It is not often that you see a Mosquito flying – this is because there are only two airworthy examples left in the world, one in Canada and one in the USA. In this video you will not only see it flying, you’ll see it take off and do some amazing formation flying with Spitfires and other vintage warbirds.
The Mosquito was one of few operational front-line aircraft of the Second World War that was constructed almost entirely of wood. Not surprisingly it was nicknamed “The Wooden Wonder” and affectionally known as “Mozzie” by its crews.
When production of the Mosquito began in 1941, it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. When it entered widespread service in 1942, the Mosquito was used as a high-speed, high-altitude photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the duration of the war.
From mid-1942 to mid-1943, Mosquito bombers flew high-speed, medium or low-altitude missions against factories, railways, and other pinpoint targets in Germany and German-occupied Europe. From late 1943, Mosquito bombers were formed into the Light Night Strike Force and used as pathfinders for RAF Bomber Command’s heavy-bomber raids.
In one example of the daylight precision raids carried out by the Mosquito, on 20 January 1943, the 10th anniversary of the Nazis’ seizure of power, a Mosquito attack knocked out the main Berlin broadcasting station while Commander in Chief Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was speaking, putting his speech off the air.
Now – let’s watch the video!