de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito

De Havilland DH. 98 History of Mosquitoes

Discussions about the victory plane of WWII often seem to ignore one of the most famous and successful planes of the conflict - Jeffrey de Havilland's two-seater twin-engine DH. 98 "Mosquito." This genre is a true "multi-role" performer, being used as fighters, fighter-bombers, scouts, night fighters, anti-ship platforms, patrols, invaders and interceptors against the best the Empire has to offer - Few Axis planes can even capture it.

Designed from the outset as a dual-role weapon, the aircraft served through much of World War II and entered the Cold War for many years before eventually being retired. Her crew enjoys her basic comfort (heated cockpit), fighter-like performance, handling and speed, and inherent offensive capabilities (cannons, machine guns, bombs, torpedoes and missiles) that make her the greatest in history Stars in air combat.

Department of Health. The 98 earned the nickname "Wooden Wonder" for its extensive use of wood throughout the design.

Mosquito development

The origin of DH. The 98 is credited to the all-wood racing car developed by de Havilland, which came into existence under the DH name in the mid-1930s. 88 "Comet". The widespread use of stress-skinned woods (plywood/balsa) proves that they represent a revolutionary departure from metal-skin airframes, which are beginning to become commonplace in military inventories around the world.

Comet won the London-Melbourne Centennial Race, and then de Havilland went on to produce airliner-oriented designs using the same wood methods, resulting in seven examples of the sleek and graceful DH. The 91 Albatross first flew in 1937. Although his wooden designs were consistently rejected by the RAF, de Havilland persevered when authorities sought a new medium bomber design through the P. 13/36 specification.

However, the improved form of the Albatross was again rejected by the air committee due to the emphasis on the metal-coated design.

Mosquito takes shape

Undeterred, de Havilland had his design team as a private company work on a completely new wooden concept, an unarmed light bomber that would include in a smaller fuselage frame A crew of two, powered by two outboard engines and equipped with a built-in bomb bay. The design is a far cry from the metal-clad, bulky, machine-gun-defensive mount that the Air Force is seeking. The de Havilland design had a number of strong intrinsic qualities - it was smaller and lighter due to its wooden construction and no complex and heavy defensive turrets or turrets.

It also helped reduce the crew of six to eight to just two - a pilot and a navigator. The de Havilland was also designed to fly higher than enemy air defenses could achieve, and faster than any interception enemy aircraft could hope to achieve. The plane's layout has always been de Havilland, a well-proportioned teardrop shape with a two-person cockpit in the very forward part of the fuselage, engines in streamlined nacelles on either side of the cockpit, and wings in mid-mounted single wing aircraft components. The rear wing was very traditional at the time, consisting of a vertical rear wing and a low horizontal rear wing.

The pilot and his navigator sat side by side.

In 1939, as Germany rose politically and militarily, the British were desperate to stop the tide with the arms and manpower available. As such, there was little interest in the de Havilland concept. With some help from de Havilland's World War I ally -- Air Marshal Sir Wildred Freeman -- who served as a member of the Air Force Council, de Havilland's new approach was achieved in December 1939.

Green light for development. The RAF commissioned a prototype bomber and 50 aircraft were designated to purchase specification B. 1/40.

Mosquitoes inside

Inside, the pilot and navigator sit side by side, with the pilot on the left and the navigator on the right. Boarding and disembarkation is through the hatch on the right side of the navigator. The cockpit is relatively well-organized, with gasoline and engine gauges placed within easy reach on the left side. Simple dials littered the clean dashboard, which DH-98 pilots thought were very good. A small channel on the right side of the dash gives the crew access to the nose, which has a clear plastic windshield for bombing in versions without a fixed nose.

The cockpit is heated for high altitude flight and is generally considered more comfortable than the Bristol Beaufighter it replaces. Other production versions introduced cockpit pressurization for extreme altitude work.

