de Havilland Mosquito – Collectors Club 2002 – BOAC, World War 2

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale Collectors Club 2002 AA32804: De Havilland Mosquito in wartime BOAC markings. Used to transport agents and ball bearings to and from Sweden, it was ideally suited to the task due to its excellent speed and manouverability. Limited edition of only 1,000 units, highly sought after and hard to find.

Length 6.75 inches Wingspan 9 inches

The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the “Mossie” to its crews and was also nicknamed “The Wooden Wonder”. It saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and many other air forces in the European theatre, the Pacific theatre of Operations and the Mediterranean Theatre.

Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, the Mosquito was adapted to many other roles during the air war, including: low to medium altitude daytime tactical bomber, high-altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike aircraft, and fast photo-reconnaissance aircraft. It was also used by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) as a transport.

When the Mosquito entered production in 1941, it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. Entering widespread service in 1942, the Mosquito supported RAF strategic night fighter defence forces in the United Kingdom from Luftwaffe raids, most notably defeating the German aerial offensive Operation Steinbock in 1944. Offensively, the Mosquito units also conducted nighttime fighter sweeps in indirect and direct protection of RAF Bomber Command’s heavy bombers to help reduce RAF bomber losses in 1944 and 1945. The Mosquito increased German night fighter losses to such an extent the Germans were said to have awarded two victories for shooting one down. As a bomber, it took part in “special raids”, such as pinpoint attacks on prisoner-of-war camps (to aid escapes), Gestapo or German intelligence and security force bases, as well as tactical strikes in support of the British Army in the Normandy Campaign. Some Mosquitos also saw action in RAF Coastal Command during the Battle of the Atlantic, attacking Kriegsmarine U-Boat and transport ship concentrations, particularly in the Bay of Biscay offensive in 1943 in which significant numbers of U-boats were sunk or damaged.

The Mosquito was also used in the Mediterranean and Italian theatres, as well as being used by the RAF in the CBI Theatre, and by the RAAF based in the Halmaheras and Borneo during the Pacific War.