The first clip is of the film "The Purple Plain" with Gregory Peck as the Canadian, there is an interesting story that I can vouch for as being 100% Truthful. The two Mosquitos in the film were from 81 (PR) Sqdn R.A.F. based at R.A.F. Seletar, Singapore. Without any knowledge of the reason the two Mosquito's and Air Crews were sent to Ceylon and upon arriving at their destination they were met by a Film Crew who's first Question to the Ground Crew was "Where are the Guns" .... A Mate of mine piped up and said "No Guns Mate these are P.R.Mk 34's ... Photographic Reconnaissance" .... after this had sunk in the Film Crew made it clear that guns were essential .... So when plans fall into a heap Ingenuity walks in the door. So the 81 Sqdn ground crew went into a huddle ... came up with a solution (a bit iffy as this Modification had never seen the light of day). First the clear Perspect nose of the PR 34's had correlation lines painted to assist the Navigator in lining up for the Photographic run, so the nose was paint to match the rest of the aircraft, then after working all night the Airframes bods together with other ground crew and transformed Broom Handles into life like Gun Packs on the Nose Cone much to the pleasure of the Film Crew. The 81 Sqdn Ground Crew, because they looked like Ground Crew, were used as extras. Just another Credit for 81 (P.R) Sqdn. Apparently all the 81 Sqdn Bods were in agreement that Gregory Peck was a nice Bloke and very appreciative of the ingenuity of the R.A.F. How do I know all of this ... I served on 81 Sqdn for three very happy but sometimes scary years. "Non Solum Nobis"
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Excellent recall. It's 72 years since my elder Brother came home from seeing this film. His description of it led me to think that it was all about survival in the desert, after Gregory Peck's plane was shot down. ( in what I thought was North Africa.) Despite all these years, I've still not seen the film---I must correct that.
I note that the aircraft is painted with Australian markings and ground crew are wearing Australian Slouch Hats, do you know if the movie was set in an Australian area of operations?
Yes, same with 633 Squadron. I think they used 3 B35s and 1 TT3 for the flying sequences. Unfortunately, the B35 had a glazed nose and V shaped windshield, quite different from the TT3, which was more suited to sticking fake guns on. Also worth noting that the B35 had bulkier 2 stage supercharger Merlins whilst the TT3 had the sleeker single stage engines. Have you included the recent short film 'The Shepherd' on your list?
Its largely thanks to Glynn Powells dogged perseverance in NZ that 3 of the 4 currently flying Mosquitos are flying today. He left behind an incredible legacy.
i wonder if in 60 years, there is going to be someone out there fighting very hard to preserve the last few functional F16's or A-10's or something similar.
The de Havilland Mosquito. The best twin engined aircraft of WW2. The raid on the Gestapo HQ in Denmark was not the first against the Gestapo. Some have said the Mosquitos had a personal vendetta against the Gestapo as this was one of several raids carried out by Mosquitoes against the them. The Wooden Wonder was also known as the Timber Terror. Which is probably what Goring thought of them. He once said it made him yellow and green with envy. Especially as German could not make anything like it. The V-1s were known as code name Divers by the British. I assume this was because once the flight came to an end the dived down. During these attacks the Germans asked their spy ring in Britain where the V-1s were landing so they could make adjustments for range. Their spies reported that the V-1s were landing short so Germany increased the V-1s range. What Germany did not know was that their spy ring was thoroughly compromised and that the information given to them meant that the bombs were now mostly going passed London. To the best of my knowledge the Mosquitoes used against the V-1 were nightfighters which flew at night over the French coast waiting to see the flame from the V-1s engine before chasing it down and attacking it. They, of course, also had their own radar to keep track of them. The V-1s in the daytime were often hunted by Spitfires. Both aircraft flew high above the flightpath of the V-1 and used the speed from the dive to catch them. It was very dangerous and more then one British aircraft was damaged or lost from the V-1 blowing up.
At least four bombs penetrated the Gestapo HQ; one failed to detonate, while the other three crashed out through the opposite wall before exploding. The building was not destroyed, but several civilian residences were, and 80 civilians were killed or injured. The Norwegian government in exile, which had not known about the raid, later expressed serious concern to the British government. Oslo Mosquito raid
Cool fact about the Mosquito is that it was possibly one of the first plane to spot and be one of the first planes shot down by a Jet fighter the German Me-262 in combat
Actually, they are not. The Mosquito is being restored by the Calgary Mosquito Aircraft Society in the workshop of the Bomber Command Museum, and the airplane will likely not be completed for another 10 years.
@@nursestoyland what part of "versatile" don't you understand? F6F and P-38's specialized in 1 aspect of the air war... Mossie was a fighter, a bomber, naval attack platform, pathfinder, photo recon... The list goes on and on.
@@samanli-tw3id what part of "versatile" don't you understand? Mossie carried out FAR more roles than the ME262. Could the ME262 even FLY at night? Nope... Mossie was nightfighting, pathfinding, etc...
1946 "A Matter of Life and Death", starring David Niven, has a low level pass by a Mosquito in the beginning of the film. Just thought I would add it, gotta love the old movies!
In 1982 at raf cosford age just 5 I was allowed inside the cockpit of their mosquito…. Wish I could thank the volunteer who gave a small boy an experience that will last a lifetime 😊👍🏽
When I was 3 I sat in the cockpit of W4050, the prototype, at Salisbury hall. My mother has a photo somewhere. It's been my favourite aircraft ever since.
The successor to the Mosquito was the de Havilland Hornet which AFAIK was proofed against the delamination problem the Mosquito suffered in damp conditions, in order for it to be able to work in the Pacific and Asian theatres. It was smaller than the Mosquito and had an extra thousand horsepower - a real hot rod. Sorry, a bit off topic but I have a soft spot for piston engine planes that never quite made it to World War II. :)
633 Squadron The film was produced by Cecil F. Ford for the second film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in colour and Panavision widescreen.
So, I’m gonna throw my 5 pence theory in because ‘why not?’ What if Bomber Command had used thousands of Mossies and similar instead of the heavies? It is entirely possible that the entire campaign would have been more effective in pretty much every way. And considering how awful the RAF bombing campaign of WWII was it couldn’t have been much worse. And ‘No’ I am not dishonouring the memory of the fallen. They were incredibly brave considering the losses. But I think it could have possibly been done differently and more effectively if the RAF hadn’t been so blinkered by Trenchard theory. Discuss 100pts. :) Great work again JJ. You forgot the 633 /Star Wars bit though!!
