The Mosquito flight sequences from the 1964 film '633 Squadron'. Not many know this film is a remake of a Mexican 1953 title, "Esquadrón Mojito". Info: en.wikipedia.or...
I have the movie on DVD and love to pull it out when I am watching aviation films. The mossy is still a fantastic piece of flying machinery. Great engines married to a strong plywood body. It was truly the right plane for the time. Bravo de Havilland!
The airfield scenes were filmed at Bovingdon Airfield, the film used mainly TT mk35's ex RAF aircraft used by civilian contractors for target towing. Bovingdon was also the location for an episode of The Avengers screened in 1965 The hour that never was. This featured a scene of Steed climbing into a Mossie which I assume was there during filming 633 Squadron around 1964. Bovingdon was used for several other films including The War Lovers with Steve McQueen well worth looking for the clip on utube of the VERY low B17 beating up the airfield
Cliff Robertson was a pilot in real life and owned several warbirds. After this movie wrapped he wanted to buy one of the airworthy Mossies' but for some reason wasn't able to. I saw him come into an airfield once that I had just landed at, he was flying an ME-108 that he owned. Nice guy, loved airplanes. I remember this movie from when I was a kid, still one of my favorites. I watch it every few years.
I have seen 2 Mossies. here in Canada . The sound of those twin Merlin's ,along with our Lanc , and Spitfire . Most awesome music . A new meaning to the term ' Heavy Metal " . Takes guts and a belief that what they were doing was for the better of man kind . To all vets , Allied Forces a deep and humble thank you .
Yep,beautiful sound but Mossies being made from. Wood(I’m not sure ofthe “heavy metal” relevance given these were notoriously made from wood ( Ash& Balsa IIRC` but yes Merlins sounsincere appreciation and much thanks to the pilots.and ground crews.
I agree, 👍 I have never heard a such beautyful music. Even the Mustang, it's like a whistle, very agressive, not seductive like the R.and R. XXIII of the MOSQUITO, wich is for me the top of the top.
I used to live in Stamford (UK) and we were regularly visited by merlins - the sweetest sound ever - one is fantastic but two together - either as a Spit and Hurri or better still a Mossie - beats all other sounds
Plot was ambiguous about exact location but if target was heavy water electrolysis plant, that was in reality in Vemork, Rjukan, Norway. The plant was attacked unsuccessfully by Operation Freshman (combined RAF and British Army glider troops) in late 1942 with disastrous outcome. It was later disabled by six Norwegian commandos 2/27/43 of SOE's Operation Gunnerside. US 8th Air Force B 17's and later B 24's bombed the plant successfully late 1943 inducing the Germans to move the heavy water operation to southern Germany. The fictional 633 Squadron may have been based instead on 139 Squadron raid at a molybdenum processing plant at Knaben, Vest-Agder, Norway successfully attacked in March 3, 1942 at the cost of one Mosquito and its crew. The mission profile of the fictional 633 Squadron and that of 139 Squadron's Knaben raid are very similar.
You know just as I was watching this just now I thought: "That scenery looks familiar". Then you said the "mach loop", and I knew you were right and where I'd seen this valley before! LOL!
My Dad took my brother and I to see this film in the theater when it first came out. I was 10 years old. I shall never forget seeing this in Panavision with the soundtrack mixed with the sound of those Merlin engines. It was wonderful.
I was the same age and experience as you when my Father took me to see this movie. My Father was in the USAF Strategic Air Command at the time. He had served from January 1941 through March 1970 retiring as a Chief Master Sgt.. We also went together to see "The Dam Busters", "The Battle of Britan", "Tora! Tora! Tora!", and "Memphis Bell", amongst others. He served as crew chief and waist gunner in a PBV-1A: Canadian Vickers built version of the PBY-5A Catalina flying boat, My Father paid a GI Nose Artist two bottles of Good Scotch Whiskey to paint a Vargasesque girl on the nose named "Miss Pick Up. She was painted in the RAF Coastal Commands livery, but with USAF Markings, working A.S.R. in the Channel , North Sea, and Atlantic in partnership with an RAF motor launch. Watching these films together helped us bond and for him to open up about his years and experiences during the War. I count these times as the best experience s of our relationship as Father and Son. I was always proud of my Father, and considered him my hero.
Two flying De Haviland Mosquitos are currently being restored in New Zealand. One is already flying while the second is due to fly next year. One will remain in NZ for a year and then return to the UK. Kermit Weeks owned the last official flying Mosquito but I do not know if it is airworthy.
