Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat fighter/bomber

Power Plant:

(FB Mk 40)

Two 970 kw (1,300 hp) Rolls Royce Merlin 31 twelve-cylinder VEE liquid-cooled engines

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 20 mm cannon and four 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Browning machine-guns in nose; provision for max bomb load of 680 kg (1,500 lb); provision for two 227 kg (500 lb) bombs under wings

History:

The de Havilland Mosquito was probably the most versatile aircraft of World War II, being used in all roles from fighter, night fighter, long-range bomber, pathfinder, to photo reconnaissance, etc. In late 1938 a team led by Geoffrey de Havilland decided to design the smallest practicable aircraft using two Rolls Royce Merlin engines, built of wood, this being light, thus not making use of essential material. The use of wood also meant that the aircraft could be built in small sections by carpenters in widely dispersed plants.

The outbreak of World War II accelerated studies and the British Ministry of Aircraft Production ordered 50 aircraft, known as the DH.98, on 1 March 1940. On 3 October 1940 the Company’s Hatfield plant in Hertfordshire was destroyed by German bombers but the Mosquito prototype (W4050) was built at Salisbury Hall in Hertfordshire, so was not damaged. It was flown on 25 November 1940 powered by two Rolls Royce Merlin 21 engines providing 1,104 kw (1,480 hp) at 1,829 m (6,000 ft). Demonstrations of this aircraft led to the original order being modified to 20 bombers and 30 fighters. The prototype bomber variant was flown on 19 February 1941.

By mid 1941 the Mosquito had met, and in some cases exceeded, all expectations, and contracts were let to build the aircraft at de Havilland’s Hatfield and Leavesden plants in Herfordshire; and later at Standard Motors, Percival Aircraft, and Airspeed. Further changes then occurred to the original order, this assigning ten Mosquito Is to photo reconnaissance, 30 Mosquito IIs as fighters, and ten Mosquito IVs as bombers.

Deliveries commenced in mid 1941 and the initial operational flight occurred on 20 September 1941. The aircraft was flown at 7,010 m (23,000 ft) on a photo reconnaissance operation, easily avoiding Messerschmitt Bf 109s when chased.

The Mk IV Series I bomber was able to carry four 113 kg (250 lb) bombs but development to the Series II led to a carrying capacity of four 227 kg (500 lb) bombs, and later a single 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) bomb, with a maximum cruising speed of 547 km/h (340 mph) being achieved at 6,706 m (22,000 ft).

To meet demand, production commenced in Canada and Australia, and it was even mooted that it would commence in the USA. This did not occur, but some 40 Canadian-built machines served with the USAAF as the Mosquito F.8. In June 1942 the first Mosquito drawings arrived in Australia for de Havilland at Bankstown to commence construction, followed by a Mk II as a sample. About 108 Mosquitos were built at Bankstown, NSW during the war, with a further 104 being built for the RAAF following the cessation of hostilities.

The first Australian-built aircraft A52-1 was an FB Mk 40. Based on the FB VI, it was flown for the first time on 23 July 1943, and deliveries to the RAAF commenced in March 1944. In addition, a number of British-built T.III trainers were received. These were fitted with the Merlin 31 engine and redesignated T Mk 43.

Other Australian-built variants were the PR Mk 40 for photo reconnaissance; FB Mk 41 with an automatic pilot and two-stage supercharged Merlin 69 engines; and FB Mk 42 similar to the FB Mk 41 with an automatic pilot. Production ceased in Australia in 1948.

In October 1946 a Mosquito FB Mk 40 (A52-101 – code SU-Z) set a new speed record from Sydney, NSW to Auckland, NZ but unfortunately suffered an undercarriage failure when it landed.

In 1944 No 618 Squadron RAF, one of the units involved in testing the Highball ‘bouncing bomb’, was sent to Australia with 28 Mosquitos on board the aircraft carriers ‘HMS Fencer’ and ‘HMS Striker’, arriving in Melbourne, VIC on 10 December where the aircraft were off-loaded and taken to Fishermens Bend where they were prepared and flown to the unit’s new base at Narromine, NSW, the proposal being to move to Manus Island to begin operations. However, as the war was nearing its end, it was decided to disband the Squadron in June 1945. Two of the unit’s Mosquitos went to the RAAF, the others being offered to the RNZAF but being rejected and broken up in situ.

A total of 7,781 Mosquitos was built in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia up to 15 August 1945, the date of the surrender of Japan. About 338 came on charge of the RAAF and these were: FB Mk 40 serials A52-1, A52-3, A52-5, A52-8, A52-10 to A52-25, A52-27, A52-91 to A52-212; PRMk 40 A52-2, A52-4, A52-6, A52-7, A52-9, A52-26; FB Mk 40 and FB Mk 42 A52-300 to A52-327; PR Mk 41 A52-500 to A52-537; PR XVI A52-600 to A52-622; F II A52-1001; T-III A52-1002 to A52-1015; and T 43 A52-1050 to A52-1071.