I think it would require different tactics. Certainly not carpet bombing. The mosquitos would still need defense flying with a full bomb load as it reduced their speed greatly but that's not to say other mosquitos or mustangs couldn't have provided this. One set back might be the lack of pilots. I do think there is merit to this idea though.
Mosquito Squadron used some major footage from 633 Squadron, i.e. the German air raid on the RAF base (some of the images were reversed, so as to not look too similar!)
My father's favourite WWII era aircraft. He did his National Service in the RAF a few years after the cessation of hostilities but he (sadly, for him!) never got to fly in one. I caught a video recently on the Finnish VL Myrsky fighter (built from the there widely-available raw material, wood) that suffered problems with poor-quality glue in those chilly northern climes so it's interesting how those issues were addressed (or not, in some cases) in the case of the Mosquito. Similar difficulties also befell the wooden Italian CRDA Cant Z 1007 bomber, apparently, although those difficulties arose from being at the other end of the temperature extreme from Finland - in the Western Desert.
For my money the Mosquito was the standout performer of the war. Its ability to be up with the best in so many roles. The top scoring night-fighter of the war by a considerable margin. The lowest attrition rate of all allied planes. And built using materials, workers, plant and factories unsuited for the construction of other planes. From the DH2 to the Comet jet airliner, De Havilland was a genius.
1:59 very well spotted. Gibson, leader of the famous dambusters raid was killed flying a Mosquito on a night attack pathfinder mission to drop marker lights on an objective. One theory is that when he saw that the target had not been properly illuminated he flew high level circuits and verbal guidance to the bomber stream. This extended flying time plus a low level high speed return in an unfamiliar aircraft ended in a fatal crash when fuel ran out.
More likely his Navigator (who was not qualified on the aircraft) failed to manage the fuel control system correctly as it was behind Gibson's Seat. Also Gibson failed to follow the correct route for the Mosquito's on the raid and took the Lancaster route home (the two were separate so that any twin engine aircraft the Lancaster's saw were going to be Germans and could there for be engaged by the gunners). Rumour has it that some tail gunner on a Lanc later claimed to have shot Gibson down.
I was lucky enough to see one do a fly over a military event in New Zealand. The plane was restored their and two weeks after the fly over, it was shipped over to its new owners in the US
My Grandmother worked at The Canadian Powerboat Company in Montreal, making parts for the Mossie. The assembled aircraft were painted at Downsview by my Best Friend's Grandfather.
I remember watching 'Mosquito Squadron' many years ago and laughing at the idea of dropping Highball on land and rolling them into tunnels. A few years ago I read a history of 618 Squadron, which operated the Highball Mosquitos, and found that they had practised that, and that it was perfectly possible. So much for my sneering at Hollywood!
Has to be the best all round warplane of WW2 . As not only best light bomber / medium bomber . but also pathfinder ; reconnaissance ; and I can't think of a better night finder and intruder either . Added to that it was in service from !942 and saw continual improvement with 2 stage Merlin engines added for bombers and night fighters etc. Although the Mk vi FB was able to manage on earlier engines quite effectively until the end of the war . In conjunction with the Beaufighter it was a very effective anti shipping and submarine aircraft especially in the Baltic in the last year of the War .
I wouldn't know. But the airplane that takes them (Sorry, it is not Indiana Jones but Rick O'Connell, as in the Mummy), Evelyn and her brother (piloted by Bernard HIll) is a DH Mosquito.
1,284 built as unarmed bombers minus conversions to photo/recon. Max bombload 2,000 pounds in bomb bay plus 1,000 pounds on underwing hard points. "Some" modified to carry one 4,000 pound "cookie", a metal drum filled with explosive. BAE Mosquito page
This is a grand video Johnny- but if a may add a correction or two- your picture of Geoffrey de Havilland is actually his brother, Hereward. You’re not the first to use it, I think it’s been misidentified in archives. The only other point is that the designer of the Mosquito was RE Bishop, often overlooked in favour of his employer. Otherwise, what a great video, very extensive, thanks for putting it together.
There was also Havilland DH.98 Mosquitoes mostly used as a psychological warfare tool that targeted the housing of the factory workers and their families. The bombing raids would cause disruption in the sleep of workers and the next day the sleep-deprived workforce of Germany would be too battered up to work effectively, add psychologically to the mosquito rap sheet
There were no raids to target the housing of factory workers, though that was indeed an added bonus when it happened. The RAF moved to night bombing because of their day light raids and adopted night time saturation bombing, something they learnt from the Germans. The USSAF operated during the day but their accuracy was not much either despite the much vaunted Norden bombsight. It was said the RAF bombed cities and destroyed factories, the USSAF bombed factories and destroyed cities. Incidentally, The British were already aware of the psychological warfare and results that night bombing incur on the population by studying their moral, manufacturing output/disruption and resources needed for defence during the Luftwaffe's Blitz on British cities. As Sir Arthur Harris said “They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.” And they did.
@@colinwhyte1526 The raids these guys are talking about did happen, they were called Siren Tours and consisted of a few Mosquitos flying individual routes between a number of German Cities during the night lobing a single 500lb bomb at each city. The RAF started out trying to do precision attacks in 1940 (though they did do an area attack as revenge for Coventry in late 1940). Deliberate Area attacks started in February 1942 after the Butt Report found that the RAF couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Harris did come up with the policy, he was in the USA buying aircraft when it was made.
As a kid, I used to love 633 Squadron for the great shots of Mosquitos flying through the Mach Loop, but now I'm always distracted by the interior shots of the Mossie cockpits. Every time I see movie actors pretending to be flying, with the Welsh landscape rolling behind them, I can't help but notice the Mosquitos have no tail... It's very distracting and completely destroys the illusion.
Good job! Very impressed with all of your vids and starting to watch the movies you’ve recommended too! Lots of quality effort and research! Much appreciated!
Hermann Goering once blasted German aircraft manufacturers for failing to deliver new aircraft able to combat the Allied onslaught.. " we have the nincompoops whereas the British have the geniuses, where any piano maker can turn out *Mosquitoes" .. Germany has lots of forests , why didn't they try and replicate something like the mozzie.. ?