Can never get tired of watching this film, and the music score, Superb. I was lucky enough to work near London Colney for many years which is close to the De Havilland Mosquito Aircraft Musuem located at Salisbury Hall where it was designed, developed and built. They have the World's largest collection of Mosquitos.
Queen of the skies!! We had the NF36 (not the best looking model) in the Suez Canal Zone until Sep'52 when we converted onto Meteors. Loved the sound of those wonderful Merlins. What a shame we don't have one flying at Duxford.
Nothing else sounds so beautiful as a RR Merlin. My dad's Mk IIA Hurricane had one and I loved to hear it run. Too vad he had to sell her after 30 years of work restoring it..but it was so terribly expensive to keep flying...$40K for a weekend airshow in just insurance.
My dad was a radar operator/navigator in 307 SQN. Operated over the Bay of Biscay against U-Boats, Home Defense and later over the continent in night intruder missions. He flew in Beaufighters and Mosquitoes.
@hipcat13-- The Mosquito actions against eboats and uboats must have been very interesting-- for both sides. Essentially, it was the deck AA armament of both, manned with only a few seconds' notice, against the Mosquito's 20, 40 or 57mm cannon. The low altitude also may have helped disguise the roar of attacking aircraft until the last moment.
Must have been awesome to be part of that. But for the Germans to hear these engines at sea level and no idea which direction then to see it at sea level must have scared the crap out of them.
The precursor to British Airways used them to fly to Stockholm to buy all the ball bearings before Germany could We also smuggled out Niels Bohr to work on Tube Alloys (our attempt at building an A Bomb, people dont realise that the vast majority of the ground work for the Manhattan project was done by the British before hand, and then the Americans stabbed us in the back by not sharing the information that we had collaborated on and kept all the info regarding the A bomb, just so they had a monopoly, but we sorted that out within a few years
They were actually never under-rated that's a myth perpetuated to keep its' mystique....widely recognised as one of the best aircraft and most versatlile of WWII.
I wouldnt say under rated they knew exactly what she was capable of and more, the Germans feared the mosquito, Especially night fighters trying to land the mossie would wait for them and strafe the buggers. Damn great plane and damn great brave crews.
The very, very best of all ww2 aircraft. Some pretenders, but none as capable, beautiful and as successful. Sorry, Spitfires, Mustangs, Lancasters, Fokke Wulfs, and some others, no contest.
yes - an extraordinary aircraft. In the middle years of the war it was the fastest aircraft in service in europe, superior in speed to all single engine fighters, later surpassed by upgrades in other types. It's armament made it a crunching ground attack aircraft with the nose mounted 20 mm Oerlikons, a nightmare for German armour. But amazingly, in its bomber configuration with the perspex nose cone and bomb bay it could carry the same pay load as a B17. It was extremely versatile. And it also had range which meant it could provide pathfinder squadrons for the heavies that went all the way to Germany. But due to its very particular wooden construction it needed highly skilled artisans to put it together which meant it was never produced in large enough numbers. And in Asia, the balsa reacted badly with the humidity. And due to the nature of its operations, it needed exceptional pilots to fly at that speed, often that low against precision targets as it was used in the TAF after Normandy - unlike the bus drivers in the U.S daylight bombers. So, as often happens, there's just not enough excellent - average has to do.
Anne Browning B17 payload 4,800 lbs a heavy bomber with four engines it was purpose built to deliver bombs...the Mosquito ended up with a capacity for 2000 lbs of bombs very respectable for a light bomber.
My bad the B17 had a 17,000 + lb bomb load capacity. It was the original claim in this string that the Mosquito had the same capacity of a B17 that caught my eye. That is certainly not the case. 4,000 makes sense.
Jeff Smith I've seen both numbers quoted this site for instance says 17,000. acepilots.com/planes/b17.html It would depend on fuel load and other parameters for its max load. But its got to have more that a plane with a much smaller lifting surface and half the engines. Or it was a total failure as a design for carrying capacity....and nobody is saying that.
I am a little skeptical of one flight doing a right-hand circuit and the other a left-hand circuit...but, my goodness to have been young, invincible and flying such an amazing airplane in desperate times...God bless the Royal Air Force!
