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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0819.PDF
APRIL 20TH, I944 FLIGHT 4*7 viion had been made for four 250-lb. bombs. The machine could carrv more weight, and De Havilland engineers suggested that if the standard 500-lb. bomb could be fitted with either retractable vanes or merely shortened vanes, four bombs could be accommodated, thus doubling the bomb load. The short-vane bomb proved a success, and the technique of low attack was perfected and em ployed during the summer of 1942. Meanwhile Mosquito night fighters came to the aid of the Beaufighters and other types, which had virtually broken the back of the night blitz. An adaptation of the fighter version was then put on intruder work by night and by day, harassing enemy airfields, power stations, transport and shipping. The next development was the placing of two 500-lb. bombs behind the -cannon breeches of the fighter version, turning it into a fighter- bomber. That was only the beginning. .^Additions followed rapidly. First came the fitting of 50-gallon drop tanks under the wings to extend the range. Then 250-lb. bombs were made with the drop tanks, and next 500-lb. bombs were substi tuted. Th;s meant that, in addition to its four cannon and four machine guns, the fighter Mosquito was carrying 2,000 lb. of bombs, or twice the original bomb load of the unarmed bomber version. The drop tanks, and the 500-lb. wing bombs, were also fitted to the bomber version, which thus could carry up to 3,000 lb. of bombs. Accommodation for '' Block-busters '' Last year, by a slight modification of the bomb bay, De Havilland designers succeeded in accommodating internally a 4,000-lb. "block-buster" bomb. Except for increasing ^Ihe take-off run, the extra load does not appear to have reduced the performance. Aircraft design is always a compromise between several The high-altitude photographic reconnaissance or bomber version. In the bomber the wing tanks can be replaced by bombs while for P.R. work fuel tanks can replace the whole bomb load. interchangeable conflicting requirements. In this respect De Havilland designers must be given full credit for having chosen exactly the right size of aircraft. The Mosquito owes its outstand ing performance partly to its good form and clean design, and partly to its small size. But if it had been smaller its range and destructive powers would have been reduced ; if larger, the performance would have suffered. We began these notes with a reference to the many roles of the Mosquito. Following is a list of those which have been mentioned up to April ;I>H$iffahge cfa^HlgrnVr (ocean patrol, etc.) ; night inteje^ptor fighter for home defence night intruder-fighte^and fighter-bomber; day low-, medium- and fighter and fighte&Comber day bomber ; low- medium- special bomber carryin] finder; longyfange photo, speed, long/range transpi high-attack nie -lb. blockjfnster creconna er-.ttaci jomber: ; path nd 1 R»: UGLY WORK FOR A BEAUTY. A 4,000-lb. bomb goes up into a Mosquito.
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