and still use the actual spindle moulder (shaper) woodworking machine which was used to manufacture these wooden Mosquito aircraft components during WW2. I could have replaced this machine many times over for a modern equivalent, but I upgraded it's speed and horse power to make it faster and more efficient. Just like a Mosquito. It doesn't have any flashing lights or gimmicks. It's a vintage workhorse which can hold it's own easily in a production workshop today in the hands of a competent skilled operator. I really enjoyed watching your video giving credit to the skilled woodworking crafts people who worked on this aeroplane along with the true heroic WW2 memories. Thank You. Tony

[@majorbloodnok6659]

Years ago, I found myself chatting with a Polish WW2 pilot, who flew Beaufighters; he talked at length about the aircraft, which he plainly enjoyed flying, before he smiled and said simply "but then we got the Mosquito". He smiled, his eyes had a faraway look and his voice trailed off; there was really nothing more that needed to be said...

[@idleonlooker1078]

What a superbly catured vet's memory!! Thanks for posting. 👍

[@S.P.A.R.K.Y.]

The prayers from the prison camp were answered, ✌🎩 = Victory from the skys above! Brothers in Arms, wow thank you for this awesome story. ⚓🦁⚓

[@yascoolskychief]

Think I know why he was so happy talking about Mosquito. Legend say that polish pilots can fly on barn's door.

[@majorbloodnok6659]

@@idleonlooker1078 Thank you

[@Moondoggy1941]

Sometimes the eyes tell the most.

[@wardenau9143]

"The only problem with the mosquito is that we never had enough of them " Hands down my favorite aircraft of all time, thank you for doing it justice dark skies!

[@rattywoof5259]

Both of my favourite WW2 aircraft were twin-engined - the Mosquito and the P38 Lightning.

[@stephenking4794]

Mine too, Wardy. Imagine going for a spin in one. You'd never forget. Or at tree top height...no lights, think dambusters.

[@marksauck8481]

If they did have a large number of these planes, would they have had the same large number of pilots who excelled in flying abilities to handle this plane? It was tough to fly it said.

[@adolfshitler]

This aircraft needed counter rotating engines. Would have been the cherry on the cake!

[@AlanMydland-fq2vs]

@@rattywoof5259 absolutely

[@kevg3320]

A cousin of mine flew these in WW2, killed in action just 2 months before the end of the war in Europe. His watch with the engraving "V.R. Oats RAF 15.4.36" on the back was dug up by a local (German) farmer in 1963 where the plane crashed and it was repatriated to his brother in 1969. It had stopped at 10 minutes past 12. RIP W/Cdr Victor Rundle Oats, cousin and hero. Also, RIP Flt/Sgt FC Gubbings, his navigator who also sadly perished that day.

[@bmused55]

Thank you Wing Cmdr Oast for your service, your courage and giving your tomorrow for our today. Stand down, duty done.

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Salute from the Netherlands 🌷.

[@murraystewart8472]

What a kind thing to say. Couldn’t have put it any better myself.

[@raymondfoster219]

Spot on mate, nothing further needed. well said mate.

[@GoodCorporateRobot]

RIP heros.

[@ianmackay6547]

Thanks so much for the video.My late Dad was part of the original team in England making the prototype frames for the first mosquito.I’m very proud RIP

[@veleriphon]

You know you're doing something right, when your enemy is both furious and envious.

[@gwine9087]

Not that it mattered, from a military perspective, but it was also the prettiest aircraft of the war.

[@mrbismarck]

Fuhrerious.

[@solomonkane6442]

@@gwine9087 you forget the Supermarine Spitfire

[@gwine9087]

@@solomonkane6442 No. I just think the Mos was prettier.

[@solomonkane6442]

@@gwine9087 the mosquito was a beautiful aircraft just not spitfire beautiful Everyone has different tastes it'll be a boring world if we were all the same

[@MostlyPennyCat]

They've also recently found a complete set of technical drawings for every single variant and their individual revisions including why. They were found in an old RAF building on an Airbus property. It was about to be bulldozed. Luckily they had a bit of a looksee first. We can now build them again, ready approved for flight operations.

[@markbooth1117]

The Mosquito restorers worldwide will be glad of that, all they have had up till now were photographs of other Mosquito's in museums and rough drawings to work to. Also they will be able to make spare parts to original specifications.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

@@markbooth1117 Which also means the new parts are already flight certified. That was the indescribably expensive part of it all, getting _one_ part certified for _one_ plane. Now they can build anything they like. Well, except for the engines of course.

[@markbooth1117]

@@MostlyPennyCat Indeed. Shame there are now only so many Merlin engines around. I wonder if more could be made using original patterns, but of course modern spec steels, etc. It is a shame we don't have any flying in the UK after RR299 crashed years ago, it would be great for one to fly with the Lancaster of the BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) as a tribute to the Pathfinder crews who marked the targets for the Lancaster's,as we have both Spitfire and Hurricane to represent the fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain in Fighter Command, but only the Lancaster to represent Bomber Command.

[@Togidubnus]

And now we have The People's Mosquito project, doing exactly that.

[@markbooth1117]

@@Togidubnus Nice, just had a look. I could well be joining and donating.

[@C-Henry]

Definitely my favorite British aircraft of WWII, maybe all time, closest thing we had was the P-38 Lightning, which was no slouch itself, but to achieve what they did with wood as the primary material is truly impressive. Most nations involved in the war attempted something similar, but I can't think of any that succeeded. Combining that with sleek elliptical lines common on British aircraft and it is a beauty to behold.

[@dianapennepacker6854]

No way about it. Both aircraft of this firguation and capabilities are so sadly forgotten.

[@darthwiizius]

Well might as well give 'em something nice to look at before it kills 'em. Some modern US fighters have been pretty too, you can go to the bright silver delta wings but personally I think the F16 is one stunning looking plane.

[@smithy2389]

@@darthwiizius the Mosquitoes had the lowest casualty rate of any allied bomber in European theatres. It was actually a life saver and very rugged.

[@jimsmith7212]

@@darthwiizius "If it looks good it flies good"

[@velocitymg]

A closer aircraft would have been the P-61 Black Widow, America was interested in the Mossie and borrowed one to test against the P-61. Myth has it that the Mossie lost in the testing because it carried a full fuel and bomb load while the Americans flew a stripped down P-61 with minimal fuel, no ammo and no bombs.