Theres only 2 or 3 of these GEMS left that are flyable in the world excluding Kermit Weeks 1 that I saw fly at Osh-Kosh in 1990 (but now at the EAA museum/not flying presently)Believe it or not I may get a ride in 1 of them very soon! Just sold a cycle to the owner of a restored Mosquito down at M.A.M. museum in Va. I've flown in P51's + T6's,PT17s's but this is a DREAM...I saw this movie as a kid+ always LOVED this aircraft...2 MERLINS are better than 1!! MustangMike.
This is the only old school war movie which made reference to the many fighter and bomber pilots that fought for Britain during WW2 they came from India West Indies and were often ill treated and overlooked. But they contributed and sometimes gave their lives toward the cause!
Absolutely true that this is a film that could do with a modern remake with better special effects!! Trouble is there is only three flying "Mossies" worldwide. I guess computer graphics might help.
@@patricklamshear6662 why would that be an insult? My uncle was killed in action flying these planes in August 1944 and on the contrary, it would be an opportunity for a new generation to learn about Mossies and their brave crews. I strongly doubt if that would be any form of insult if well made.
I remember seeing this, The Dambusters and Battle of Britain back to back on a Saturday afternoon when I was small. Dreamed of being a pilot ever since.
One or more of the planes seem to be painted-over glass nose versions. At 1:35 and later you can clearly see the oval sighting panel under the grey paint. There are also no cannon ports on the underside - which explains why in the attack scenes, they can only tak-a-tak away with the mocked-up machine guns.
In his memoirs, my late Australian Father in laws best friend tells how, (as an allied fighter pilot late in the war) he destroyed 3 aircraft. Unfortunately they were all his own and he was lucky to survive. the last was one of these. Looking at statistics, your own aircraft (and often inexperience) were every bit as liable to kill you as as enemy action.
The description is wrong. It is based on the book by Frederick E Smith published in 1956. He got the idea from his own wartime experiences as Mosquito crew
Mosquitoes were among best aircraft of ww2. Powered by two rolls Royce merlin engines and constructed of wood they were fast, maneuverable British fighter bombers. They shot down several German fighters and were also used on recon missions
I have rather mixed feelings about this film, chiefly because the film's producers deliberately burnt two perfectly good (and rare) Mosquitos for crash sequences - the one time where cgi, had it existed then, would have been put to good use. Pretty unforgivable of them in my opinion.
I'm sure I read some of the aircraft used during the film were due for scrap soon anyway, so the film-makers just made use of them for the film. Even by that point, it was becoming very expensive to maintain WW2 planes. Fewer and fewer Mossies were being kept in the sky.
not so......when the film was made in 1965 Mossies were secondhand pieces of junk, the raf had just withdrawn their last stock,so the film company used 5 airworthy examples......all still exist today...one surplus example.....driven and crashed in the wheels up scene (and later set on fire in another scene)....and two cockpit sections....its a bit like in the tv series "the Sweeney" in the 1970s.....mk2 jaguars...who no one wanted back then...were written off in almost every episode.
@Tim Richardson *"Hindsight"* is one thing, but foresight is another. If only I had preserved my 1989 Suzuki RG500 Kevin Schwantz Race replica it would be worth £20k today. Fortunately I did have the means to do that, but in the late 60's - early 70's not many thought that way. *Even as late as 1982 I sold a number plate (45 K) that would be worth many thousands today. I do somewhat ruefully regret that !*
And one aircraft truly feared by Goering... "In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! 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? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked" :-)
No, there are no Mosquitos flying anymore. Two of the planes are in museums (last I read about them, in USA) and the last flyable one was totally destroyed in a fatal crash during an airshow several years ago.
Love the music score as well - have you noticed the backing rhythm is in groups of 6 beats then two groups of 3? The drums are beating out '6-3-3' - very clever, Ron Goodwin (composer).
It's 3 years on, and they've bred, it seems - seventy-five now! Poor snowflakes - they probably were never taught about the UK's contribution to winning WW2, and they just 'need' their safe spaces. It's all just too much for them to understand.
A truly great British film and although it was not a true story, l dare say it was as close to several such real life events ! I would like to beleve that should we were to find ourselves in a similar prodicoment in the future we would once again rise to the occasion ! God bless Britain and her alies
An interesting plane is made of wood. does not have defensive weapons. However, during the Second World War, 254 aircraft were lost for 40,000 sorties.
