10. The Mosquitoes in Action
The De Havilland Mosquito’s bombload of 4000 lbs was only slightly less than the 4500 lbs typically carried by B-17s, but Mosquitoes could deliver their bombload with greater precision. They carried out pin-point attacks on targets throughout Nazi-occupied Europe; conducted night-time raids on Luftwaffe airfields; served as Pathfinders ahead of the nighttime bomber streams by marking out the target areas with colored incendiaries; carried out nighttime nuisance bombings; flew special operations raids such as precision attacks on Gestapo and German intelligence facilities; and smashed the walls of Nazi prisons to facilitate jailbreaks. Mosquitoes also served successfully as fighters, night bombers, in anti-submarine and anti-shipping roles, and as fast transports for high-value cargoes.
Perhaps the greatest compliment of all that was directed at the Mosquitoes came from Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering while addressing German manufacturers in 1943: “It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that?”