[@normmcrae1140]

Post-war - Mosquitos in Canada were used to photograph the millions of square miles of Canada's north. One of these (formerly owned by Spartan Air Services) is undergoing restoration at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton Alberta.

[@joelgrosschmidt5507]

Thank you, I’ll check it out when I get home!

[@stanleybuchan4610]

Well done Canada.

[@dundaravewine2390]

My father piloted those Spartan Mosquitos.

[@normmcrae1140]

@@dundaravewine2390 If he's still around, take him to Nanton - He'll probably get a real kick out of it! And I bet the people doing the restoration would LOVE to talk to him, too!

[@jacktattis]

And the Spitfire Mk XI was used to aerial Photograph Argentina. It appears the US missed the boat .

[@thebritishengineer8027]

Your almost right, couple of mistakes... You missed the fact it was the first and possibly only prototype military aeroplane to built in a kitchen. The kitchen of Salisbury Hall a Manor house near Luton. The first order were predominantly armed fighter versions 4x Nose mounted browning .303s and 4x underside 20mm Hispano Cannons and still able to carry 2x 250lb bombs. Recon became a key role after the plane proved it could give fighters the slip...and became the de-facto photo recon platform of WW2. When the Mossie was not at altitude either photographing, path finder/target marking for Lancaster's or dropping 4x it's original maximum bomb load in the form of 4000lb "cookies" to Berlin. Equal too, but twice as fast as a B17. Mosquitos could be found causing trouble at under 30ft across Europe where precision bombing would see them flying down an Oslo High Street just above the lamp posts, going after trains or skidding bombs into railway tunnel's. They were equipped with 57mm anti tank guns firing at 55 rounds a minute, carried 8x 32lb rockets delivering more punch than a broadside from most cruisers.... And would be adapted to carry WW2's most effective anti ship weapon "Highball". A secret project that would see carrier based Mosquito's (the first 2 engined plane to take off & land). Carry 4x anti ship versions of a bouncing bomb (actually a mine) able to break the back of a battleship in one hit. The Mosquito was the Worlds first multi-role, precision strike, high altitude (first pressurised cockpit) and some say the first stealth bomber... And probably the best all round aeroplane of WW2.

[@petermathieson5692]

Well done.

[@No1sonuk]

IIRC, Highball was never used. I think it was because the Admiralty didn't want to give the Germans an idea that would be far more useful to them than the Allies.

[@seansamurai1981]

The stealth bit was a complete accident as well. Turned out German radar couldn't see the aircraft due to the materials used

[@teebosaurusyou]

Germans: hide trains in railway tunnel's Mosquito crew: hold our pints, we'll be right back.

[@johndavey72]

Very concise but correct . This guy can distort the facts to make it more "attractive to viewers ". Designed to counter the ME 262 !!! 8 Machine guns !! You should be presenting this ! Does he mention the prototype is still extant and the only war time machine to survive . I guess l'll have to grit my teeth and watch the rest ! Wish me luck !

[@riculfriculfson7243]

My Grandmother's brother was a navigator in a mosquito. After his aircraft crashed into a French orchard he, and the pilot, burned to death. No one could get close. The French still honour his grave.

[@2212db]

The respect the French give to war graves is incredible. I was at a French WWI cemetery a few years ago and it was very well tended and immaculate. A few hundred yards away was the WWII cemetery - much smaller but equally well maintained. It was sobering to see a bomber crew all lying next to each other, one of them died 2 days after the others.

[@nialldoyle8206]

Brave men. We owe them a huge debt. Keep his memory alive.

[@itwoznotme]

​@@2212db I do actually agree with you that the french do a good job of showing respect for the fallen of both wars in their country, but lets not be fooled in to thinking they are paying for it!

[@2212db]

@@itwoznotme Let's not jump to conclusions about who's fooled by what. The British war graves in the Falklands are equally well maintained, possibly more so than the French cemeteries

[@maracaibostar]

Respect for your grandmother’s brother

[@rob5944]

I laughed when they interrupted Goring's speech and did the same to Gobbel's later, brilliant!

[@h.cedric8157]

British dry Humour right there! British trolled the Germans real good!

[@Simonsvids]

It was actually recorded and the sound of the bombing while he made his speech can be heard!

[@rob5944]

@@Simonsvids good

[@MrDaiseymay]

It was the RAF's first DAYLIGHT attack on Berlin too.

[@azynkron]

Agreed. That's one big "Fuck you Adolf and your Nazi scum!".

[@brianb7686]

"I never flew another aircraft again after the Mosquito. Never." I think that says it all.

[@catey62]

you won't get a better endorsement of an aircraft than that.

[@trevorgale1176]

Also a impressive was it's loss rate, or really the near lack of one, basically if you wanted to fly from London to Berlin and back with a 99% chance of survival, only one aircraft could do it.

[@rogerpattube]

Yes but they weren’t all used at altitude. Mosquito FB MkVIs of the Banff Strike Wing attacked German shipping in Norway at low level where they were as vulnerable as any other plane to ack ack. My wife’s grandfather, a pilot with 235 squadron was shot down into a fjord near Askvoll Norway where he remains to this day. Edit: the footage of an FB at 6:34 and 7:25 was filmed by him out the window of his mossie.

[@bmused55]

@@rogerpattube I wish to thank your Grandfather in law: For his courage, his service and his ultimate sacrifice of his tomorrow for our today.

[@TheFlatlander440]

I worked with a gentleman back in the early 1980's who was a navigator on both B-24 Liberators and the de Havilland Mosquito during WWII. He made many photo recon missions over Normandy prior to Operation Overlord aboard the Mosquito. He never talked about his missions much but he loved attending airshows that featured WWII aircraft. RIP Ken.

[@jacktattis]

Who with? because in the RAF the Spitfire had taken over that role in 1943 with the Mk XI

[@blxtothis]

In all of my 72 years I’ve never heard anybody call the Mosquito “The Lumbering Lumberyard” for starters it could out run any opposition aircraft from it’s launch and in the UK we don’t have lumber (unless you’re a dyslexic osteopath) we have TIMBER!