Do You have any sources? One short scene in the beginning shows 4 aircraft flying. The rest of the film shows 3 flying and 2 taxiing. The two scenes of Mosquitos folding their landing gears and crashing is the same plane filmed from different directions. Three airworthy aircraft survived the filming: One "TIII" and two "35". I have a little litterature about them, but have been unable to find information about the fourth plane in the short flight scene and why only three were shown later.
The Mossie, 4 guns 4 cannons, 8 rockets and a belly full of bombs. Faster than any prop aircraft in ww2. Deadly against everything from bombers to ships to tanks. Beautiful aircraft.
asgrrr; you only have so many words on this site - lost the end of your comment. Part II please. I also worked on a site on the edge of the airfield they used, doing location work for an episode of New Tricks. But that's another story.......
The greatest plance of all time. A tag that will upset many, but for versatlity, nothing else comes close. And if Uncle Sam had used these instead of B17s & Liberators maybe the tally of human lives lost would have been 20% ... Nightfighter. Coastal Command U-Boat killer, High altitude Reconnaisance. Fighter-Bomber. Pathfinder. Bomber. Trainer and Target Tug. And ultimately flow off Carriers just 'cause we British piano makers like that sort of thing. And then there's the Molins 57mm cannon :) Geoffery DH deserves al lthe acolades.
This movie is near and dear to me. I first saw it when I was like 8...and my Grandfather watched with me. He was a pathfinder and flew Mossys.. and he was great at providing details but I could also see his expression..a slightly sad but endearing face. He loved his Mossy..and it he really meant alot to him too. I have since seen it multiple times and my memories of him resurface and brings a smile to my face. Everytime I hear that theme..A thrill still rushes through me. :)
I was honoured to be at the De Havilland Mosquito Museum on the Mosquitos 75th anniversary. When they rolled out the original prototype which was bright yellow. Once back inside the hanger all the engineers, volunteers etc in their boiler suites lined up in front of it as the 633 Squadron theme music played. I was so lucky to have experienced this very special piece of history. She may had been a wooden wonder, but even more so a very special lady..... God bless all those pilots and crews who flew her, and even more so to those brave peole who made the ultimate sacrifice for us never to be forgotten R.I.P I
I was priveleged to be an apprentice to the great Tom Herbert 76- 78. He was at De Havillands, Hatfield during the war, and his tool box was made of Mosquito Plywood. He taught me more than I could ever hope to teach anyone else. I still proudly possess (and use) some of his self made tools. God bless you Tom, wherever you are.
I think the Mossie was one of the most beautiful aircraft from the war years, second perhaps only to the spitfire. and one of the unsung heroes of that great conflict too., such an amazingly versatile plane that flew in so many different roles and guises.
@@WaruiKoohii You mean the Corsair that the US Navy wouldn't accept because of oil covering the windshield when flying? Still the British sorted that out for you, and taught you how to land it on a carrier!
@@sprinter1832 british boasting sucks so bad. Your stupid pride makes good people selfish. Your aircraft and flying has never been as good as america. And the p38 was way more capable had a longer range, more guns and could carry more bombs. Get over yoirself, be th first englishman not consumed with pride.
The Mosquito is one of the greatest looking aircraft of that era. I remember being taken to see this by my Dad at the old Crescent cinema in Leeds. These sequences were excellent on a big screen.
“ In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! 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.” - Hermann Göering, January 1943 I think this was recognition enough.
Much more recognition? It's widely recognised as the most versatile recon / night fighter / light bomber of WWII and one of the most heautiful aircraft ever built.
Respect to those airmen and our commonwealth friends who helped this country in its hour of need.
I have the movie on DVD and love to pull it out when I am watching aviation films. The mossy is still a fantastic piece of flying machinery. Great engines married to a strong plywood body. It was truly the right plane for the time. Bravo de Havilland!
And now you won't have to do that ever again bc you have this edit ;)
My two favourite WW2 machines are both twin-engined - the Mosquito and the P38 Lightning. Great planes, both!
Such a great aircraft, its a damn shame so few were preserved.
The most versatile aircraft ever built. What a plane!!
Great film and fitting tribute to all those brave young airmen who fought and died in them in ww2.
The airfield scenes were filmed at Bovingdon Airfield, the film used mainly TT mk35's ex RAF aircraft used by civilian contractors for target towing. Bovingdon was also the location for an episode of The Avengers screened in 1965 The hour that never was. This featured a scene of Steed climbing into a Mossie which I assume was there during filming 633 Squadron around 1964.
