Saxton, Peter Mosquito Special Operations in the Second World War

The Ultimate Fighter Bomber

The Mosquito was the most successful and strategically decisive multi-role combat aircraft of the Second World War. It was introduced by the de Havilland Aircraft Company as an unarmed, uninterceptable medium bomber characterized by long range, high speed, and high-altitude capability. An unarmed bomberone entirely devoid of defensive armamentwas a concept that stood in diametrical opposition to the tactical doctrines of both the Royal Air Force and the US Army Air Forces. Nevertheless, the aircraft was developed to undertake an almost limitless spectrum of missionsincluding ground attack as a dive-bomber, anti-shipping operations, roles as both a day and night fighter, the function of a "Pathfinder" for target marking on behalf of heavy bomber formations, and long-range reconnaissance. There appeared to be no task to which the aircraft could not be adapted with unprecedented success. Its most significant role was played as a lethal, precision fighter-bomber for long-range, low-level ground attacksmaking it ideal for "special missions." This book sheds light on the pivotal role played by the designers and engineersfrom the initial conceptual phase through mass production to factory-level support in the field. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Mosquito was capable of carrying the same bombload as four-engine heavy bombersyet it did so at far greater speeds and across an altitude range extending from treetop level to the extreme upper reaches of the atmosphere. It was the combination of this performance capability with its enormous range that transformed it into a truly strategic weapon of air warfarecapable of striking precision targets deep within the heart of Nazi Germany and undermining enemy morale.