[@robertgordon66]

Yes, I find that a bit surprising - hardly a lumbering aeroplane! I wonder if that nickname came from Canada - many Mosquitos were proudly built in Toronto (I grew up near the deHavilland factory) - and we use both words - 'timber' and 'lumber' - to describe wooden building materials.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

You forget that England was overrun with yanks everywhere lol. And yanks are always quick to assign a derogatory moniker to anything they didn’t think of first lol As my uncle and grandfather were fond of saying: there’s 3 things wrong with yanks! They’re overpaid, oversexed, & over here lol

[@Ralnon]

@@prepperjonpnw6482 They had the habit of 'insisting' the Recon Mossie 'needed' a Mustang escort: the problem was that they had to jam the throttles to the end stops to keep up, and if they stopped to fight anything the Recon unit was most of the way home. All they did was annoy the escort pilots and draw more attention to the Recon plane.

[@alanmydland5210]

theirs always a jokester in the crowd,crafty too!!!!

[@Ralnon]

@@alanmydland5210 I believe one popular joke was to put piles of sawdust under the plane and make comments about woodworm ;)

[@wmden1]

Though I have never had any ambition to be a pilot, and I have only flown twice in my 69 years, the airplanes of WWII interest me, considerably. The British, Dehavilland Mosquito is my favorite plane. It was such a useful, you might even say heroic, little wooden plane, and was a huge help in winning the war against absolutely evil tyranny. I also have an affinity for "sleepers", vehicles that are much more powerful than they are presented as. The Mosquito was a sleeper plane, par excellence, until somebody who knew what they were, saw those Merlin engine headers, on both sides of both nacelles, or tried to catch it to shoot it down. It is also interesting that I read that the exhausts were turned back and down and gave it a few hundred more pounds of thrust, from the exhaust pressure and volume. Outstanding!!

[@samstroup2685]

I got the opportunity to get up close to a restored Mossie up at the Abbotsford airshow in Canada. It almost looks like a modern composite airplane, which it was, with very few rivets showing. A truly gorgeous airplane now and then. DeHavilland was a true genius. sam

[@alanjm1234]

New Zealand, Canada, the USA.... almost everyone has a flying Mosquito except Britain!

[@terrywright9765]

Quite possibly the most important and clever aircraft of WWII. It was fast, reliable, flexible for many roles, easy to produce and repair.

[@tullochgorum6323]

Also worth mentioning that despite the many daring missions undertaken, the Mosquito crews had the lowest casualty rate of any allied front-line aircraft.

[@theborderer1302]

But that could be, at least in part, because they were flown by the A-Star pilots.

[@alanjm1234]

@@theborderer1302 mostly it was because they flew so high and so fast, very little could catch them.

[@2centsworth766]

I would look more closely at the stats. I think the P51 had the Mosquito beat. The P51 flew and engaged more.

[@thethirdman225]

@@2centsworth766 No Allied aircraft infuriated the Germans more than the Mosquito. You can read about it in their reports. Fighter pilots worried about the Mustang and it was their standard for comparison. But Goering and the RLM truly hated the Mossie. At one point Goering simply asked Willi Messerschmitt to copy it. Messerschmitt simply said it couldn’t be done. It’s hard to make direct comparisons because they were both great but performed very different roles.

[@patrolmanracv]

@@2centsworth766 the P51 was slow and useless until it got the British RR Merlin v12 ....

[@B-A-L]

The Mosquito perfectly sums up Britain! They may both be small but they always punch well above their weight!

[@doughvictor2893]

"Every piano maker in England will be making aircraft" Herman Goering

[@samstroup2685]

and they did.

[@Jester-Riddle]

Well, they were after all 'highly-strung' aircraft ... ! 😂

[@Ingens_Scherz]

All English males of cricketing age had to turn in their cricket bats so more Mosquitos could be built. Now that really is a major sacrifice for an Englishman, ranking a little bit below his own life (or, indeed, a little bit above if it was a really good bat). Well, it's probably true ;)

[@MrDaiseymay]

@@Jester-Riddle And the KEY to all our problems.

[@generalmarkmilleyisbenedic8895]

“Where the fuck did my private Buffett go?! Whatever morphine subsides hunger” Herman Goering

[@chuck.reichert83]

I am fortunate enough to live in an area that has 1 of 2 flying Mosquitoes in the world. The twin Merlins sound great, and you can feel the ground shake as it passes you taking off. It's my favorite of all the planes at the Museum.

[@yjwrangler7819]

I'm so honoured to have had a part in restoring one of these beautiful ladies.

[@rodneytrotter2643]

Forget your Spitfires,P51's and FW 190. The Mosquito in my book is the greatest plane of WW2.

[@MrFlazz99]

I've always thought the same thing. I reckon it is pure snobbery that the Mosquito and Hurricane aren't accorded the level of respect they deserve, probably on the grounds that they were made of wood, therefore less 'technical'. The Hurricane was the Battle of Britain mainstay and the Mosquito was pretty much anything they wanted it to be.

[@the_regulator1145]

P38: am I joke to you?

[@B-A-L]

@@the_regulator1145 Yeah you are!

[@christiankirkwood3402]

@@MrFlazz99 Agreed. I have a few fave warbirds, yet the Mosquito presents a unique image of it's own that is in the league of single engine stuff. Personally I prefer the MkIV type unarmed/P.R. They had the performance and they look just beautiful, as for handling, a bit to be careful with and quite a handful of aircraft... that's the price of ultra high performance in a twin engine. 1st one I saw was a 1/48 Monogram MkIV/MKVI optional. That was the later 60s... My old man was in awe of them... Whoa, guess thst makes me a boomer. At 59 I still have a Tamiya MkIVb/P.R. to hit the bench where it WILL emerge in R.A.F - P.R.U. Blue!!!

[@doughvictor2893]

Over 10000 built with a two man crew and a payload of a B17.

[@johnparrish9215]

The pure fighter offspring of the Mosquito called the Hornet came too late to be used in WW2 but it was loved by those that flew it. It had all the great attributes of the Mosquito but at a higher level. It even somehow managed to be more beautiful, in my opinion.

[@Grover91]

It had a top speed of 475mph which for a piston engined plane is fantastic, especially if it had come during the war. And I agree, it was an extremely pretty aircraft. 👌👌

[@raypurchase801]

The Hornet could've been in service during the war, but the Air Ministry was already curtailing projects which couldn't be in service by the summer of '44. Plus there were already too many different types in service. The design was dusted-off after WW2, because naval carriers needed long range strike-fighters and early jets were prohibitively thirsty.

[@raypurchase801]

@@Grover91 Compare it with the Dornier Pfeil, designed for the same job. DORNIER: "Let's create an immensely complicated machine using unproven technology, requiring years of development and put it in service almost immediately" De Havilland: "Let's graft a single-seat cockpit on a Mosquito and make a thousand smaller upgrades. Build it on the existing Mosquito production line".