Bovingdon was used for several other films including The War Lovers with Steve McQueen well worth looking for the clip on utube of the VERY low B17 beating up the airfield
Cliff Robertson was a pilot in real life and owned several warbirds. After this movie wrapped he wanted to buy one of the airworthy Mossies' but for some reason wasn't able to. I saw him come into an airfield once that I had just landed at, he was flying an ME-108 that he owned. Nice guy, loved airplanes.
I remember this movie from when I was a kid, still one of my favorites. I watch it every few years.
I have seen 2 Mossies. here in Canada . The sound of those twin Merlin's ,along with our Lanc , and Spitfire . Most awesome music . A new meaning to the term ' Heavy Metal " . Takes guts and a belief that what they were doing was for the better of man kind . To all vets , Allied Forces a deep and humble thank you .
Yep,beautiful sound but Mossies being made from. Wood(I’m not sure ofthe “heavy metal” relevance given these were notoriously made from wood ( Ash& Balsa IIRC` but yes Merlins sounsincere appreciation and much thanks to the pilots.and ground crews.
I agree, 👍 I have never heard a such beautyful music. Even the Mustang, it's like a whistle, very agressive, not seductive like the R.and R. XXIII of the MOSQUITO, wich is for me the top of the top.
I agree even goring was
Pissed off we had them
Wooden wonders!! Haha 😄
I used to live in Stamford (UK) and we were regularly visited by merlins - the sweetest sound ever - one is fantastic but two together - either as a Spit and Hurri or better still a Mossie - beats all other sounds
Those flying scenes through the valleys were filmed at the Mach Loop in Wales which is still used for training today.
@john o'neill
*Think you are probably right, but it was not considered PC correct to film over Germany even in 1964 !*
Their target in film was iirc Finland or denmark the heavy water plant.? I think most filming was done in scotland
Plot was ambiguous about exact location but if target was heavy water electrolysis plant, that was in reality in Vemork, Rjukan, Norway. The plant was attacked unsuccessfully by Operation Freshman (combined RAF and British Army glider troops) in late 1942 with disastrous outcome. It was later disabled by six Norwegian commandos 2/27/43 of SOE's Operation Gunnerside. US 8th Air Force B 17's and later B 24's bombed the plant successfully late 1943 inducing the Germans to move the heavy water operation to southern Germany. The fictional 633 Squadron may have been based instead on 139 Squadron raid at a molybdenum processing plant at Knaben, Vest-Agder, Norway successfully attacked in March 3, 1942 at the cost of one Mosquito and its crew. The mission profile of the fictional 633 Squadron and that of 139 Squadron's Knaben raid are very similar.
Mac loop amazing
You know just as I was watching this just now I thought: "That scenery looks familiar". Then you said the "mach loop", and I knew you were right and where I'd seen this valley before! LOL!
My Dad took my brother and I to see this film in the theater when it first came out. I was 10 years old.
I shall never forget seeing this in Panavision with the soundtrack mixed with the sound of those Merlin engines.
It was wonderful.
I was the same age and experience as you when my Father took me to see this movie. My Father was in the USAF Strategic Air Command at the time. He had served from January 1941 through March 1970 retiring as a Chief Master Sgt.. We also went together to see "The Dam Busters", "The Battle of Britan", "Tora! Tora! Tora!", and "Memphis Bell", amongst others. He served as crew chief and waist gunner in a PBV-1A: Canadian Vickers built version of the PBY-5A Catalina flying boat, My Father paid a GI Nose Artist two bottles of Good Scotch Whiskey to paint a Vargasesque girl on the nose named "Miss Pick Up. She was painted in the RAF Coastal Commands livery, but with USAF Markings, working A.S.R. in the Channel , North Sea, and Atlantic in partnership with an RAF motor launch. Watching these films together helped us bond and for him to open up about his years
and experiences during the War. I count these times as the best experience s of our relationship as Father and Son. I was always proud of my Father, and considered him my hero.
william york Your father lived a life you could write a book about. I am so glad that you had a full life with him.
Two flying De Haviland Mosquitos are currently being restored in New Zealand. One is already flying while the second is due to fly next year. One will remain in NZ for a year and then return to the UK. Kermit Weeks owned the last official flying Mosquito but I do not know if it is airworthy.
Can never get tired of watching this film, and the music score, Superb. I was lucky enough to work near London Colney for many years which is close to the De Havilland Mosquito Aircraft Musuem located at Salisbury Hall where it was designed, developed and built. They have the World's largest collection of Mosquitos.
