View Full Version : Excellent show about Mosquito.
Ignition Override
13th Nov 2004, 04:13
It was on the (US) History Channel tonight. The "Wooden Wonder" seems to have really surprised the RAF (?) and MOD during its first test flights. The plane carried numerous weapons and some were equipped with a large cannon.
The program interviewed a pilot who was in the Amiens raid, where they blasted a hole in a wall, allowing many members of the French Underground to escape certain execution. The third group of aircraft were there in case the raid was a failure, and their mission was to destroy the entire prison.
DK338
14th Nov 2004, 09:43
Mate,
The Mossie took everyone by surprise, except Geoffrey DH and Air Marshall Sir Wilfred Freeman. Once the prototype took to the air the potential was being realised. Sadly though aircraft development being what it is in war time the DH98 never really saw it's true potential as by the time production was ramping up the first generation of jets began to appear. The aircrfat was used globally and even the USAAF operated PR MkIX and PR MKXVIs out of Watton near Norwich Norfolk.
When I was a lad, a neighbour flew B MKXVIs (this little sucker could carry a 4000lb 'Cookie') and one story he used to tell always made me chuckle. He was returning from a raid in his MKXVI one engine out and losing oil pressure in the other so he wisely decided to let down ASAP once over the UK. His airfield of choice turned out to be a USAAF base in Suffolk operating the B17G. He taxied his now very ill Mossie up to a dispersal and shut down. Usual thing, a jeep turns up with the duty officer to offer assistance, jumps into jeep and buggers off to let base know where he is. Comes back fed and watered to find his steed is surrounded by USAAF personnel curious about this small two engined unarmed aeroplane. The yanks could not get their head around a group of lunatics flying over enemy occupied territory in something as daft as an unarmed aeroplane, the thing that really knocked them sideways though was that this teeny weeny itsy bitsy wooden aeroplane was capable of carrying the same load as a B17.
It was a good programme. But over here (UK) it was billed as a programme about the Amiens Prison raid, when, as you noted, it was much more a show about the Mossie. The Amiens Raid accounted for less than half the show length.:confused: