Mossie speed

[brando]

Originally Posted by Bobb4

The kill quoted earlier in this thread is of a mossie out of its element, flying low, someting it was not really meant to do???? I could be wrong on that but I always assumed a mossie was a high altitude fighter/bomber

http://www.dhmosquito.com/

It's worth noting another factor here, I think, and that is regarding so-called 'hedge-hopping attacks' over land. The Mossie was of course a side-by-side two-seater, and the extra pair of eyes must have been a vital factor in a plane flying at high speed whilst hugging the terrain. This kind of attack avoids radar, gives flak-gunners the briefest opportunity to range in, and also makes the aircraft hard to detect and pursue by fighters. Having a buddy next to you must make detection of obstacles, adjustments of heading and arrival on target and so on an easier task for the pilot to accomplish.

One might even suggest that a successful return, whilst desirable, is not the most important factor to the mission-planners. If one or several aircraft making this kind of approach can nail the target and cause great devastation then the mission is successful. No amount of kills by the defence forces after the event can change that.

Just my 2d-worth

Brando

[mazex]

Here's a story I found when doing a skin for one of the BOAC operated civilian Mossies that flew secret night time missions from Scotland to Sweden (they had no guns so they where naturally lighter than the armed version):

"On the 18:th of July 1943, Mosquito G-AGGC after leaving the Swedish coast at 7.600 meters noticed condensation trails – one above and one behind the a/c, presumed to be from Focke-Wulf 190s. Rae, The pilot turned into the fighters and then dived in a spiral down to the sea level, leveled out and gave full throttle. Indicated airspeed was 570 Km/h and the course set for Leuchars. In the full moon the attacking fighters had no problem seeing the Mossie and the chase was on for half an hour without the attackers gaining on the Mosquito. The Germans gave up, probably because of fuel shortage. BOAC's instruction was that if an aircraft was attacked over the eastern part of Skagerak, the pilot was to turn back because of the risk of fuel starvation if entangled in a long chase. However, this time Gilbert Rae decided to continue the flight because he had a Danish officer on board who had just escaped the Gestapo."

It seems they had real problems shaking those 190:s - and it's interesting that they used 190:s as night fighters. Maybe to catch Mossies?

/Mazex

[Thunderbolt56]

The Mossie modeled in IL2 is the earlier version that doesn't produce the horsepower nor speed of the later models. It is truly competitive in pre-1942 scenarios, but after that it's easily outclassed.

[Thunderbolt_Br]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt56

The Mossie modeled in IL2 is the earlier version that doesn't produce the horsepower nor speed of the later models. It is truly competitive in pre-1942 scenarios, but after that it's easily outclassed.

I agree

As I like to built historic mission to play with my friends, and I like fly Mosquistos, only in a Burma scenario Mossie became a pleaseant option


Thanks pals