Don't let Greg of Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles know you are comparing the Mosquito with the B17 he is fired up about enough about the Lancaster! Another excellent video thanks for the clip with John Mellion later of Crocodile Dundee fame!
That's because videos like this are full of nonsense, like his claiming that the B17's max bomb load was 8,000 lbs, try more like 18,000 lbs. The creator's of videos like this one don't even bother to look things up, they just repeat the same nonsense that other videos claim, Greg lists a credible source for every single bit of information, credible sources such as NACA and wartime reports, these guy's don't even list their erroneous sources they just claim this and that, even worse they'll try to claim things like the maximum altitude and range while hauling a maximum load, as you know from watching his videos that's not how it works.
@@gooraway1 I always appreciate your comments Martin and that you keep your expectations of me in the amateur youtube realm :) Though I do try to up my game with new videos as much as possible
In retrospect, 633 Squadron is a bit carp. It hasn’t aged well, but it has perhaps the best theme music. Also it’s one of those films where they show the female cast member with ‘modern’ hairstyles…presumably to make them more attractive to the audiences of the day…
Ohh THAT?!? (Mosquito) ...we just threw that together with used pallet boards and a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine on a dare one night =) edit: Alcohol was involved
I suspected that the planes in the B.O.B Market Garden scene were Mosquitoes. Some people say they’re B-26 Marauders, but they look to slender for that.
The de Haviland. The only Mosquito you dont need bug spray for. 😅😅 Solid as always Johnny. 💪💪👍👍🔥🔥👋👋 Johnny: has a de Havilland with 3000 hp Myself: Toyota with 75 hp. 😅😅
My mother to be was hit by what was likely a ricochetting bullet from an escorting P51 strafing German flak-positions during the Operation Carthag - she carried the bullet fragment inside her for the rest of her (long) life.
Pity bomber command didn't have more. A thousand of these swarming a target instead of Lancaster's (which I still love) but with the speed and a decent 4000 lb bomb load' it could have been in and out fast. One of the aircraft that Goering was very envious of
Most Mosquito Bombers never carried a 4000lb load!!! The only way you could get 4000lbs of bombs on to the aircraft was a single 4000lb HC Bomb AKA the Cookie!!! The weapon actually played havoc with the aircraft's centre of gravity and it took De Havilland best part of a year to go from first flight of a modified aircraft (in April 1943) to it being deployed operationally in late February 1944. Even then, it wasn't until the advent of the aircraft fitted with the 2 stage blower Merlins that the 4000lb load equipped aircraft became reasonably safe to fly. Even then, to fly a mission you needed full drop tanks fitted to the wings to bring the centre of Gravity into limits and you couldn't use that fuel until you were just about to drop the bomb. If the drop tanks failed to feed (which happened quite a few times), the only drill was immediately dump the bomb, turn for home, set your speed for best cruise and head for RAF Woodbridge or Maston as they were the only two RAF UK airfields you were likely to reach. I will not go into the production difficulties of building this aircraft as they were a lot more difficult than most people think (it is a lot easier to build stuff out of sheet metal than it is out of wood, plus 80% of the Wood used to build the Mosquito didn't grow in the UK!!!!).
@@richardvernon317 yes there were issues but so did all aircraft like the issue with the tail on the Halifax causing loss of control on three engines. The manufacturing issues of the mosquito could hardly have been much worse than the massive amount of industry required on heavies which resulted in a large reliance on the US for our tanks, transport aircraft and other vehicles. Cookie issues aside it's still a valid argument to use larger amounts of mosquitos especially given the increased losses of heavy's until the impact of the Mustang in daylight raids r by the US reduced German fighter numbers. Harris would clearly never have gone for it anyway as he was never a believer of precision or panacea targets like the oil industry which ultimately turned out to be German's jugular
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq OK. It's just that the commentary refers to the Mosquito dropping Highballs, which doesn't match what's on the screen. Other than that, a good effort - thank you.
Wood makes excellent material from which to build aircraft. I belong to a number of wooden aircraft groups. Wood wasn't considered a war material. So it wasn't something the Krauts paid much mind. Otherwise they would have targeted forest. Especially if they figured out were the straight grained lumber was coming from.
Have yet to see a mosquito flying but cant wait for the one currently being built in the UK from donations to the Peoples Mosquito registered charity to get into the air. Unfortunately might be another couple of years or more depending on funding. With the moulds more aircraft could be produced much more easily.
At least a couple of types of wood were used. Spruce grows almost everywhere in Canada and spruce plywood was used extensively for load bearing structures throughout. The Canadian wood was most certainly used on the Canadian-built Mosquitos and probably exported to Australia for their Mosquitos.
Great subject and clip, and great movie choices as I hadn't heard of 'The Purple Plain' (1954) before, or the later 'Shadow in My Eye' (2021), kind regards.
Nice well made video highlighting an epic British plane. Pity leading roles were American actors supposedly Canadians but then it is always about money and sales for American audiences.
My drafting professor in college had been an engineer on the Mosquito project. He worked on the aircraft's propeller design. We could always get him to talk about his wartime experiences instead of teaching us how to draft.
Same here except our Headmaster at primary school flew Beaufighters over the North Sea, shooting up German shipping, ironically my da guarded Beaufighters in Egypt and Malta...
The de Havilland Mosquito. The best twin engined aircraft of WW2. The raid on the Gestapo HQ in Denmark was not the first against the Gestapo. Some have said the Mosquitos had a personal vendetta against the Gestapo as this was one of several raids carried out by Mosquitoes against the them. The Wooden Wonder was also known as the Timber Terror. Which is probably what Goring thought of them. He once said it made him yellow and green with envy. Especially as German could not make anything like it. The V-1s were known as code name Divers by the British. I assume this was because once the flight came to an end the dived down. During these attacks the Germans asked their spy ring in Britain where the V-1s were landing so they could make adjustments for range. Their spies reported that the V-1s were landing short so Germany increased the V-1s range. What Germany did not know was that their spy ring was thoroughly compromised and that the information given to them meant that the bombs were now mostly going passed London. To the best of my knowledge the Mosquitoes used against the V-1 were nightfighters which flew at night over the French coast waiting to see the flame from the V-1s engine before chasing it down and attacking it. They, of cour
Mosquitoes also flew over France at night with a radio operator in the back talking to resistance groups with a radio similar in operation to a mobile phone. Incredible technology in its day.
