de Havilland Mosquito ~ Military Aircraft & Armored Vehicles

The de Havilland Mosquito, DH.98, was a WW2 light-bomber and night-fighter aircraft, which was in service with the British RAF from 1941 to 1963. It was one of the most successful and efficient warplanes of World War II. The key to its success was its capacity to adapt to different combat role and the power of its twin Merlin engines, which gave it the speed to outfly almost every other bomber and fighter. 7,781 Mosquitoes in 43 variants were built in England, Canada, and Australia.

The de Havilland Mosquito had been designed in October 1938 by Geoffrey de Havilland, R.E. Bishop, and C.C. Walker. Made entirely of wood, to offset the demand for metal, the prototype (W4050) first flew on November 25, 1940. It was flown by Geoffrey de Havilland Jr., with John E. Walker as navigator. The aircraft was powered by two Rolls Royce Merlin 21 piston engines, each delivering 1,460 horsepower. Although its first flight was quite satisfactory, displaying outstanding performance and flying faster than the Hawker Hurricane, the powerplant would be upgraded in production versions. After many test flights, it was finally introduced into service on November 15, 1941.

Below, a Mosquito B.Mk XVI light bomber belonging to the No. 571 Squadron.

The main version of the DH.98 Mosquito was the B.Mk IV. No. 105 Squadron was the first unit to receive and operate it. Its first combat mission took place on May 31, 1942. It was an air raid on Köln. Crews learned to use the Mosquito speed as the main method of evading enemy fighters, for this variant was entirely unarmed. However, the night fighter version, NF.Mk II, XII, XIII, and XVII was equipped with four 20mm cannons mounted in aircraft nose. Thus, this variant differed from the bomber in being well-armed and in having strengthened wing spars. The fighter-bomber variant FB.Mk XVIII, on the other hand, had four .303-cal. machine guns in nose, and one 57mm cannon under the forward portion of fuselage.

Technical Charasteristics

The de Havilland Mosquito was a two-seat, twin-engine monoplane, whose fuselage was built with wood. It had shoulder wings, with straight leading edge. The wing trailing edge tapered towards the tip at an angle; ailerons were long and flaps narrow and square. The tail horizontal plane was elliptical, with elevator and rudder covered with hardened fabric. Landing gear was retractable. Bombs were carried in an internal bay, while rockets were carried externally under each wing.

The Mosquito was fast and nimble. High-speed, precision bomb strikes and maneuverability and destructive weapons became the stock-in-trade features of both the bomber and fighter models. Almost four dozens versions carried out all the war time missions, from inserting spies behind enemy lines to photo-mapping enemy territory. The night fighter variant was fitted with an AI Mk.IV radar, which helped it to shoot down many German bombers at night.

Specifications

Type: night fighter/light bomber

Length: 12.73 m (41 ft, 9 inch)

Wing Span: 16.51 m (54 ft, 2 inch)

Wing Area: 40.41 m2 (435 sq. ft.)

Height: 4.65 m (15 ft, 3 inch)

Powerplant: two 1,710-HP, Rolls Royce Merlin 76, V-12, liquid-cooled piston engines.

Maximum Speed: 655 km/h (407 mph)

Range: 2,092 km (1,300 miles)

Service Ceiling: 11,885 m (39,000 ft)

Crew: 2

Armament: fighter bomber Mk.VI version had four 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannons under the forward portion of fuselage, and four .303-cal (7.7mm) machine guns in nose. Four 227-kg (500-lb) bombs for the light bomber variant.

Below, FB. Mk VI of No 143 Squadron armed with eight rockets.