Many of the Australian-built Mosquitos were re-built, received new designations and were re-serialled but the changes made have been too extensive to deal with here.

New Zealand received 76 Mosquitos from the United Kingdom and nine from Australia, but only 22 actually entered service with the RNZAF, almost all operating with No 75 Squadron between 1947 and 1955. Serials allocated were NZ2301 to NZ2308, and NZ2320 to NZ2396, these all being FB Mk VIs.

In RAAF service the Mosquito was used by No 5 Operational Training Unit at Forrest Hill, NSW the unit’s first aircraft being a T Mk III (A52-1002) in November 1943. In May 1944 the unit commenced operations at Williamtown, NSW with a Mosquito conversion course commencing. It was envisaged No 22 Squadron would be the first unit equipped but, due to slow production, No 1 Squadron was the first, becoming operational at Kingaroy, QLD, some aircraft being sent to Manilla in The Philippines, flying as far afield as North Borneo.

By the end of the war they were being used on reconnaissance patrols. No 87 (PR) Squadron was formed at Coomalie Creek, NT on 10 September 1944 and took over the role of No 1 PRU being supplied with Mosquitos, these having no armament, being fitted with cameras and two extra fuel tanks of 573 litres (126 Imp gals) in the bomb bay, bringing total capacity to 3,932 litres (865 Imp gals).

The first aircraft the unit received was A52-2 which operated on photo reconnaissance work from Coomalie Creek. The unit later became No 87 (Survey) Squadron. No 94 Squadron was formed at Castlereagh, NSW on 30 May 1945, receiving its first aircraft A52-84 from RAAF Richmond, NSW on 29 May. The unit was disbanded in January 1946. The Mosquitos operated from Morotai, Labuan and Noemfoor Island, the last mission undertaken being that of British-built Mk XVI A52-609 to Timor on 15 August 1945. The Mosquito continued in service after the war until replaced by the Avro Lincoln.

A few managed to make it on to the Civil Aircraft Registers of Australia and New Zealand. Six in New Zealand received the registrations ZK-BCT to ZK-BCY. Four (ZK-BCT; ZK-BCW- ex NZ2385; ZK -BCY – ex NZ2387; and ZK-BCV) were flown, between November 1953 and April 1954, from Taieri to Palmerston North. They were to be flown to the United States to be used for aerial photography in Canada and the USA. It would appear the other two ZK-BCU (ex NZ2382) and ZK-BCX (ex NZ2386) were broken up in situ.

One FB Mk VI, which had operated with the RNZAF (ex NZ2384, PZ474), became ZK-BCV with Aircraft Supplies of Palmerston North before going to Yorba in California where it became N9909F. It was struck off the American register in 1970. As a wreck it was returned to New Zealand for restoration by Avspecs Ltd of Manukau, again as ZK-BCV, and was flown on 13 January 2019 at Ardmore, later going to the United States as N474PZ.

Two ex New Zealand civil aircraft (ZK-BCV and ZK-BCT) were said to be purchased by Trans World Engineering Corporation of Burbank, California, for aerial mapping, becoming N9909F and N4935V. There were reports they were used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for transporting contraband and on clandestine operations in South America.

The New Zealand Government then banned the export of the other Mosquito aircraft and they were broken up. The remains of the former ZK-BCU (ex NZ2383, TB863, RF597) were restored as NZ2355 for the RNZAF Museum at Wigram.

A PR Mk 41 A52-62, later A52-324, was registered VH-KLG for the 1953 London – New Zealand Air Race. Flown by A J R (Titus) Oates and Douglas Swain. It left for then United Kingdom fitted with a 2,273 litre (500 Imp gal) fuel tank in the bomb bay to increase range to 6,437 km (4,000 miles). However, whilst flying between Cocos Island and Ceylon on 4 October 1953, the crew had navigation problems in a storm. They diverted towards Bangkok in Thailand but ran out of fuel and landed in a swamp at Mergui, Burma, the aircraft being written off.

Mosquito A52-306 became N1596V and was used for survey work in Labuan in Malaya in 1954, later in the Broome, WA area, and later again at Tamworth, NSW. Still later it became VH-WWS with World Wide Surveys.

