de Havilland Mosquito

Newsreel introducing the de Havilland Mosquito

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Aviation
• history
• de
• Havilland
• Mosquito
• airplane
• aircraft
• ww2

[B17Junky]

My FAV WWII Fighter Bomber, My Grand-Father flew the De H Mosquito, he loved it.

Proud to be a Canadian..............

[Gruntol5]

Unarmed civilian Mosquitoes operated by British Overseas Airways Corp. flew the "ball bearing run" during WW2. This involved flying from Scotland to Stockholm, Sweden (neutral), to pick up specialised ball bearings for the war effort. German spies in Sweden would tip off the Luftwaffe that a Mosquito was leaving Stockholm for Scotland, but the Germans, try as they may, were never able to intercept the Mosquitoes - just too fast and too high.

[GerbilEssences]

@B17Junky My grandad, er,... calibrated the instruments oxygen etc on mosquitoes. Luckily his eyesight was to bad for him to fly anything ;)

[pappabagge]

Actually the 'ball bearing run' went to Gothenburg, where the SKF company had bearings ready for loading at Torslanda airfield. There were a number of spies and other individuals exchanged between the British and German Consulates across one of the main squares, Drottningtorget. The British had their 'base' at Hotel Eggers, and the Germans at the top of the Post Office HQ.

[cambamfo]

"A bomber made of wood has proved it's metal" - Classic.

[binaway]

@Twirlyhead Goering then finished with the words "they have the genius's. I have the nincompoops". Well the Germans engineers weren't nincompoops but that is what he said.

[jrwel14]

great plane

[TheMrDobbins]

we should be grateful for 633 squadron for keeping the mossie memory alive haha, if only they hadnt destroyed a load of em

[martynpank]

I am sure that there were so many operations (on both sides) that were secret that involved people being transported. This is the wonder of WW2. Learning all the little secrets, that may not have seemed important, but were extremely important!

[martynpank]

@Gruntol5 I know that Ball-bearings were important for both sides. But esp. the Nazis. I know that because of the allied bombing of Schwinfort (I think!)[Spelled wrong!] The Nazis had to use inferior ball-bearings from different countries! Luckily, the allies had no such probs for the supply they had! Unless, what you say is right! But this would be, as you said, specialised!

[Gruntol5]

@martynpank: Another even more valuable cargo was Danish physicist Neils Bohr. He was evacuated from Stockholm to England in 1943 in an unarmed De Havilland Mosquito operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation. Passengers on BOAC's Mosquitos were carried in an improvised cabin in the bomb bay. Although his oxygen supply was almost cut off during the flight, he slept through it and arrived safely, with no knowledge of the near disaster.

[martynpank]

I've never heard this before, but I'm sure you're right! The Mossie was the most versatile aircraft of WW2, appearing in, virtually, every aircraft role. What a superb craft!