The mosquito became the premier night fighter for the allies. A common tactic was to loiter over German airfields with engines off, since the mosquito had an excellent glide. When a German plane taxied up for take-off, the mosquitos would strafe the runway or get the plane before it could get up to speed in the air
@@Slaktrax The only time the Mosquito got the better of the ME262 was when the Jet came into land--VERY slowly because of their operational speed , was far too fast for normal landing.
I read somewhere that there was a problem with the glue on the Mossies serving in the Far East and they had de lamination problems due to the heat. The red on th British roundels was deliberately left off so they wouldn't be mistaken for Japanese aircraft in the heat of battle.
That's right. I'm working on wooden boats and one big problem with boats built with these Aircraft glues in the 40's 50's and 60's is the deterioration of the glue. It usually holds well enough wherever the joints are kept sealed from moisture, but in enclosed areas with stagnant damp air, the glue tend to decompose and crumble. Today we use epoxy, and it has been around long enough for us to be sure that it holds up far better. (Although plastics are quickly becoming a serious enviromental issue just because of that)
A wartime report blamed it on the glue, but after the war it was determined that the only Mosquito's that had the delamination problem were the one's built by DeHavelin and that the problem was actually their workmanship.
I always found it interesting that the De Havilland Mosquito was even used in the Chinese Civil War of 1946-1949 by the Nationalist Air Force. The DH Mosquito was supplied by Canada at the moment.🤔🇹🇼🇨🇳
@@MrDaiseymayallowed? It's an opinion. I happen to share it. The Mosquito was the forerunner for the multitude of twin engine multirole aircraft that followed, right up to the present day. But if you have a different opinion, nobody's stopping you...
"633 Squadron" was the first war movie I ever saw on the big screen. So the story goes, star Cliff Robertson wanted to buy one of the Mosquitos after the movie was made, but was refused. He later settled for owning a Spitfire. Flying one of the German fighters in the movie was Martin Caidin author, pilot, and creator of "The Six Million Dollar man.
Yes it most certainly is and also you can wonder about the pitch for this aircraft to fly being that it was mostly wood and people at the even that time thought this idea was nuts and insane.
The first clip is of the film "The Purple Plain" with Gregory Peck as the Canadian, there is an interesting story that I can vouch for as being 100% Truthful.
The two Mosquitos in the film were from 81 (PR) Sqdn R.A.F. based at R.A.F. Seletar, Singapore. Without any knowledge of the reason the two Mosquito's and Air Crews were sent to Ceylon and upon arriving at their destination they were met by a Film Crew who's first Question to the Ground Crew was "Where are the Guns" .... A Mate of mine piped up and said "No Guns Mate these are P.R.Mk 34's ... Photographic Reconnaissance" .... after this had sunk in the Film Crew made it clear that guns were essential .... So when plans fall into a heap Ingenuity walks in the door.
So the 81 Sqdn ground crew went into a huddle ... came up with a solution (a bit iffy as this Modification had never seen the light of day). First the clear Perspect nose of the PR 34's had correlation lines painted to assist the Navigator in lining up for the Photographic run, so the nose was paint to match the rest of the aircraft, then after working all night the Airframes bods together with other ground crew and transformed Broom Handles into life like Gun Packs on the Nose Cone much to the pleasure of the Film Crew.
The 81 Sqdn Ground Crew, because they looked like Ground Crew, were used as extras. Just another Credit for 81 (P.R) Sqdn.
Apparently all the 81 Sqdn Bods were in agreement that Gregory Peck was a nice Bloke and very appreciative of the ingenuity of the R.A.F.
How do I know all of this ... I served on 81 Sqdn for three very happy but sometimes scary years. "Non Solum Nobis"
Much respect for your service. Love when I get vets with real experience dropping by to share some knowledge. Thank you so much!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Excellent recall. It's 72 years since my elder Brother came home from seeing this film. His description of it led me to think that it was all about survival in the desert, after Gregory Peck's plane was shot down. ( in what I thought was North Africa.) Despite all these years, I've still not seen the film---I must correct that.
I note that the aircraft is painted with Australian markings and ground crew are wearing Australian Slouch Hats, do you know if the movie was set in an Australian area of operations?
@@coolhand1964 They are SEAC markings and the Film is set around an RAF unit operating in Burma. Peck plays a Canadian RCAF Sqn Ldr.
Yes, same with 633 Squadron. I think they used 3 B35s and 1 TT3 for the flying sequences. Unfortunately, the B35 had a glazed nose and V shaped windshield, quite different from the TT3, which was more suited to sticking fake guns on. Also worth noting that the B35 had bulkier 2 stage supercharger Merlins whilst the TT3 had the sleeker single stage engines. Have you included the recent short film 'The Shepherd' on your list?
Its largely thanks to Glynn Powells dogged perseverance in NZ that 3 of the 4 currently flying Mosquitos are flying today. He left behind an incredible legacy.
i wonder if in 60 years, there is going to be someone out there fighting very hard to preserve the last few functional F16's or A-10's or something similar.
The de Havilland Mosquito. The best twin engined aircraft of WW2. The raid on the Gestapo HQ in Denmark was not the first against the Gestapo. Some have said the Mosquitos had a personal vendetta against the Gestapo as this was one of several raids carried out by Mosquitoes against the them.
The Wooden Wonder was also known as the Timber Terror. Which is probably what Goring thought of them. He once said it made him yellow and green with envy. Especially as German could not make anything like it.
The V-1s were known as code name Divers by the British. I assume this was because once the flight came to an end the dived down. During these attacks the Germans asked their spy ring in Britain where the V-1s were landing so they could make adjustments for range. Their spies reported that the V-1s were landing short so Germany increased the V-1s range. What Germany did not know was that their spy ring was thoroughly compromised and that the information given to them meant that the bombs were now mostly going passed London.
To the best of my knowledge the Mosquitoes used against the V-1 were nightfighters which flew at night over the French coast waiting to see the flame from the V-1s engine before chasing it down and attacking it. They, of course, also had their own radar to keep track of them. The V-1s in the daytime were often hunted by Spitfires. Both aircraft flew high above the flightpath of the V-1 and used the speed from the dive to catch them. It was very dangerous and more then one British aircraft was damaged or lost from the V-1 blowing up.
