The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is one of the most famous (and beautiful) aircraft of the Second World War. Its use evolved to successfully fulfil many roles, including low- to medium-altitude daytime tactical bomber, high-altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike, and photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
There are of course many books covering the Mosquito, for example:
- Mosquito: The RAF’s Legendary Wooden Wonder and its Most Extraordinary Mission, by Rowland White.
- Mosquito Mayhem: de Havilland’s Wooden Wonder in Action in WWII, by Martin W. Bowman.
- Mosquito Men: The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron, by David Price
- 633 Squadron Series, by Frederick E. Smith.
As such an iconic aircraft, it is no surprise that many films have also made it the hero of the story. Let’s take a look at a few..
633 Squadron (1964)
An RAF squadron is assigned to knock out a German rocket fuel factory in Norway. The factory supplies fuel for the Nazi effort to launch rockets on England during D-Day.
The plot, which involves the exploits of a fictional World War II British fighter-bomber squadron, was based on the 1956 novel of the same name by former Royal Air Force officer Frederick E. Smith, which itself drew on several real RAF operations.
More:
It can be found on YouTube:
Mosquito Squadron (1969)
In World War II, an RAF squadron leader mourns the death of a comrade and receives a bombing mission against a secret German V-2 rocket testing facility in France.
Although not a sequel, the film is similar to the 1964 film 633 Squadron and was influenced by it, even using some of its footage.
More:
It can be found on YouTube:
The raid in Mosquito Squadron echoes Operation Jericho, a combined RAF–Maquis raid which freed French prisoners from Amiens prison in which the Mosquitos took part.
The pilots, navigators and planners of Operation Jericho tell their tales in their own words in this documentary, with copious contemporary footage:
Skyggen i mit øje (2021)
Skyggen i mit øje is a Danish film also known as “The Shadow in My Eye”, or “The Bombardment” in English.
It is a powerful story based around Operation Carthage. On March 21st, 1945, the British Royal Air Force set out on a mission to bomb Gestapo’s headquarters in Copenhagen. The raid had fatal consequences when one of the planes crashed near Institut Jeanne d’Arc, causing the school to be misidentified as the target and also bombed. More than 120 people were killed, 86 of whom were children.
I saw The Bombardment on Netflix.
For Modellers
Airfix has a long history of kitting the Mosquito. In 1:72 scale, the new tooling from 2021 is now powering a wonderful line of variants, for example De Havilland Mosquito B.XVI (A04023). I’ve enjoyed building this one.
Airfix are perhaps most famous for their massive 1:24 kit, most recently released in a 2015 boxing from the original 2010 tooling: De Havilland Mosquito FB.VI (A25001A)
Hasegawa have kitted a series of variants in 1:72 from a 1999 tooling, the latest being the 2016 release: Mosquito NF Mk.XIII ‘Night Fighter’ (02198).
Tamiya also entered the 1:72 Mosquito market at the same time as Hasegawa and have produced a few variants from a 1999 tooling, the latest being the 2001 release: De Havilland Mosquito NF Mk.XIII/XVII
Is there a good 1:48 scale mosquito? There hasn’t been a new tool for many years, but quite a few manufacturers:
- Airfix: De Havilland Mosquito PR.XVI D-DAY 70th Anniversary No. A07112 - 2014 release from a 1977 tooling.
- Revell: D.H. Mosquito B Mk. IV No. 03923 - 2017 release from a 2008 tooling.
- Tamiya: de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk.II & British Light Utility Car 10HP No. 89786 - 2009 release from a 1998 tooling.
A similar story for 1:32:
- Revell: De Havilland Mosquito Mk.IV No. 04758 - 2014 release from a 1971 tooling.
- Tamiya: De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI w/clear engine covers No. 60326 - 2015 tooling and release
More exciting perhaps is the range of Mosquito kits produced by Mark I Models in 1:144 scale from a 2018 tooling. The latest being DH Mosquito FB. VI Amiens Prison Raid No. MKM144124
At the very extreme end of the scale, Pit-Road produce a wonderful 1:700 scale Mosquito in their WWII Royal Air Force Wings Set 1 No. S32, last released in 2022 from a 2013 tooling. I’ve actually used it to make a little resin-encased diorama:
See also:
- Mosquito Modeler’s Online Reference
- Modelling the De Havilland Mosquito, by Roy Sutherland. Although a little out of date - it was published in 2005.