[@scooter2099]

'Winkle' Brown said it was one of the best two aircraft he ever flew - high praise indeed.

[@christopherrobinson7541]

@@raypurchase801 The early jet engines were slow to spool-up, not good on carriers, if you need to go around.

[@samuelhatman8995]

From a retired war plane builder... Sir, one of the best of your best. Absolutely top drawer quality. My heard soared along with the Mosquito! Sincerely, McDonnel Douglas and Northrop Surface and Structure Mechanic Grade A. Sammy

[@juststeve5542]

2:50 - Mosquito Tsetse, my favourite version. 6lb autoloading field gun mounted in the nose... Gotta respect that! The naval version, the Sea Mosquito, was the first twin engine aircraft to land on a carrier... And of course it was piloted by Eric "Winkle" Brown.

[@alphariusomegon3022]

the Tsetse is mine too, that autoloading tank gun would be aimed at the water beside u-boats and the shell would deflect when hitting the water and go through the hull of the sub.

[@ScienceChap]

There is an anecdotal story of a Tsetse Mosquito getting in a mix up with a JU88. The Tsetse fired the 57mm gun at the 88 when it got behind it in a turning dogfight. It tore one engine clean off the 88 which then cartwheeled into the sea. A truly fearsome piece of kit.

[@waynesimpson2074]

Tsetse at 0.30 firstly. Like you say, a brutal combo with that 6 pounder, complete misery if you're a Kreigsmariner on the receiving end.

[@alphariusomegon3022]

@@ScienceChap I'd never heard of it being used on a plane but can imagine it would be devastating if you were lucky/good enough to got a hit on an enemy plane with that 6 pounder gun. Normally the Tsetses would be part of a air group with the other mosquito variants. Deadly combos.

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

@@alphariusomegon3022 there is a video on KZbin just about the Tsetie; kzbin.info/www/bejne/pomQequfj956iM0

[@rickerson81]

The more I learn about this wonderful aircraft, the more respect and appreciation I have for it.

[@garrington120]

Incontrovertibly the best and most versatile aircraft in WW2

[@MH-tr4kn]

Debatably the Ju-88 was just as versatile or more so but I can think of few other aircraft as versatile as those two

[@garrington120]

@@MH-tr4kn Waiting for your thinking ?

[@spotthedod]

agreed. next.

[@harryselwind]

@@MH-tr4kn Okay. You've had a year and we'e still waiting...

[@MH-tr4kn]

@@harryselwind the A-20 flew an insane number of different missions. Just off the top of my head. Nightfighter, medium bomber, intruder, recon, Turbinlite duty. it could skip bomb, carry bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and served as a tug aircraft + tons of science and information missions. And unlike the JU88, it served across the globe. Africa, Northern and Central Europe, the USSR, the southern pacific. It fought with the Dutch, French, British, Australians, Americans, Brazilians, Canadians

[@j3errym]

Thank's for this, my dad trained in Tiger Moth's for ATC and was called up at 18 during the war, he qualified as a pilot navigator, he also flew Hurricanes and crewed as a navigator in Lancasters but his active operations were late war, in unarmed Mosquitos over Europe including Berlin, flying Recon often solo.

[@nor0845]

I’m not going to get into the ‘which was best argument’ but the Mosquito and Spitfire were simply the two most Beautifully Elegant planes of the war.

[@bobthebomb1596]

I always preferred the looks of the Hurricane, but then my favourite aircraft is probably the Ju52-3m, so what can I say? 🤣

[@MrDaiseymay]

@@bobthebomb1596 get treatment ?

[@B-A-L]

@@bobthebomb1596 At least you didn't say the Stuka!

[@bobthebomb1596]

@@B-A-L The 52 has personality, which goes a long way 🤣

[@soyentak5076]

Mosquito or Corsair here. I love the fold up wings

[@More-Space-In-Ear]

One of my favourite airfix models as a kid, was extremely lucky my mother worked in a toy shop, great discount 😊

[@sd3457]

The factory that made the glue that held it together is still there (in Duxford, just down the road from the Imperial War Museum) and still making stuff for the cutting edge of aviation.

[@jonnybottle]

Ciba-Geigy?

[@sd3457]

@@jonnybottle Not any more. Hexel got the advanced materials bit in the mid 90s and the adhesives bit is now owned by Huntsman (although Araldite is branded by Selleys in my local DIY store). BASF acquired the Ciba bit and killed the brand.

[@TimBadger-w7d]

I huge memory of my childhood is the smell of Aerolite in my dad’s workshop.

[@trevorday7923]

Weighing two tenths of bog-all, essentially a Spitfire on either wing and flown by the RAF. A legend. An absolute LEGEND

[@oldfatbastad6053]

"Weighing two tenths of bog-all" 😆

[@stevenread1676]

I remember growing up as a child, a neighbour and friend of my father, was a Mosquito pilot. He rarely talked about it, however when he did he mentioned how he loved it and wouldn't have considered switching to a fighter even. He flew the unarmed bomber and he said nothing could touch it for speed- even later in the war FW190's had to be able to vector in quickly or not be able to intercept. I asked why he didn't talk about it much and he mentioned he caught a stray canon shell from a chasing FW190 but had miraculously survived- the shell went right through him and the plane and they had somehow survived. He had lung issues ever since and he said that he didn't like to talk about it because he didn't like to boast. (!!!) A nice guy and a true legend, and likely he's dead now, old man as he was 35 years ago- so salute to you Cyril, wherever you are mate.

[@tonyworkswood]

So humble as well....Tony

[@sim.frischh9781]

According to Wikipedia, of the over 7.700 Mosquitos build, 30 still exist, 4 of which are reported as airworthy, with 8 more being in restoration, the others are on display.

[@haydengoodall6767]

A small, NZ aircraft resto company rebuilt an original mosquito only a couple of years back out of Ardmore aerodrome. The coolest thing I've ever seen and heard.

[@sim.frischh9781]

@@haydengoodall6767 If i´m right and NZ stand for New Zealand, that Mosquito hopefully gets better glue than the original one, the planes brought to Oceania kept falling apart because the glue got melted by the heat.

[@119jle]

I have one

[@sim.frischh9781]

@@119jle Then take good care of it. Might just be machines, but they deserve some love too.