Fantastic additional info.
Laughs in P-38
At least four bombs penetrated the Gestapo HQ; one failed to detonate, while the other three crashed out through the opposite wall before exploding. The building was not destroyed, but several civilian residences were, and 80 civilians were killed or injured. The Norwegian government in exile, which had not known about the raid, later expressed serious concern to the British government.
Oslo Mosquito raid
@@imadrifter I think the P-38 was an excellent aircraft. But it never did half of what the Mosquito did.
@@nickdanger3802 We'll set that against the terror bombing of Coventry shall we.
Cool fact about the Mosquito is that it was possibly one of the first plane to spot and be one of the first planes shot down by a Jet fighter the German Me-262 in combat
The Me-262 was the only aircraft that could probably catch up to it
wood plane vs jet
@@joshuajoaquin5099 very fast wood plane*
@@howardman3926 pretty much yeah, the me262 had a top speed of almost 800kph, and the 30mm machinecannons with the mineshells ripped any plane apart
@@EnclaveChad definetively wood too lmao
The Bomber Command Museum in Nanton, Alberta Canada is currently restoring a 'Mossie' for static display. It should be ready for viewing Next Year.
Actually, they are not. The Mosquito is being restored by the Calgary Mosquito Aircraft Society in the workshop of the Bomber Command Museum, and the airplane will likely not be completed for another 10 years.
By far THE most versatile aircraft of WWII. Seriously, nothing else even comes close.
What about Me 262?
@@samanli-tw3id yeah.. How did it make out??
what about the F6F? or P38 Lightning?
@@nursestoyland what part of "versatile" don't you understand? F6F and P-38's specialized in 1 aspect of the air war... Mossie was a fighter, a bomber, naval attack platform, pathfinder, photo recon... The list goes on and on.
@@samanli-tw3id what part of "versatile" don't you understand? Mossie carried out FAR more roles than the ME262. Could the ME262 even FLY at night? Nope... Mossie was nightfighting, pathfinding, etc...
1946 "A Matter of Life and Death", starring David Niven, has a low level pass by a Mosquito in the beginning of the film. Just thought I would add it, gotta love the old movies!
Yes it did!!!
In 1982 at raf cosford age just 5 I was allowed inside the cockpit of their mosquito…. Wish I could thank the volunteer who gave a small boy an experience that will last a lifetime
😊👍🏽
I'm green with envy.
When I was 3 I sat in the cockpit of W4050, the prototype, at Salisbury hall. My mother has a photo somewhere. It's been my favourite aircraft ever since.
The successor to the Mosquito was the de Havilland Hornet which AFAIK was proofed against the delamination problem the Mosquito suffered in damp conditions, in order for it to be able to work in the Pacific and Asian theatres. It was smaller than the Mosquito and had an extra thousand horsepower - a real hot rod. Sorry, a bit off topic but I have a soft spot for piston engine planes that never quite made it to World War II. :)
So the Hornet had 4000 horsepower? Holy cow
@@mynamesmatthew1551 According to the British test pilot Eric Brown, you could loop it on one engine.
Thank you for sharing this with us all ,Bob.
@@bobmetcalfe9640 man that must have been one hell of a plane to fly.....
@@tomicbranislav3 According to Eric Brown the test pilot, you could loop it on one engine.
Man, really love these videos. Really appreciate the effort to collect all these bits and pieces.
633 Squadron The film was produced by Cecil F. Ford for the second film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in colour and Panavision widescreen.
I’m glad you feature tintin cartoon when I first heard about the aircraft
Me too! Grew up on Tintin
You've once again added to my movie list, Johnny. The only I've seen before is "Soldier of Orange."
So, I’m gonna throw my 5 pence theory in because ‘why not?’ What if Bomber Command had used thousands of Mossies and similar instead of the heavies? It is entirely possible that the entire campaign would have been more effective in pretty much every way. And considering how awful the RAF bombing campaign of WWII was it couldn’t have been much worse. And ‘No’ I am not dishonouring the memory of the fallen. They were incredibly brave considering the losses. But I think it could have possibly been done differently and more effectively if the RAF hadn’t been so blinkered by Trenchard theory.
Discuss 100pts. :)
Great work again JJ. You forgot the 633 /Star Wars bit though!!
I think it would require different tactics. Certainly not carpet bombing. The mosquitos would still need defense flying with a full bomb load as it reduced their speed greatly but that's not to say other mosquitos or mustangs couldn't have provided this. One set back might be the lack of pilots. I do think there is merit to this idea though.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Somebody probably did their phD on the subject!
Mosquito planes also accidently bombed a child orphanage instead of a Gestapo HQ once.
Mosquito Squadron used some major footage from 633 Squadron, i.e. the German air raid on the RAF base (some of the images were reversed, so as to not look too similar!)
My father's favourite WWII era aircraft. He did his National Service in the RAF a few years after the cessation of hostilities but he (sadly, for him!) never got to fly in one. I caught a video recently on the Finnish VL Myrsky fighter (built from the there widely-available raw material, wood) that suffered problems with poor-quality glue in those chilly northern climes so it's interesting how those issues were addressed (or not, in some cases) in the case of the Mosquito. Similar difficulties also befell the wooden Italian CRDA Cant Z 1007 bomber, apparently, although those difficulties arose from being at the other end of the temperature extreme from Finland - in the Western Desert.
Cracking video on Hertfordshires finest aircraft the wonderful Mossie.
Me when I was about to go to sleep and I got a notification of you on my Phone but very late: 6:01
Another splendid video. I am still really impressed with you finding all the source material from various medias to fill these videos 10 mins+. Bravo.
It can be a challenge especially for aircraft. Thanks for the kind words 🙏 😊
For my money the Mosquito was the standout performer of the war. Its ability to be up with the best in so many roles. The top scoring night-fighter of the war by a considerable margin. The lowest attrition rate of all allied planes. And built using materials, workers, plant and factories unsuited for the construction of other planes. From the DH2 to the Comet jet airliner, De Havilland was a genius.
The wooden wonder indeed...was privileged to see one flying...awe inspiring...thanks for sharing this with us all, Johnny....cheers/slainte...E
Damn, I love that plane. Gorgeous and deadly.