Three basic shapes

Developed in complete secrecy, de Havilland's enterprise is named DH. The 98 Mosquito and her preferred engine made the excellent Merlin series, which also powered the famous Super Sea Spitfire.

De Havilland's woodwork was slightly modified for the Mosquito type, as the aircraft needed to be strengthened to accommodate abuse in military combat. Development eventually went beyond the original Bomber Prototype (FB) to include a dedicated Photo Reconnaissance (PR) version and a dedicated Night Fighter (NF) variant as well as a Basic Fighter (F) variant.

Each type has its own developmental characteristics, followed by a number indicating the main changes between each design.

Wood Covered Metal

The primary use of wood is key to Mosquito's success, especially in wartime production. Metal has proven to be a coveted resource, and is used by specialists who can use the material to make the hulls of warships and submarines, the fuselage of modern aircraft or bomb casings.

As such, Mosquitoes would depend on the readily available supply of timber from the British Empire, and would essentially require the skilled service of carpenters who were not so critical to Britain's main war effort. This revolutionary, forward-thinking approach makes possible part of what Mosquito designed for (their crew is another).

Weapons

Mosquitoes are usually armed with 4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in the nose and 4 x 20mm Hispano cannons under the cockpit floor. Some versions do away with the machine gun entirely, while others replace the 4 x cannon with a 57mm cannon. The internal bomb bay could carry up to 500 pounds of artillery in the original version, and was later expanded to a bomb load comparable to that of the American B-17. Bombs can also be added to the hardpoints under each wing - initially 2 x 250 lb types, then 2 x 500 lb types.

Additionally, the Mosquito was eventually tested and approved for launching underwing missiles. Navalized Mosquitoes carry a torpedo under the hull. The external tank ended up in the DH. 98 load outputs and provide extended range.

Mosquitoes in practice

The

Mosquito prototype took off for the first time on November 25, 1940, and any skeptics of the Air Department were immediately silenced forever. Department of Health. The 98 proved to be purebred in the air, with only minor modifications to fix the teething issues before mass production began.

Prototype fighters were shown in May 1941 and DH. The 98 was officially introduced into service with the RAF in the same year. The photo reconnaissance variant is equipped with three camera systems, with an optional fourth (1 x F. 52 20 or 30 inch day camera, K. 17 6 ??inch mapping camera and 1 or 2 x F. 24 camera).

Night fighter variants were soon introduced and equipped with sophisticated airborne interception (AI) radars for the mission. The type also retained the 4 x 20mm gun arrangement, while later versions abandoned the 4 x machine gun.

A bulletproof windshield was added to protect the crew, and the spars were strengthened to improve fighter-like characteristics.

One of the main drawbacks of Mosquito's early success was limited production rates, which in turn limited the availability of this excellent aircraft to the British flying community. The Mosquito joined Fighter Command in January 1942, replacing obsolete types, such as the Bristol American fighter, with permitted numbers. The Mosquito was used for the first time in combat-level operations on September 17, 1941, when the 1st PRU photographic reconnaissance unit was dispatched to the border between France and Spain. In early 1943, when pilots killed no fewer than 17 enemies in a matter of months, the Night Fighting Mosquito proved to be a very reliable design.

The success of the fighter-bomber, reconnaissance and night fighter types made the planned dedicated fighter prototypes obsolete in time - so only three prototypes remained, making up a series of more than 7,000 examples.

Mosquitoes are also used as a psychological tool designed to provide shelter for factory workers and their families. In this role, the bombing disrupted each night's restful sleep, leaving the crew exhausted the next day - the airstrikes were specifically scheduled to run simultaneously within two hours of the shift. It wasn't until September 1942 that the mosquitoes finally had a chance to bomb Berlin in a daring daytime raid.

Also in September, Mosquitos bombed the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo for a total distance of about 1,100 miles, the longest Mosquito flight of the war to date.

Mosquito species

There are only three DH prototypes. A total of 98 were eventually completed, each of which was used to consolidate the intended fighter-bomber, fighter/night fighter and reconnaissance aircraft forms. They are assigned serial numbers W4050, W4052, and W4051, respectively.