[@tomt373]

"Speed is armour"-Jackie Fisher, First Sea Lord who masterminded the Dreadnaught class of warship.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

_"No it bloody isn't"_ Battlecruiser Crews

[@tomt373]

@@MostlyPennyCat As in the crew of the HMS Hood? It is a mixed bag, isn't it? 😲

[@generalmarkmilleyisbenedic8895]

“No armor is best armor”

[@tomt373]

@@generalmarkmilleyisbenedic8895 The Japanese must have had that philosophy, which made their Zero's and Betty Bombers wonderful targets for our .50 cal tracers to hit their leaking fuel cells after being punctured by the regular .50 BMG bullets standard to USN aircraft. I met a guy who served as an AA gunner in the USN in WW2, and he loved shooting Betty Bombers, as they blew up nicely. Interestingly enough, it was designed using specifications under the direction of Admiral Yamamoto. Ironically, he lived to experience the error in that thinking later when his was shot down.

[@dhk7986]

Why the hell are you using "battle cruisers," designed as cruiser killers, against a battle line? -Fisher, probably. Also, Beatty circumvented flash fire protection, so really more of his fault in ignoring proper safety measures.

[@michaelshaw8370]

The greatest test pilot of all time. Winkle Brown. He flew more aircraft types an models than anyone in history. Was the only man to land and take off a mosquito from a carrier. Loved it. It’s main issue was both props turned in the same direction. This combined with the massive power and torque left a razor edge on takeoff and landing. The proposed replacement mainly aimed for use by the Fleet Air Arm. Unfortunately too late to see active service. The Hornet had not only more power. It also had the props counter rotating one clockwise one anti-clockwise. Almost the effective leap of Spitfire mk1 to mk18. Also he was a major player involved in the development of the all flying tail plane. When the British government pulled funding for breaking the sound barrier. Just as the kinks had worked out. Only days away from would have had the British breaking Mach one. He handed all data to the USA saved over a year in development. Saving not only time money and lives. It gave the USA the needed lead in supersonic aviation.

[@SuperDiddzz]

My grandmother had a lodger from Poland who flew one of these amazing aircraft . His English was not so good and he taught me a little Polish . I don't know which type but we spoke with a mixture of both of our languages and i can tell you he loved this aircraft. I still remember what he taught me and am proud of my uncle Tony Kowalski. Rest his soul. Thank you sir.

[@andrewthomasfinney752]

During the war, my father was stationed at an RAF base. He related to me about the Mosquito's often landing back from missions with telephone wire wrapped around their wings. So, the statement regarding "as low as 15ft" is most certainly correct.

[@doughart2720]

Interesting how two of the most successful aircraft designs resulted in aircraft manufactures saying they could do better than what the Air Ministry wanted. North American Aviation said they could do better than build P-40 and the result was the Mustang and De Havilland virtually ignored the Air Ministry and come up with the Mosquito.

[@thethirdman225]

The P-51 wasn't really anything special until it was fitted with the Merlin. de Havilland actually had to _hide_ the Mosquito by building in a country manor house. Only when it was finished di they show the Air ministry.

[@doughart2720]

@@thethirdman225 I agree with you that fitting the two stage, two speed supercharged Merlin was a game changer for the Mustang, but the airframe, cooling and large fuel capacity were well in advance of the P40. The Merlin alone would not have made the Mustang a great plane if the aircraft itself had been second rate.

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I think the Mustang was a British specification, they were the ones who put the Merlin it, strongly suggested the bubble canopy and a few other things.

[@thethirdman225]

@@doughart2720 Yes, the Mustang was a superior airframe.

[@thethirdman225]

@@JohnHill-qo3hb Was it? I thought the British government approached Curtiss and got nowhere, only to be approached by North American with an offer to build a better aircraft than the P-40. But the aircraft was already established before the Merlin was fitted.

[@skyden24195]

"Impressive. Most impressive." -Darth Vader War is not a funny thing, but disrupting the Nazi anniversary party twice in the same day is hilarious.

[@smathet7766]

Can imagine listening to a bunch of Germans losing their minds. Especially Hitler, LOL

[@obscurazone]

I chuckled (guiltily) at that too. You can just imagine the german high command screaming Scheisse!!!!! Diese verdammten Mücken!!!!!

[@SpaceBattleshipYamato-mu9xp]

Mosquito be like: *NYOOOOOOOOOOOM MOTHERFUCKERS*

[@AussieCarsRule]

"the mosquito entered the war relatively late" LMAO it entered the war before the USA.

[@teebosaurusyou]

No kidding. Some US of A military documentaries state that WWII started in 1941.

[@skadoink1736]

@Alenas Kvasninas not really, that had only 2 belligerents...

[@mortimersnerd8044]

@@teebosaurusyou , some Russian ones too🙃

[@alexwilliamson1486]

Carried bigger bombload than a B-17

[@richardwilliams6132]

@Alenas Kvasninas It wasn't a WORLD war then though was it? Doh!

[@eddetrich]

I have watched every video on the Mosquito that I can find. This one is an excellent resume. It is really an intriguing story. As for the voice of Dark Skies, I have found it weirdly lugubrious. On the other hand this fellow is the first English speaker on any of the Mosquito videos who has correctly pronounced the name of the city of Amiens. Bravo!

[@ImSarahNow]

Videos like this are why I’m so glad to have discovered your channel 😃

[@Harbalz]

You should kiss more often 😘

[@ronaldschoolcraft8654]

You should be aware, however, that he gets a lot of historical and technical facts wrong in every video that he produces. For instance, the P38 entered service in July 1941 and had a top speed of 443 miles per hour. It was all metal. The Mosquito entered service in November 1941 and had a top speed of 408 mph. It was not the fastest fighter in the world.

[@timgosling6189]

@@ronaldschoolcraft8654 At least it's bad enough to be sort of entertaining. It is brave for someone who knows plainly nothing about aerospace, any branch of the military, or indeed basic history, to display their ignorance so widely.

[@englishbob5106]

@@timgosling6189 It's speed talking bullshit

[@martinhansen6466]

Tjek Greg's airplans and automobiles here on KZbin. Lot of Technical stuff on ww2 planes.

[@yvc9]

Very well narrated. We can hear the respect , love and passion in your voice. Very moving.

[@gregfair1749]

The Mosquito is one awesome aircraft!!! It is sure is funny how many times I’ve learned about ingenious inventions like the Mosquito being scoffed at, ridiculed and dismissed by people in high positions throughout history and seeing how much egg those neigh sayers end up wearing on their faces!!! I’ve always liked the Mosquito and would love to see one up close! Great video! I really enjoyed watching it!!!