1:59 very well spotted. Gibson, leader of the famous dambusters raid was killed flying a Mosquito on a night attack pathfinder mission to drop marker lights on an objective. One theory is that when he saw that the target had not been properly illuminated he flew high level circuits and verbal guidance to the bomber stream. This extended flying time plus a low level high speed return in an unfamiliar aircraft ended in a fatal crash when fuel ran out.
More likely his Navigator (who was not qualified on the aircraft) failed to manage the fuel control system correctly as it was behind Gibson's Seat. Also Gibson failed to follow the correct route for the Mosquito's on the raid and took the Lancaster route home (the two were separate so that any twin engine aircraft the Lancaster's saw were going to be Germans and could there for be engaged by the gunners). Rumour has it that some tail gunner on a Lanc later claimed to have shot Gibson down.
I was lucky enough to see one do a fly over a military event in New Zealand. The plane was restored their and two weeks after the fly over, it was shipped over to its new owners in the US
My Grandmother worked at The Canadian Powerboat Company in Montreal, making parts for the Mossie. The assembled aircraft were painted at Downsview by my Best Friend's Grandfather.
Another great video mate.
I fell in love with this thing. Something about it is just cool.
Shadow in my eye is also known as “bombardment” in some countries :)
Was going to mention that , but see you already did. It is available on Netflix ( at least in Canada)
I remember watching 'Mosquito Squadron' many years ago and laughing at the idea of dropping Highball on land and rolling them into tunnels. A few years ago I read a history of 618 Squadron, which operated the Highball Mosquitos, and found that they had practised that, and that it was perfectly possible. So much for my sneering at Hollywood!
If memory serves, the Briefing film about the weapon in the film was an actual trial at the Ashley Walk Bombing Range.
Has to be the best all round warplane of WW2 . As not only best light bomber / medium bomber . but also pathfinder ; reconnaissance ; and I can't think of a better night finder and intruder either . Added to that it was in service from !942 and saw continual improvement with 2 stage Merlin engines added for bombers and night fighters etc. Although the Mk vi FB was able to manage on earlier engines quite effectively until the end of the war . In conjunction with the Beaufighter it was a very effective anti shipping and submarine aircraft especially in the Baltic in the last year of the War .
Incidentally, a Mosquito is used in Indiana Jones, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, as a bush transport.
Wasn't that a computer game?
I wouldn't know. But the airplane that takes them (Sorry, it is not Indiana Jones but Rick O'Connell, as in the Mummy), Evelyn and her brother (piloted by Bernard HIll) is a DH Mosquito.
1,284 built as unarmed bombers minus conversions to photo/recon. Max bombload 2,000 pounds in bomb bay plus 1,000 pounds on underwing hard points. "Some" modified to carry one 4,000 pound "cookie", a metal drum filled with explosive.
BAE Mosquito page
Got to see one of these and a Lancaster fly at Oshkosh a few years ago. Super cool aircraft.
+1 for mentioning Soldier of Orange 👏
Imagine sleeping in the bomb bay and pilot accidentally say "dropping bombs"
This is a grand video Johnny- but if a may add a correction or two- your picture of Geoffrey de Havilland is actually his brother, Hereward. You’re not the first to use it, I think it’s been misidentified in archives. The only other point is that the designer of the Mosquito was RE Bishop, often overlooked in favour of his employer. Otherwise, what a great video, very extensive, thanks for putting it together.
There was also Havilland DH.98 Mosquitoes mostly used as a psychological warfare tool that targeted the housing of the factory workers and their families. The bombing raids would cause disruption in the sleep of workers and the next day the sleep-deprived workforce of Germany would be too battered up to work effectively, add psychologically to the mosquito rap sheet
Absolutely! Great info my friend
There were no raids to target the housing of factory workers, though that was indeed an added bonus when it happened. The RAF moved to night bombing because of their day light raids and adopted night time saturation bombing, something they learnt from the Germans. The USSAF operated during the day but their accuracy was not much either despite the much vaunted Norden bombsight. It was said the RAF bombed cities and destroyed factories, the USSAF bombed factories and destroyed cities. Incidentally, The British were already aware of the psychological warfare and results that night bombing incur on the population by studying their moral, manufacturing output/disruption and resources needed for defence during the Luftwaffe's Blitz on British cities. As Sir Arthur Harris said “They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.” And they did.
@@colinwhyte1526 The raids these guys are talking about did happen, they were called Siren Tours and consisted of a few Mosquitos flying individual routes between a number of German Cities during the night lobing a single 500lb bomb at each city. The RAF started out trying to do precision attacks in 1940 (though they did do an area attack as revenge for Coventry in late 1940). Deliberate Area attacks started in February 1942 after the Butt Report found that the RAF couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Harris did come up with the policy, he was in the USA buying aircraft when it was made.
633 Squadron and Mosquito Squadron were both made by MGM and shared several scenes between the two films.
My godfather was a navigator on a mosquito night fighter, I still have his logbooks and training manuals.
The Mosquito is My Favorite UK WWII Fighter-Bomber.
As a kid, I used to love 633 Squadron for the great shots of Mosquitos flying through the Mach Loop, but now I'm always distracted by the interior shots of the Mossie cockpits. Every time I see movie actors pretending to be flying, with the Welsh landscape rolling behind them, I can't help but notice the Mosquitos have no tail... It's very distracting and completely destroys the illusion.
Good job! Very impressed with all of your vids and starting to watch the movies you’ve recommended too! Lots of quality effort and research! Much appreciated!
2:38 There is young "Ducky" from NCIS.
My Mother watched the Dam Busters being filmed at Margate dropping the bomb for the movie
Hermann Goering once blasted German aircraft manufacturers for failing to deliver new aircraft able to combat the Allied onslaught.. " we have the nincompoops whereas the British have the geniuses, where any piano maker can turn out *Mosquitoes" .. Germany has lots of forests , why didn't they try and replicate something like the mozzie.. ?
That was jolly good fun. Well done you 👏
Don't let Greg of Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles know you are comparing the Mosquito with the B17 he is fired up about enough about the Lancaster! Another excellent video thanks for the clip with John Mellion later of Crocodile Dundee fame!
That's because videos like this are full of nonsense, like his claiming that the B17's max bomb load was 8,000 lbs, try more like 18,000 lbs.