Mosquito Photo Scouting Variant

Scout flag to start PR. Mk I, ten of which have been delivered. This is followed by a PR. The Mk IV, converted from an existing B. Mk IV bomber, is equipped with four cameras. Five more times turned into PR.

The Mk VIII features a 1,565 hp Merlin 61 series two-stage, two-stage supercharged engine for higher altitude use. public relationship. The Mk IX then used Merlin 72/73/76/77 series engines in 90 examples based on the B. Mk IX, with 1,680 hp and increased fuel capacity and therefore increased range. public relationship. The Mk XVI introduced a pressurized cockpit for working at heights and was equipped with three external fuel tanks for increased range. The PR Mk 32 has a similar range and is designed to use the 1,960 hp Merlin 113/114 engine and based on the NF for high altitude, long endurance reconnaissance.

Mk XV night fighter. The final reconnaissance release arrives as a PR. Mk 34 and PR Mk 34A, without cockpit and fuel tank armor, but with a curved hull design for longer range. public relationship. The Mk 35 is based on the final bomber form (B. Mk 35) described in the next paragraph. public relationship.

The Mk 40 is the FB's Australian reconnaissance aircraft. Fighter-bomber Mk 40. public relationship. So the Mk 41 is a further development of the Australian PR. Mk 40 but with a two-stage engine.

Mosquito fighter-bomber

Fighter Bomber (FB) The original form of Mosquito became FB. The Mk VI and this variant are powered by 2 x Merlin 21/25s with 1,460 and 1,635 hp respectively. The Mk VI proved to be the ultimate fighter form, deployed in a day/night raid role as an "invader". Her fuselage supports internal bombs, as well as underwing hardpoints for bombs, missiles, and external fuel tanks.

Both the machine gun armament (4 x 7.7mm) on the nose and the cannon armament (4 x 20mm) under the fuselage were reserved for offense. It was followed by FB. The Mk XVIII, No. 45, is equipped with a 57mm automatic cannon for destroyer missions and provides additional armor protection at low combat altitudes, with wing supports for launching missiles. fb.

Mk 26 (Packard Merlin engine) and FB. The Mk 40s are all built in the Canadian factory and have proven to be similar to the original FB. MK VI Facebook. The Mk 40 fighter-bomber was the basis for the Australian PR. The Mk 40 has already been mentioned.

Special Mosquito Bomber

The first Mosquito bomber attack was an armed operation tasked with filming the aftermath of the recent 1,000 Allied bomber attack on Cologne after 30 May - aircraft carrying bombs to hunt down any remaining target Mosquitoes The bomber version was the B. Mk IV Series 1, ten of which were converted from PR form. This was followed by 273 B. Mk IVs, carrying up to 500 lb guns in the interior compartment and 2 x 250 lb bombs under the wings. 245 B. Mk XXs were built in Canada to B. Mk IV specifications and powered by Merlin 31/33 engines.

The B. Mk V is a pressurized high-altitude variant powered by a Merlin 21 engine. The B. Mk VII is a Canadian production brand with Merlin 31 series engines, 25 of which were produced (6 were used by the US Air Force) and underwing pylons.

54 prototypes of the high-altitude version of the B. Mk IX were produced with Merlin 72/73/76/77 engines supporting the 4,000-pound blockbuster "Cookie/Dangerous Dustbin" bomb. The B. Mk XVI is a high-altitude pressurized version of the B. Mk IX. The last bomber variant became the B. Mk 35, which was equipped with Merlin 113/114A engines. The fuselage, meanwhile, can carry up to 4,000 pounds of ammunition, travel at speeds in excess of 400 miles per hour, and reach altitudes of nearly 40,000 feet. The remaining fuselage was used as a target tug (such as T. Mk 35) and a super high-speed, high-flying photographic reconnaissance mount (PR.

Mk 35).