[@Max_Flashheart]

My Grandfather told stories of his time as ground crew for Mosquitos. He said they were hedge magnetics because everytime they returned from mission they had bits of hedges and branches in them.

[@SwanOnChips]

Thanks! As a teenager (I'm in my 60s now) I remember reading a book on the Mosquito. I did not know what I was going to read, just that it was about a WWII plane. I fell in love with it!

[@tacticplanner7188]

Once again an excellent mini documentary, this is a must watch channel for history nuts like myself. Thanks so much for your time and effort!

[@spigot993]

It cannot be excellent, when it is wrong.

[@theBolderBoulder]

I LOVE the mosquito! It’s my favorite piston engine war bird! Such a beautiful, and extremely versatile aircraft!

[@q.e.d.9112]

It is the original multi-role combat aircraft, and quite possibly the GOAT when compared to its contemporaries.

[@richardpatton2502]

Best example of what’s known as “British ingenuity”

[@MrDaiseymay]

and Humour

[@rohzpopper4922]

US Delta wings jet fighters used to crash often until British aeronautics show the straight line flaws body design .. .

[@mikemines2931]

Doing a lot with very little is our speciality.

[@itwoznotme]

@@mikemines2931 and nowadays we do very little with a lot! funny how things change!

[@EdOeuna]

It’s amazing how many WW2 stories include these amazing stories of ingenuity, bravery or heroism. Let’s not be fooled by the Germans ability, but the Brits seemed to be one step ahead at almost every opportunity.

[@jimcameron9848]

A special thanks to quality Canadian timber that went into the near gorgeous hand crafting of the air frame.

[@B-A-L]

Don't forget the quality Canadian pilots who flew them too! Us British never forget our Canadian allies who fought alongside us right from the start!

[@jimcameron9848]

@@B-A-L Excellent point. Well stated!

[@kevinnobody3052]

My 2 favorite WW 2 planes. The mosquito and the P-38 Lightening.

[@bigred8438]

This was great. One of my favorite planes. Would love to see something on the Hawker Tempest.

[@dandare2586]

I used to know a service mechanic in the early 1980's, who serviced them in tropical conditions, he told me wood boring insects got into the fuselage & obviously weakened it over time, despite the precautions. :(

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Termite lunch.😏

[@davidvoinier6008]

The worst thing was engine oil would eventually soak the wood and cause it to lose it's strength. They were amazing aircraft, but not very long lasting. Perfect machine for the purpose at the time.

[@MrT67]

Axis termites.

[@dogsnads5634]

One of the issues they had in the tropics was the glue used in the laminate construction. The heat and humidity would weaken it, there were initial problems but then the glue was changed to a formula that would stand up to heat, humidity and salt water better.

[@pauloakwood9208]

De Havilland didn't design the Mossi in wood because they thought it would be lighter than metal. They simply had no choice. Metal was being carefully rationed during the war. British civilians were being urged to turn in pots and pans so they could be melted and turned into weapons. However, as it turned out, using light weight wood is precisely what made the Mossi so darned fast.

[@beyondwhatisknown]

Airplanes that won all the air the races before the war were made of wood. So, the whole concept was to use wood, which was abundant and fast, from the very beginning.

[@alangordon3283]

The pots and pans was just a propaganda exercise to make it think it was contributing to the war production.

[@pauloakwood9208]

@@beyondwhatisknown yes, before the war airplanes were made of wood ... and cloth and string. But technology had moved on.

[@smithy2389]

@@pauloakwood9208 the albatross was a a very modern airliner and the forerunner to the mosquito also wood… de Havilland just knew they had a winning construction method

[@richardwilliams6132]

@@beyondwhatisknown Entirely wrong . All the large air races; the Schneider Trophy being the biggest international one were won by aluminium skinned monoplanes, One, which won it outright for UK. Supermarine, was the forerunner of the Spitfire,

[@Ruby1848]

I had the privilege of working on the plane used in the thumbnail. She was based at broughton in flintshire Wales. She crashed at a air show in the 90s doing a dive and a rollover. I only met the pilot a few times and never really new him or spoke to him. But the engineer, What just a great bloke. He treated anyone who walked into his hanger like a long lost friend. He would always find the time to show you and talk about his plane.

[@cdjhyoung]

My father was a B24 pilot in the 492nd Bomber Group. His group was disbanded and he was given a chance to transfer to the Mosquito Squadron that shared his airstrip. He had a test flight in the Mossie in the navigators seat. My father was a more than competent bomber pilot, but he could see quickly he was not in the league of pilots the Mosquito require. He declined the transfer and continued flying B24s doing radar and radio jamming missions. The Mosquito was his favorite airplane also, waxed poetically about when the subject came up.

[@tonyworkswood]

One hundred percent credit to your father. Your fathers role was just as important to aid the UK in winning victory in WW2. Great memory. Tony

[@rjds1800]

What beautiful tribute, the Wooden Wonder is legendary.

[@macca1146]

Every time i watch these sort of documentaries i always end up saying the same thing about the British, Brains over Brawn.

[@DavyRo]

You've got it half right, we wouldn't have had the largest empire the world has ever seen without both. There's a reason the saying goes in many of the sub continent nations that were part of the empire to this day when describing our military " only mad dogs & Englishmen March in the midday sun" If you know any military from your own country ask them what they think of the Brit military they did exercises with.

[@bigtony4829]

We have won more than our fair share of wars over the years

[@Andrew-yb1uv]

Fighting for survival is a great inspiration.

[@itwoznotme]

its just a shame these days that all those potential 'brains' are doing media studies or PPE and not working on anything of use to the world!

[@OniMetsuki]

My father's yacht, Dream of Holland, had a custom coach house made with wood from a Mosquito. She was a lovely boat too and we had a Great many adventure with her

[@nigelbagguley7606]

All the way from England,as thorough and accurate coverage as any documentary about this wartime marvel as any produced in my home country.Thank you for expanding knowledge of De Havilland's finest work to your country men

[@Boatperson]

I’ve been obsessed and in love with the mosquito for years - which is really odd as I live far away in a small Australian country town. I cried all the way through a filmed flight of a mosquito just rebuilt in New Zealand - being there with the pilot felt so real it was breathtaking. Makes one wonder if we are reincarnated…………..🥰

[@richardsawyer5428]

The USAAF used it along with quite a few other British aircraft such as the DH Tigermoth. Airfix have released a new model of the mossie, I'm just waiting to build one in US markings.