The creator's of videos like this one don't even bother to look things up, they just repeat the same nonsense that other videos claim, Greg lists a credible source for every single bit of information, credible sources such as NACA and wartime reports, these guy's don't even list their erroneous sources they just claim this and that, even worse they'll try to claim things like the maximum altitude and range while hauling a maximum load, as you know from watching his videos that's not how it works.
Duke these are simple fun overviews for people who enjoy war movies. You are arguing technicals that I didn't really get into.
It was meant to be a fun response. Not expecting real controversy.
@@gooraway1 I always appreciate your comments Martin and that you keep your expectations of me in the amateur youtube realm :) Though I do try to up my game with new videos as much as possible
Also just to clarify I was responding to "Duke" and not you Martin. Duke may have deleted his comment so I didn't mean to put any flak on you.
I have to find that Purple Plain film. I'd never heard of it.
In retrospect, 633 Squadron is a bit carp. It hasn’t aged well, but it has perhaps the best theme music.
Also it’s one of those films where they show the female cast member with ‘modern’ hairstyles…presumably to make them more attractive to the audiences of the day…
I've live in Virginia and have had a chance to see one of the 4 flying at the fighter factory. Seeing her flying in person she's a fast plane!
When I played Battlefield 5 the Mosquito was always destroying my tank.
with those impressive specs the doolittle raid should have used these instaed of b-25s
Ohh THAT?!? (Mosquito) ...we just threw that together with used pallet boards and a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine on a dare one night =)
edit: Alcohol was involved
Would you please do anyone of the following: XM8, SVK, AEK-971, AK-74, UZI, MAC11/12, or the SAIGA12? Please and thank you.
I suspected that the planes in the B.O.B Market Garden scene were Mosquitoes. Some people say they’re B-26 Marauders, but they look to slender for that.
They are Marauders. I have a buddy who worked on the CGI.
@@mikebrase5161 I have a hard time believing that, but I’ll take your word for it.
@@benjaminbuchanan7151 the engines are radials dude mosquito had Merlin's it's a dead giveaway. On top of taking my word for it
I rember the tintin episode and book with the mosquito that attacks titin and captain haddock also I have 633 sqodron on dvd
@@ianashby6294 I have 633 and Mosquito Squadron on DVD. Classics.
great vid
Absolute revolutionary, a high speed bomber. Buffff, with two Rolls Royce Merlin, brutal power.
Such a rare aircraft but a fast and powerful one
The de Haviland. The only Mosquito you dont need bug spray for. 😅😅
Solid as always Johnny. 💪💪👍👍🔥🔥👋👋
Johnny: has a de Havilland with 3000 hp
Myself: Toyota with 75 hp. 😅😅
Gotta drop a Merlin V12 in that Toyota
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq 😅😅👍
The wooden wonder. 400 mph and a devastating armament of four 20mm and four 30 cal machine gun.
1:00 I love that movie, but I don't recall the mosquito airplane ever being in it.
Briefly :)
My mother to be was hit by what was likely a ricochetting bullet from an escorting P51 strafing German flak-positions during the Operation Carthag - she carried the bullet fragment inside her for the rest of her (long) life.
Just an amazing Aircraft !!!
Please more aircraft
The Mosquito was the only vic a looser in the one & only dogfight of a Komet rocket plane. Although I've heard a Tuskegee P-51 took a Komet down.
4:29 Wanna know what the best part of this scene was?
That was friendly fire.
th-cam.com/video/RiGADkadUmk/w-d-xo.html
Long time no see huh Johnny
Hey buddy
m26 pershing and m46 patton now
Pity bomber command didn't have more. A thousand of these swarming a target instead of Lancaster's (which I still love) but with the speed and a decent 4000 lb bomb load' it could have been in and out fast. One of the aircraft that Goering was very envious of
Most Mosquito Bombers never carried a 4000lb load!!! The only way you could get 4000lbs of bombs on to the aircraft was a single 4000lb HC Bomb AKA the Cookie!!! The weapon actually played havoc with the aircraft's centre of gravity and it took De Havilland best part of a year to go from first flight of a modified aircraft (in April 1943) to it being deployed operationally in late February 1944. Even then, it wasn't until the advent of the aircraft fitted with the 2 stage blower Merlins that the 4000lb load equipped aircraft became reasonably safe to fly. Even then, to fly a mission you needed full drop tanks fitted to the wings to bring the centre of Gravity into limits and you couldn't use that fuel until you were just about to drop the bomb. If the drop tanks failed to feed (which happened quite a few times), the only drill was immediately dump the bomb, turn for home, set your speed for best cruise and head for RAF Woodbridge or Maston as they were the only two RAF UK airfields you were likely to reach. I will not go into the production difficulties of building this aircraft as they were a lot more difficult than most people think (it is a lot easier to build stuff out of sheet metal than it is out of wood, plus 80% of the Wood used to build the Mosquito didn't grow in the UK!!!!).
@@richardvernon317 yes there were issues but so did all aircraft like the issue with the tail on the Halifax causing loss of control on three engines. The manufacturing issues of the mosquito could hardly have been much worse than the massive amount of industry required on heavies which resulted in a large reliance on the US for our tanks, transport aircraft and other vehicles. Cookie issues aside it's still a valid argument to use larger amounts of mosquitos especially given the increased losses of heavy's until the impact of the Mustang in daylight raids r by the US reduced German fighter numbers. Harris would clearly never have gone for it anyway as he was never a believer of precision or panacea targets like the oil industry which ultimately turned out to be German's jugular
Yeah--he might have died of envy
The aircraft shown dropping the Upkeep mine is a Wellington, not a Mosquito.
Yes was just trying to use the scene to illustrate the bomb
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq OK. It's just that the commentary refers to the Mosquito dropping Highballs, which doesn't match what's on the screen. Other than that, a good effort - thank you.
Can you please make a video on the heinkel 111? :D
It's on my list! Within the next few weeks
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq awesome!
Why did you show dday from Band of Brothers?
One Wooden Boi.
Wood makes excellent material from which to build aircraft. I belong to a number of wooden aircraft groups. Wood wasn't considered a war material. So it wasn't something the Krauts paid much mind. Otherwise they would have targeted forest. Especially if they figured out were the straight grained lumber was coming from.
The USA and Canada.
In making 633 Squadron they actually destroyed a Mosquito. Unthinkable today!
i think the aircraft in the dambusters clip is a wellington
It is! I was just using it to highlight the bomb.
