"The essence of leadership . . . was, and is, that every leader from flight commander to group commander should know and fly his airplanes."
- Air Vice-Marshal J. E. 'Johnnie' Johnson, RAF

The "Mossie," as it was known affectionately by its British crews, was both simple in construction and design. It was a twin engine, single boom aircraft that placed the pilot and navigator in a side-by-side sitting configuration. The Mosquito was one of the most cost effective aircraft ever built because it was constructed out of wood. Balsa was used for the plywood skin, Sitka spruce from Alaska and British Columbia for the wing spars, and Douglas Fir stringers and birch and ash for the longitudinal pieces. These were all held together with glue and wood screws. The result was an airplane that was easy to maintain, tolerant of battle damage, and simple to patch. It was faster than the Spitfire, flew higher than almost any other aircraft, and carried tremendous firepower over great distances. The bomber version operated with relative impunity over Germany til the end of the war, because the Luftwaffe never had a nightfighter fast enough to intercept it. Interestingly, the nightfighter versions of the Mosquito remained in production until 1947, two years after the war in Europe had ended.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a RAF De Havilland Mosquito B.IV fighter that was piloted by Flt. Lt. D A G "George" Parry, who was attached to No.105 Squadron. Part of the 100 Years of the RAF collection. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 9-inches
Length: 6-3/4-inches

Release Date: December 2018

Historical Account: "Wooden Wonder" - As one of the great aircraft of the Second World War, the De Havilland Mosquito can claim to be the world's first truly effective multi-role aircraft, possessing great speed and being equally adept at performing missions as either a fighter or a bomber. When entering full production, the Mosquito was the fastest aircraft in the world and a closely guarded RAF secret - pilots operating the first Mosquito raids over occupied territory were instructed to burn their aircraft if crash landing safely, to avoid the Mosquito falling into German hands.

Constructed almost entirely of wooden laminate, the aircraft soon came to the attention of the British public, who referred to the Mosquito as the 'Wooden Wonder', a bomber that was able to out-run the Luftwaffe. From a German perspective, the Mosquito was arguably the British aircraft they coveted the most and despite attempts to produce their own equivalent, they could never match the impressive performance of the RAF Mosquito.