[@lanwyacaere9274]

You should have mentioned also Niels Bohr's evacuation. Quite important mission for the war

[@chuck.reichert83]

Should have also mentioned that they squeaked a 7 pounder in the fuselage for anti shipping.

[@teebosaurusyou]

@@chuck.reichert83 Called a Tsetse I believe. The MK XVIII - yes the eighteenth variant.

[@TheArgieH]

@@chuck.reichert83 The Molins gun. It was the British 57mm 6 pounder anti-tank gun with an auto feed. The intended target was enemy submarines, at that time they still had to come up to breathe and recharge. Just one anti-tank round through the pressure hull would really spoil your day.

[@oldfatbastad6053]

@@TheArgieH ripped and engine off a ju88 😁

[@TheArgieH]

Quite so, escaped Denmark through to Sweden. Was placed in the Mosquito bomb bay wrapped in life jacket and parachute harness, and given a selection of flares. Told in the event of serious trouble he would be "evacuated" from the aircraft and picked up by a RN submarine in due course. Ladies and Gentlemen your emergency exit is here (points straight down), please do not inflate your life jacket until you have left the aircraft (or the aircraft leaves you). Leave all belongings etc., etc. I

[@therabbitcanada]

before he entered the Royal Canadian Navy, my grandfather helped build Mosquitoes in Montreal

[@phaasch]

My mother and father met at DeHavillands while working on this aircraft at Stag Lane in 1943. He was an engineer, she had swung a job in the drawing office. Romance bloomed across the Wooden Wonder!

[@chrisjohnson4165]

I've actually sat in the prototype! My friend, the late Geoffrey Trevelyan was one of the designers, on the aerodynamics. He was co-pilot when Geoffrey DeHavilland flew the speed trials. At full speed for two minutes, DeHavilland thought it might break up because it was shaking so much, but Trevelyan was confident.

[@andyman8630]

that's a result of being overpowered

[@dystopianlucidity4448]

I’ve made two pens from wing spars from a mosquito that was being restored. Amazing pens.

[@MrT67]

Dystopian Lucidity: I bet you can write very very fast. No need for shorthand....

[@SiggyCloud]

@@MrT67 AND I bet they're almost completely invisible on radar!

[@petegarnett7731]

The ultimate recycling. It beats swords into plough-shares anyday.

[@nathanchildress5596]

Great stuff as always! I’d love it if you also made a video on the Bristol Beaufighter, the Brit’s heavy fighter which doesn’t get much coverage

[@Dave_Sisson]

Despite the name, the Beaufighters we built here in Melbourne were used as light bombers against the Japanese and very few were in heavy fighter configuration.

[@johnmunro4952]

The first true multirole strike fighter. It could do everything. Strike. Night fighter. Long range reconnaissance. Maritime strike. It could deliver bouncing bombs. Carry radar. Rockets. Cannons. It could fly higher and faster than any interceptors. In a war full of amazing technology, the most amazing was made from trees.

[@oldfatbastad6053]

not quite everything, couldnt do heavy bomber, torpedo bomber. if you take the Stockholm Express runs it did passenger work too 😀

[@kumasenlac5504]

@@oldfatbastad6053 Granted it couldn't be a heavy bomber - but what did a torpedo weigh ?

[@gregwarner3753]

I watched and heard a Mossie fly at an airshow a couple of decades ago. I will never forget the sight and sound of a couple of Merlin engines in very close formation. Magnificent

[@teslaphile2097]

Without any shadow of a doubt, the Mosquito is the most beautiful plane to ever fly. It really had no business performing so brilliantly, while looking flawless. But, it looked and performed amazingly. The grey livery, with red engine nose cones and invasion stripes... I also love the aircraft because it proved all it's naysayers utterly wrong. The best looking and best for purpose airplane ever. In my humble opinion, of course.

[@davidrivero7943]

A Senior Coworker from Downsview, Canada grew up around Mosquitoes & she called them , Termites Dreams.

[@ruairijohnston5718]

Brilliant piece about the mosquito I would love to see you do a doc on the hawkers hurricane My great uncle flew one in ww2 and loved the airplane saying it saved his life on more than one occasion thanks

[@corathus]

Thank you so much for a Mosquito video. It was my dad's favourite aircraft.

[@brianperry]

Working at a boat builder in the mid sixties we were still using the glue developed for this aeroplane ...I believe it was called aerolite.... A white powder mixed with water ....it took on a clear very sticky fluid activated with a green coloured hardener..I don't believe the German aircraft industry ever overcame the problem of glued surface failures...

[@safetymikeengland]

I am not a flyer; the closest I've come to a lot of old airplanes was when I jumped out of some beauties back in the 80s. I jumped out of the Dehaviland Beaver, a couple twin beaches, lots of Cessna 180s and 182s, and a Stinson 109. I'm a EAA member, have been to the Wright Patterson Air museum several times, as well as Smithsonian Air & Space. And The Airventure at Oshkosh. In short, I'm interested in aviation and in history. . . but I've never heard about this plane at all. And you do a GREAT job of presenting information about some obscure aviation related topics. Keep up the good work. Thank you .

[@PeugeotSportClub]

@DarkSkies another fantastic video. Please can you do one on the flying porcupine, the Short Sunderland flying boat and in particular the Battle of the Bay in the Bay of Biscay on 2 June 1943, when eight Junkers Ju 88Cs attacked a single Sunderland Mk III of No. 461 Squadron RAAF, and managing to destroy 3 before nursing the aircraft over the 350-mile (560 km) journey back to Britain beaching the aircraft at Praa Sands, Cornwall. The 10 surviving crew members were able to wade ashore, while the Sunderland broke up in the surf.

[@michelleshaw337]

These remain one of my all time favourite aircraft designs. The lines are simple and elegant, and the plane looks like poetry in flight to my eye. If you can find a good picture of a Mosquito in flight, and one of a North American Magpie in flight, the comparison in shape is fascinating ... and makes me wonder if the plane was misnamed ...

[@leehansen4750]

This plane was designed, and built, by Jeffrey Dehavlin.The prototype was finally accepted by the Royal Airforce with the stipulation it would be built with minimum aluminum because aluminum was not available for new planes at that time. Jeffrey Dehavalin was a racing plane builder and flyer and understood the engineering strengths of wood and the limitations. and England had a huge supply of wood furniture shops with trained craftsmen, so he built and flew the first prorptotype and the RAF ordered all he could build, to be delivered IMMEDIATELY because of the planes excellent performance!