This. Never. Gets. Old.
Queen of the skies!! We had the NF36 (not the best looking model) in the Suez Canal Zone until Sep'52 when we converted onto Meteors. Loved the sound of those wonderful Merlins. What a shame we don't have one flying at Duxford.
Those Merlins sound lovely on a low pass.
Nothing else sounds so beautiful as a RR Merlin. My dad's Mk IIA Hurricane had one and I loved to hear it run. Too vad he had to sell her after 30 years of work restoring it..but it was so terribly expensive to keep flying...$40K for a weekend airshow in just insurance.
James Rose damn for that price it might be cheaper to not insure and play the stock market in case something goes wrong.
My father was PILOT 254 SQN @ RAF North Coates was so young telling me 300mph at 15 feet over sea / land he was after German Shipping / E BOATS
johncare
My dad was a radar operator/navigator in 307 SQN. Operated over the Bay of Biscay against U-Boats, Home Defense and later over the continent in night intruder missions. He flew in Beaufighters and Mosquitoes.
@hipcat13--
The Mosquito actions against eboats and uboats must have been very interesting-- for both sides. Essentially, it was the deck AA armament of both, manned with only a few seconds' notice, against the Mosquito's 20, 40 or 57mm cannon. The low altitude also may have helped disguise the roar of attacking aircraft until the last moment.
johncare v v
Must have been awesome to be part of that. But for the Germans to hear these engines at sea level and no idea which direction then to see it at sea level must have scared the crap out of them.
Think Spitfire, with TWICE the power and armament! yup, Goerings worst nightmare! they were soo under-rated, a magnificent plane
At first the Mosquito had no armament that only came later!
It used it's speed as it's defence!
The precursor to British Airways used them to fly to Stockholm to buy all the ball bearings before Germany could
We also smuggled out Niels Bohr to work on Tube Alloys (our attempt at building an A Bomb, people dont realise that the vast majority of the ground work for the Manhattan project was done by the British before hand, and then the Americans stabbed us in the back by not sharing the information that we had collaborated on and kept all the info regarding the A bomb, just so they had a monopoly, but we sorted that out within a few years
They were actually never under-rated that's a myth perpetuated to keep its' mystique....widely recognised as one of the best aircraft and most versatlile of WWII.
I wouldnt say under rated they knew exactly what she was capable of and more, the Germans feared the mosquito, Especially night fighters trying to land the mossie would wait for them and strafe the buggers. Damn great plane and damn great brave crews.
The Mosquitos and the spits have the same problems on a steep manuvers.... the Carburators. Wich make the engine quit espacially on a steep dive.
One of the best flying films ever.
The very, very best of all ww2 aircraft. Some pretenders, but none as capable, beautiful and as successful.
Sorry, Spitfires, Mustangs, Lancasters, Fokke Wulfs, and some others, no contest.
Icorrect
Love the mosquito planes!!!
Quite possibly the best looking plane of the war.
yes - an extraordinary aircraft. In the middle years of the war it was the fastest aircraft in service in europe, superior in speed to all single engine fighters, later surpassed by upgrades in other types. It's armament made it a crunching ground attack aircraft with the nose mounted 20 mm Oerlikons, a nightmare for German armour. But amazingly, in its bomber configuration with the perspex nose cone and bomb bay it could carry the same pay load as a B17. It was extremely versatile. And it also had range which meant it could provide pathfinder squadrons for the heavies that went all the way to Germany. But due to its very particular wooden construction it needed highly skilled artisans to put it together which meant it was never produced in large enough numbers. And in Asia, the balsa reacted badly with the humidity. And due to the nature of its operations, it needed exceptional pilots to fly at that speed, often that low against precision targets as it was used in the TAF after Normandy - unlike the bus drivers in the U.S daylight bombers. So, as often happens, there's just not enough excellent - average has to do.
Anne Browning B17 payload 4,800 lbs a heavy bomber with four engines it was purpose built to deliver bombs...the Mosquito ended up with a capacity for 2000 lbs of bombs very respectable for a light bomber.
+seaglider844 4000 for B.6 actually. But it had to be "Cookie" drum bomb - standard bombs would not fit into bombbay.
My bad the B17 had a 17,000 + lb bomb load capacity. It was the original claim in this string that the Mosquito had the same capacity of a B17 that caught my eye. That is certainly not the case. 4,000 makes sense.