Have yet to see a mosquito flying but cant wait for the one currently being built in the UK from donations to the Peoples Mosquito registered charity to get into the air. Unfortunately might be another couple of years or more depending on funding. With the moulds more aircraft could be produced much more easily.
What was the name of the last film shown at 09:53?
The aircraft at 9:10 is a Wellington, not a mosquito.
Yes sorry I was just using that clip to demonstrate the bomb not the mosquito
They use to call it the wooden wonder, I think the wood came from Canada?
Absolutely many were even built in Canada!
Wisconsin, at 9.10
Gregs Air and Auto De Havilland Mosquito
th-cam.com/video/H3B2S6Rn36w/w-d-xo.html
At least a couple of types of wood were used. Spruce grows almost everywhere in Canada and spruce plywood was used extensively for load bearing structures throughout. The Canadian wood was most certainly used on the Canadian-built Mosquitos and probably exported to Australia for their Mosquitos.
@@sollows44 Eric Thanks for letting me know I was a little vague on what was used, good to know, cheers!
Great subject and clip, and great movie choices as I hadn't heard of 'The Purple Plain' (1954) before, or the later 'Shadow in My Eye' (2021), kind regards.
9:17 , that’s a Wellington not a Mossie !
My Grandfather flew Mosquito Mk VI's for 410 squadron RCAF. Killed Sep '43.
Sorry he didn't make. We can all be grateful for his sacrifice.
Did i see this in Tintin?
You sure did!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Knew it! Thanks for the video Johnny
Nice well made video highlighting an epic British plane. Pity leading roles were American actors supposedly Canadians but then it is always about money and sales for American audiences.
Germany probably would’ve won the war if they’d made mosquito nets
9:10 ISN'T a DH Mosquito , but a Vickers Wellington
Correct. Sorry, was just trying to highlight the bouncing bomb in that scene.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq thank you for the acknowledgement - have a great year !!
Hard swat
The Dambusters shot wasnt a mossie, it was a Wellington. Barnes Wallace designed the Wellington.
That's right. I was just attempting to highlight the bomb not that aircraft in that scene.
My drafting professor in college had been an engineer on the Mosquito project. He worked on the aircraft's propeller design. We could always get him to talk about his wartime experiences instead of teaching us how to draft.
Same here except our Headmaster at primary school flew Beaufighters over the North Sea, shooting up German shipping, ironically my da guarded Beaufighters in Egypt and Malta...
The de Havilland Mosquito. The best twin engined aircraft of WW2. The raid on the Gestapo HQ in Denmark was not the first against the Gestapo. Some have said the Mosquitos had a personal vendetta against the Gestapo as this was one of several raids carried out by Mosquitoes against the them.
The Wooden Wonder was also known as the Timber Terror. Which is probably what Goring thought of them. He once said it made him yellow and green with envy. Especially as German could not make anything like it.
The V-1s were known as code name Divers by the British. I assume this was because once the flight came to an end the dived down. During these attacks the Germans asked their spy ring in Britain where the V-1s were landing so they could make adjustments for range. Their spies reported that the V-1s were landing short so Germany increased the V-1s range. What Germany did not know was that their spy ring was thoroughly compromised and that the information given to them meant that the bombs were now mostly going passed London.
To the best of my knowledge the Mosquitoes used against the V-1 were nightfighters which flew at night over the French coast waiting to see the flame from the V-1s engine before chasing it down and attacking it. They, of cour
Mosquitoes also flew over France at night with a radio operator in the back talking to resistance groups with a radio similar in operation to a mobile phone. Incredible technology in its day.
The mosquito became the premier night fighter for the allies. A common tactic was to loiter over German airfields with engines off, since the mosquito had an excellent glide. When a German plane taxied up for take-off, the mosquitos would strafe the runway or get the plane before it could get up to speed in the air
''loiter over German airfields with engines off''... That is very hard to believe. Good myth though.
@@Slaktrax The only time the Mosquito got the better of the ME262 was when the Jet came into land--VERY slowly because of their operational speed , was far too fast for normal landing.
@@Slaktrax 1
I read somewhere that there was a problem with the glue on the Mossies serving in the Far East and they had de lamination problems due to the heat. The red on th British roundels was deliberately left off so they wouldn't be mistaken for Japanese aircraft in the heat of battle.
Yes I have read this fact as well.
It's why the RAAF went with the Beaufighter Squadrons . They were just as good in the Pacific
That's right.
I'm working on wooden boats and one big problem with boats built with these Aircraft glues in the 40's 50's and 60's is the deterioration of the glue. It usually holds well enough wherever the joints are kept sealed from moisture, but in enclosed areas with stagnant damp air, the glue tend to decompose and crumble.
Today we use epoxy, and it has been around long enough for us to be sure that it holds up far better. (Although plastics are quickly becoming a serious enviromental issue just because of that)
A wartime report blamed it on the glue, but after the war it was determined that the only Mosquito's that had the delamination problem were the one's built by DeHavelin and that the problem was actually their workmanship.
@@dukecraig2402 Far out I didn't know this. I read glue issues were mainly in the Asian theatre. Interesting.
I always found it interesting that the De Havilland Mosquito was even used in the Chinese Civil War of 1946-1949 by the Nationalist Air Force. The DH Mosquito was supplied by Canada at the moment.🤔🇹🇼🇨🇳
"Alrigggght I'm Johnny". Possibly the best outro of all my subs.
In my opinion, the Mossie is the finest combat aircraft ever created.
No argument allowed.
@@MrDaiseymayallowed? It's an opinion.
I happen to share it. The Mosquito was the forerunner for the multitude of twin engine multirole aircraft that followed, right up to the present day.
But if you have a different opinion, nobody's stopping you...
"633 Squadron" was the first war movie I ever saw on the big screen. So the story goes, star Cliff Robertson wanted to buy one of the Mosquitos after the movie was made, but was refused. He later settled for owning a Spitfire. Flying one of the German fighters in the movie was Martin Caidin author, pilot, and creator of "The Six Million Dollar man.
The Mossie was one of the best! Thanks for this overview and the well-detailed summary of the aircraft’s capabilities and contribution! Keep it up!
Thanks for the kind feedback :)
Yes it most certainly is and also you can wonder about the pitch for this aircraft to fly being that it was mostly wood and people at the even that time thought this idea was nuts and insane.