[@tonyworkswood]

Great comment. I worked with a lot of these guys back in the 1970's, they also built parts for gliders which were used to transport paratroopers into live combat. Tony

[@leedsman54]

I think the Mosquito, along with the Dakota, are two of the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft ever made.

[@lesliemackay7853]

I think My favourite story, attributed to Leonard Cheshire, was when He was told by the Air Ministry, that because of the location of the engine exhausts they were totally unsuitable and He couldn't have them for Pathfinders! "Strange? I've been flying one operationally for a week and have never noticed!" He got His Mosquitos!

[@Ingens_Scherz]

A great tribute to a true war winning airframe that deserves the same fame as the Spitfire or the Mustang, but, for some reason, doesn't enjoy it. Good job, Dark Skies. Really good.

[@paulm749]

When you think about the Mosquito as an example of the advantages to be found in high tech composite construction, then it totally makes sense. This airplane was far ahead of its time.

[@coyote5735]

It was actually made from Carbon fibre if you think about it.

[@andrewd7586]

My late father, a WW2 veteran told me the Mosquito was also referred to as “Whispering Death”, as you could not hear it approaching. I still have my somewhat battered Revell model from the early 70’s.👍🏼😎🇦🇺

[@johnlathwell7667]

I think Whispering Death was attributed by the Japanese to the Beaufighter not the Mosquito

[@coyote5735]

@@johnlathwell7667 Correct, nothing whispering about two purring Merlin engines..lol.

[@kurtzwar729]

Rolls Royce Merlins blasted the Mosquito thru Nazi skies. The US bolted them onto P-51 Mustangs (made by Packard and replacing single stage supercharged Allison V-12s) and again history was made with the finest engine around. Going into 2 of the finest aircraft ever built. Joining the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster and more with RR Merlins. Great story. Thanks.

[@JohnTLyon]

The DH mosquito was the pride of my model collection when I was a kid.

[@derf85]

Even when I was a wee lad, this is the plane that captured my imagination.

[@EmeryJude]

When you said all wood I immediately thought Spruce Goose but nope! This is cool. Can't believe I've not heard of the Mosquito before.

[@tempestfury8324]

It's about time....this was a monumental plane!

[@tgsgardenmaintenance4627]

The greatest all round plane of WW2 & absolutely gorgeous!

[@alainbellemare2168]

Never get tired of watching docs on the mosquito

[@EdOeuna]

Don’t forget Operation Carthage. I was in Copenhagen the other day and went to see both the Shellhaus and the memorial for the school. Unfortunately the school has been replaced by some fairly hideous modern housing blocks but the memorial looks lovely and peaceful.

[@DavidLee-df888]

It's saying something when the head of the air services compliments and is envious of the enemies' aircraft. Goering seemed to like our Spits and Mossies!

[@thethirdman225]

I don't think Goering ever said much about Spitfires but the Mosquito was an ever present problem. The RLM was usually silent when a new Spitfire came out but dreaded any new model of Mosquito.

[@Firstfocalplane]

never thought i'd hear Dark say "nincompoop"

[@darthwiizius]

He never finished the quote either which went: "When the war is over I will buy a British radio because then I will own something that has always worked".

[@KlodFather]

@@darthwiizius - As long as Lucas Electric did not build it, you are good. The only thing they ever built that did not suck was a vacuum cleaner :P

[@palewriter1856]

@@KlodFather ...and what's the #1 malady for which Jaguars are notoriously plagued????

[@palewriter1856]

Well, I will remember that quote next time I'm cursing "german engineering" when working on one of our BMWs or MBs. Honestly, sometimes I find their stupidity OVERWHELMING! But then I have to remember my last Ford - a T-bird with an oil filter directly over a big, fat crossmember that DEFIED you to find a way to drop it without making a royal MESS! Or a Toyota 4runner that you had to pull the engine up out of the mounts in order to replace a bloomin STARTER - guess after all the (100+) years of auto design and manufacture, we still can't make one that's EASY to SERVICE! No - now it's all about planned obsolescence PLUS: NO services done by the end user - STEALERSHIP service ONLY! There I go - WHINING like a little girl - AGAIN. Sorry. FANTASTIC story, REALLY!!! THANKS!!!

[@KlodFather]

@@palewriter1856 - Jaguars and many other cars are plagued with electrical problems. Give Pale Writer a GOLD STAR. The settings on the light switch are Dim Flicker and Catch Fire LOL

[@estellemelodimitchell8259]

Herman Goering hated this aircraft, for he had none in his arsenal which could match the Mosquito

[@arwo1143]

Uhm…. ME262?

[@richardfairbrass5760]

given the tech advances and lack of resources limiting wonderweapons like the 262. the idea someone used a written off resource and workforce to make something as effective, versitile and fast must have been staggering.

[@cordellej]

@@arwo1143 you forget that even the Do 335 . and it could catch the mosquito as well

[@robertpatrick3350]

Me262 😂 I guess you could take 4 of them along to carry the same payload + build lots of airfields to refuel them along the way, which would be handy as you’ll need somewhere to store the spare engines

[@richardfairbrass5760]

@@robertpatrick3350 20hrs till rebuild while never having the fuel to operate them.

[@shawnr771]

Very cool. In my opinion this is the single best episode you have ever done. Bravo.

[@derekstocker6661]

Fabulous aircraft, I believe the larger cannon was a 40mm possibly for tank busting. I well recall talking to a guy several years ago and he said one of his first jobs when he joined the RAF was breaking up Mosquito's. He said they gave us sledge hammers and the hammers just bounced off the fuselage owing to the very tough wooden construction! I don't know how many of these are still flying but I saw one at a small airfield in the south of England many years ago, it was a recce type with perspex nose and flew out of the airfield after a few of us turned it around by hand! Thanks for this, would have loved to see more of the night time firing range gun harmonising images as shown in the thumbnail pic.

[@johnyoung1128]

Derek Stocker The larger gun you refer to was a 57 mm Molins gun originally intended as an anti submarine weapon. The version that carried this weapon was only built in small numbers and was predominantly used in anti shipping missions. I don’t think it was ever used as an anti tank aircraft.

[@derekstocker6661]

@@johnyoung1128 John, many thanks, great info and I had not heard of that size weapon on a British aircraft! Appreciated.