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Britain's De Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber 1,2
Variants
- FB.VI: Fighter bomber.1,2 Could carry two 500 lb / 227 kg bombs in bomb bay.2 First flew in June 1942.1 Entered service in March 1943.1
- FB.XVIII: Anti shipping.2 Mounted in the nose was a 57 mm Molins gun.1,2 Nicknamed the "Tse Tse."1 First flew in June 1943.1
- FB.21: Canadian version of FB.VI.1 Had Packard-Merlin 31/33 engines.1
- FB.26: Canadian version.1 Had Packard-Merlin 225 engines.1
- FB.40: Australian version of the FB.VI.1 Had Packard-Merlin 31 or Packard-Merlin 33 engines.1 Saw no combat in World War II.1
Usage
The Mosquito fighters were used by Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and United States.1
Coastal Command
Coastal Command replaced the Beaufighters with the FB.VIs and used them against shipping around Europe and especially Norway.3
Ausberg
Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire used a FB.VI on a low level target marking raid on Ausberg in April 1944.3
Rocket Punch
The rockets, when fired at a target, was approximately equivalent to a cruiser's broadside.3
| de Havilland Mosquito FB models1 | de Havilland Mosquito FB.VI1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fighter bomber1 Strike aircraft1 |
|
| Crew | 21 | |
| Engine (Type) | 2: Rolls-Royce Merlin 211 | |
| OR | 2: Rolls-Royce Merlin 251 | |
| Cylinders | V 121 | |
| Cooling | ||
| HP | 21: 1,480 each1 25: 1,635 each1 |
|
| Propeller blades | 3 each1 | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Span | 54' 2"1 16.51 m1 |
|
| Length | 40' 10"1 12.45 m1 |
|
| Height | 15' 3"1 4.65 m1 |
|
| Wing area | ||
| Weight | ||
| Empty | 14,300 lb1 6,487 kg1 |
|
| Loaded | 19,500 lb1 8,845 kg1 |
|
| Maximum load | 22,300 lb1 10,115 kg1 |
|
| Performance | ||
| Speed at sea level | 336 mph1 541 kph1 |
|
| Speed @ 13,000' / 3,962 m |
380 mph1 611 kph1 |
|
| Cruising speed | 250 mph1 402 kph1 |
|
| Climb | 2,850'/minute1 868 m/minute1 |
|
| Service ceiling | 33,000'1 10,058 m1 |
|
| Range at sea level | 1,120 miles1 1,802 km1 |
|
| Maximum range | 1,885 miles1 3,033 km1 |
|
| Armament | ||
| Nose | 4: 20 mm1 4: 0.303" MG1 |
|
| Bombs - internal | 1,000 lb1 454 kg1 |
|
| Bombs - under wings | 1,000 lb1 454 kg |
|
| OR | ||
| Rockets - under wings | 8: 60 lb1 8: 27 kg1 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
