(^60) HEAVY FIGHTERS OF WW2
Left: Armourers loading the 20mm nose cannons of a Mosquito FB VI. Thanks to their installation in
the front part of the aircraft’s original bomb bay, access was easy.
Below: Mosquito NF XVII, VY-R DZ302/G of No 85 Squadron as flown by Wg Cdr
John ‘Cat’s eyes’ Cunningham. He claimed 19 of his 20 victories at night on
Mosquitos. The night fighter variants of the Mosquito were not always the
most aesthetically pleasing, this variant featuring a ‘bull nose’ that
housed the centrimetric AI Mk VIII radar.
Above and left: Rocket-armed Mosquito FB VI
HR405 of No 143 Squadron. Its operational area
was the Norwegian coast with strikes against
shipping. Fellow Mosquitos of the RAF Banff
Strike Wing were in action in the Kattegat on
5 April 1945. There the Mosquitos discovered a
convoy of seven ships evacuating troops back to
Germany. In the ensuing attack a flak ship and
a trawler were sunk, but one No 235 Squadron
Mosquito struck a mast and spun into the sea,
killing its crew. Losses among the embarked
German troops were heavy.
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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