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  THE JET AGE RESERVE MODEL COLLECTION PRESENTS

 
     
  MOSQUITO: THE WOODEN WONDER  
     
  In 1934 a twin engined De Havilland 88 Comet took 71 hours to fly to Australia. By 1944 it had evolved into the De Havilland Mosquito, powered by two Rolls Royce Merlin engines and capable of reaching Cape Town from Britain in just over 21 hours.

Crucially, both aircraft were made from wood. But although the Air Ministry first rejected a bomber version of the DH 88 racer as "regressive", the Mosquito was finally made in factories that had previously turned out coffins, furniture and pianos both in Britain and in Canada. Not only did the Mosquito make minimum demands on strategic materials – even the undercarriage used rubber blocks rather than complicated hydraulics – but battle damage could be quickly repaired by simple carpentry. The use of beech plywood sandwiching layers of balsa also made a light, strong fuselage that was to contribute to a top speed of over 400 mph.

After being ordered as a reconnaissance machine by Air Chief Marshall Sir Wilfred Freeman in 1939, prototype W4050 first flew on 25 November 1940 and completed trials inside three months. The first RAF examples went into action over France on 20 September 1941 and proved that they could outrun any Nazi fighter, even performing smooth climbing rolls on one engine!

 
     
  A bomber version of the De Havilland Mosquito from the Jet Age Reserve Model Collection  
     
  A bomber version of the De Havilland Mosquito from the Jet Age Reserve Model Collection  
     
  By March 1942 bomber and fighter variants had joined the 50 strong RAF fleet. The night fighter Mosquito was armed with four 20mm canon and four machine guns although much of the success of pilots like John Cunningham – later to test fly the De Havilland Comet jet airliner – was due to air interception radar: top secret at the time!

Radar was also used by Mosquito bombers of the target marking Pathfinder force, which carried first a 2000 lb and then a 4000 lb bomb load. At low level too, the Mosquito – with engine radiators in its wing roots – proved a precisely lethal weapon. Raids on Gestapo headquarters in Denmark and on Amiens jail were able to free local Resistance members while killing their captors, and rocket firing Mosquitos devastated tanks and trains in Europe. Enemy shipping too was harassed by Mosquitos equipped with a one ton 57mm anti-tank gun firing a six pound shell every second!

Mosquitos also dropped "Highball" bouncing bombs experimentally but the War ended before these could be used against Japanese warships. However, fighter Mosquitos did shoot down over 600 V1 flying bombs and were the basis for the single seat De Havilland Hornet long range interceptor. Indeed, the company’s post War Vampire and Venom jets were also largely built of wood and target tug Mosquitos did not leave RAF service until 1963
 
     
  An ex target tug De Havilland Mosquito from the Skyfame Collection flies over Cheltenham.  
     
 

An ex target tug De Havilland Mosquito from the Skyfame Collection flies over Cheltenham.