Mosquito A52-313 became N1597V on the US Register but did not leave Australia. It later was to become VH-WWA to Sepal Pty Ltd, the company expecting it to join VH-WWS with World Wide Surveys. However, the registration was not taken up. Servicing of the aircraft took place at Mascot, NSW. Eventually both aircraft were flown to Camden, NSW where they were stored. In late 1954 they were test flown. By this time Sepal Pty Ltd was the agent for World Wide Aerial Surveys in Australia. N1597V was flown to Broome on 21 May 1955 for survey work, eventually returning to Camden. In 1957 VH-WWS was test flown but by this time it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep these aircraft airworthy and they were both stripped and burnt.

Mosquito A52-210, later A52-319, was also entered for the 1953 London – New Zealand Air Race, to be flown by Jimmy Woods. Registration VH-WAD was reserved, it being named ‘Quokka’. However, it was not modified for the race as the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) would only allow a Certificate of Airworthiness to be valid for the manufacturer’s all-up-weight. Attempts to obtain sponsorship failed and the entry was withdrawn. It later became derelict at Perth Airport, WA. It was subsequently sold to an overseas company but did not leave Australia and was eventually obtained by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT, being restored by the de Havilland School at Milperra, NSW, and being placed on display at the Australian War Memorial.

Others have survived. A52-600 (ex NS631), a PR Mk XVI, was recovered for the Warbirds Museum at Mildura, VIC. It commenced undergoing restoration to airworthiness at RAAF Richmond for a period, but has been undergoing restoration at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, VIC for static display. This aircraft was built in the United Kingdom and assembled at No 2 Aircraft Depot (AD) at Richmond. It was allotted to No 87 (PR) Squadron at Coomalie Creek in March 1943. It is the only surviving PR Mk XVI in the world and the only Australian-operated Mosquito survivor known to have had a combat history, having carried out 21 operational missions over enemy territory to targets in the Indonesian Archipelago and in the Borneo invasion. It operated a further 19 missions mapping Australia and was retired in 1947. It then became an instructional airframe at the Air & Ground Radio School at Ballarat, VIC. At one stage another group proposed to rebuild this aircraft to airworthiness, registration VH-JUX being reserved, but this did not occur.

A Mosquito FB Mk VI HR621 has been under restoration to static display at the Camden Museum of Aviation at Narellan, NSW but work on the aircraft has stalled. The fuselage of A52-1062 is stored by the Moorabbin Museum. The remains of FB Mk VIs TE758 and TE910 have been held by the Ferrymead Aviation Association and a private owner near Christchurch. Mosquito T Mk 43 NZ2305 (ex A52-22 and A52-1054) has been under restoration in Auckland; and T Mk 43 NZ2305 (ex A52-19, later A52-1053)  has been restored to static display standard at Auckland’s MOTAT Museum.

In South Australia a Mk IV (DZ652) and an FB Mk 40 (A52-28) have been under restoration for the South Australian Aviation Museum at Greenock in the Barossa Valley. The remains of FB Mk VI TE910 have been stored in Mapua, NZ. Mosquito FB Mk VI NZ2336, owned by John Smith of Mapua, Nelson, is basically complete. Parts of others are known to have survived but, because of the aircraft’s wooden construction, almost a total rebuild is required. The Narromine Aviation Museum has undertaken a project to build a Mosquito from parts obtained around the country.

In New Zealand production has proceeded on a number of wooden fuselages to meet the requirements of a number of overseas operators interested in the construction and flying of a Mosquito. This work by Glyn Powell has involved the construction of a fuselage for the Canadian Historical Aviation Association of Windsor, Ontario which commenced construction of a Mosquito recovered from a crash site in the Canadian arctic.

A second fuselage has been built for American warbird collector, Jerry Yagen, this work revolving around the remains of a Canadian-built FB Mk 26 KA114 recovered in British Colombia. Two engines from ex-RNZAF Mosquitos were overhauled for this project. The aircraft was completed and flown in late 2012 as ZK-MOS, making appearances at a number of aviation events in New Zealand before being dismantled in January / February 2013 and being shipped to Mr Yagen’s Military Aviation Museum in Virginia in the USA, becoming N114KA.

On 14 June 2014 Mosquito B Mk 35 (serial VR796) commenced test flights in Victoria, British Colombia as C-FHML, painted as Mk IX LR503, which survived 213 operations missions.

At that time in 2014 a further Mosquito was under restoration in New Zealand, being a Mk III trainer, which became ZK-FHC (c/n TV959) at Ardmore on 12 August 2016 when it began engine runs, the aircraft being registered to Avspecs Ltd of Manukau on 5 August 2016. The aircraft made a number of test flights from Ardmore before in December 2016 it was dismantled and shipped by sea to its new owner in the United States.

A further Mosquito project involving an Australian-built T Mk 43, A52-1054, which operated with the RNZAF as NZ2308, has also been undertaken.