Now I've just about seen everything....now I've seen a Mosquito fly

[CINDERS]

Your correct Peter the Tri color event happened, good old Bader JerryEAL yes he gave them hell in Colditz funny thing not long after Bader got back to flying I think he was in a Spitfire and climbing to high altitude when all of a sudden he started hearing popping noises fearful there was something terminal with the plane he decended and the popping stopped. It came to pass that it was the ping pong balls he had inside his tin legs that were exploding due to the differential in the outside air pressure and once he got down to a lower level the popping stopped. He had the ping pong balls in his legs as a flotation device as he feared being shot down into the channel his hollow legs filling with water and dragging him down.

When Bader was lost it was not to enemy fire but a collision he (Bader) as he had no legs had unwittingly turned so sharply to get the BF-109 he was after actually turned inside either the 109's wingman or another spitfire due to the fact Bader had no legs he could turn allot tighter as no blood pooled in his legs therefore he did not black out as easily.
Also for those that may ask a test carried out on a spitfire aircraft found it could withstand a 10G loading and still fly around happily though I doubt the average pilot of the day with out G suits would remain conscious performing a turn like that most did not and more often than not woke up flying level away from the scrap or were shot down whilst flying straight and level in an enemy filled sky...

[Gil Boyd]

This was a sad loss of life on the early trials of the bouncing bomb in Scotland at a remote location to keep it secret where the Mosquito crew release the bomb at very low level and the weight loss on the undercarriage sent the aircraft up and over on itself with no height to recover.
Brave men indeed, other footage after the first crash too.

MOSQUITO CRASH DURING BOUNCING BOMB TRIALS OFF COUL POINT ISLAY Allocated Title (ADM 2542)

Recently at a charity auction evening of the viewing of "Theirs is the Glory" at the WW2 cinema just as it was in WW2 at IWM Duxford, I had the pleasure of sitting in Douglas Baders cinema seat by the door, when he used to brief the lads before Ops.

[Seaspriter]

Bader had no legs

Douglas Bader, for those not familiar with this RAF hero, was probably the most heroic and colourful of all the RAF heroes. A great book was written about him: Reach for the Sky, by Paul Brickhill (who also wrote The Great Escape). Pick up an old copy of it for a fascinating read.

Also, if you like movies, check out the "Mosquito Squadron" and "633 Squadron" for real flight scenes.

[CINDERS]

"Best Foot Forward" By Colin Hodgkinson ~ The Author himself was another dual amputee like Bader and he also flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in WWII another great read a Corgi paper back...

I promised this story in another thread about a WWII mystery about a P-38 Lightning that the event was witnessed by the airfields contingent and over 150 signed stat dec's to say it actually occurred it is written in Martin Caidins book Fork Tailed Devil the P-38;

A squadron of P-38's went out on a mission from a field in North Africa out across the Mediterranean where they got into a scrap with some German fighters after the scrap 1 plane was missing after the dogfight, no one could recall seeing the plane go down. They arrived back at the base the one pilot was listed as missing in action but not yet not until his fuel had run out.
Not until there was not a glimmer of hope the clock ticked slowly. Then beyond the point of any fuel after another 2 hours they then placed his name on the list of missing. It happens that is war.

The air raid siren sounded, radar picked up a single aircraft coming in at fairly low altitude and high speed A/A guns started tracking and pilots ran for their planes. They then saw the intruder a P-38 it failed to respond to radio calls or flare signals just a flat unwavering dive the P-38 crossed the center of the field and suddenly seemed to stagger. It fell apart in mid air no explosion just a startling break up of machinery a body fell out the parachute opened but the body hung limp in the harness. Close to the wreckage the body collapsed no one saw him move the crash trucks raced to the scene. Those that came later saw their friends stunned, disbelieving and shaking their heads the next day the light of day had not changed a thing;
The fuel tanks of that P-38 were bone dry in that plane they were hours beyond any possible fuel.
They had been dry for several hours.
The pilot who's chute had lowered him to the ground to his home field he had a bullet hole in his forehead.
He had been dead for hours.
Impossible.
But it happened.
And no one knows how. (Page 368~ 369) took a while to type out as I only use 2 fingers to type I have all the others but having such big hands is no fun when typing)

[Bob Womack]

That Mossy is home based right down the road from me in a pretty killer museum, the Military Aviation Museum.



Desktop pic.

Bob

[Gil Boyd]

A great picture Bob.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

What a big muscular beast of an aircraft. Built a model as a kid. loved them ever sence.

[Easy_CZ]

The Mossy is one of my favorite aircraft of WWII. Gorgeous, fast, versatile, maneuverable, and deadly. I would love to see one in person.

[Bob Womack]

The Mossy is one of my favorite aircraft of WWII. Gorgeous, fast, versatile, maneuverable, and deadly. I would love to see one in person.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...515a3db7-1.jpg

"Come out to the coast," she said. "We'll get together, have a few laughs..." The plane lives in Virginia Beach, VA. She's currently the only flying Mossy. Of course, they've got a BF109, three FW190s, a Spitfire MkIX, a Hurricane, A FM4 Wildcat, an ME262 replica, a Corsair, an Avenger, a Mustang, a PBY, a P-40E, etc, all flying... not to mention all the flying WWI replicas.

You gotta come.

No really...

Bob

[browningautorifle]

We'd have to bring ribs and beer...for the BBQ...about a truckload.