+seaglider844 B-17s had a 4,000 lb. bomb load...
Jeff Smith I've seen both numbers quoted this site for instance says 17,000.
acepilots.com/planes/b17.html
It would depend on fuel load and other parameters for its max load. But its got to have more that a plane with a much smaller lifting surface and half the engines. Or it was a total failure as a design for carrying capacity....and nobody is saying that.
I am a little skeptical of one flight doing a right-hand circuit and the other a left-hand circuit...but, my goodness to have been young, invincible and flying such an amazing airplane in desperate times...God bless the Royal Air Force!
No CGI can beat real live footage of airplanes.
Best WW2 allround fighter/bomber and good looking too. My favorit!
just love those RR superchargers sound fantastic....
Theres only 2 or 3 of these GEMS left that are flyable in the world excluding Kermit Weeks 1 that I saw fly at Osh-Kosh in 1990 (but now at the EAA museum/not flying presently)Believe it or not I may get a ride in 1 of them very soon! Just sold a cycle to the owner of a restored Mosquito down at M.A.M. museum in Va. I've flown in P51's + T6's,PT17s's but this is a DREAM...I saw this movie as a kid+ always LOVED this aircraft...2 MERLINS are better than 1!! MustangMike.
This STUD of an airplane looks great from EVERY angle. GREAT job ENGLAND.
This is the only old school war movie which made reference to the many fighter and bomber pilots that fought for Britain during WW2 they came from India West Indies and were often ill treated and overlooked. But they contributed and sometimes gave their lives toward the cause!
Absolutely true that this is a film that could do with a modern remake with better special effects!! Trouble is there is only three flying "Mossies" worldwide. I guess computer graphics might help.
No! No! A remake would be an insult to all to all who died flying mosquito's.
@@patricklamshear6662 why would that be an insult? My uncle was killed in action flying these planes in August 1944 and on the contrary, it would be an opportunity for a new generation to learn about Mossies and their brave crews. I strongly doubt if that would be any form of insult if well made.
I remember seeing this, The Dambusters and Battle of Britain back to back on a Saturday afternoon when I was small. Dreamed of being a pilot ever since.
Growing up in the 1950's, I was prevented from learning machines. I deeply regret that now.
Just out of curiosity,what prevented you,incidental I took my degree in mechanical engineering I don't think you missed out on very much!
To think we had four airworthy Mosquitoes when the film was made in 1963, now we haven't got one !
Yes we have
@@MikeTheBike58 where?
Love this film - a real classic
what aways amazed me was the mosquito was a private venture to start off with , the compnay was funding it itself
It's just that the company director had wood for this plane.
One or more of the planes seem to be painted-over glass nose versions. At 1:35 and later you can clearly see the oval sighting panel under the grey paint. There are also no cannon ports on the underside - which explains why in the attack scenes, they can only tak-a-tak away with the mocked-up machine guns.
In his memoirs, my late Australian Father in laws best friend tells how, (as an allied fighter pilot late in the war) he destroyed 3 aircraft. Unfortunately they were all his own and he was lucky to survive. the last was one of these. Looking at statistics, your own aircraft (and often inexperience) were every bit as liable to kill you as as enemy action.
We had mosquitoes in Malta during WW2. They were really wooden wonders.
The description is wrong. It is based on the book by Frederick E Smith published in 1956. He got the idea from his own wartime experiences as Mosquito crew
Mosquitoes were among best aircraft of ww2. Powered by two rolls Royce merlin engines and constructed of wood they were fast, maneuverable British fighter bombers. They shot down several German fighters and were also used on recon missions
I have rather mixed feelings about this film, chiefly because the film's producers deliberately burnt two perfectly good (and rare) Mosquitos for crash sequences - the one time where cgi, had it existed then, would have been put to good use. Pretty unforgivable of them in my opinion.
Film companies do have a habit of wasting classic vehicles. Look at Christine.
Tim Richardson also they could have used miniture models like in battle of britain and dunkirk
I'm sure I read some of the aircraft used during the film were due for scrap soon anyway, so the film-makers just made use of them for the film. Even by that point, it was becoming very expensive to maintain WW2 planes. Fewer and fewer Mossies were being kept in the sky.
not so......when the film was made in 1965 Mossies were secondhand pieces of junk, the raf had just withdrawn their last stock,so the film company used 5 airworthy examples......all still exist today...one surplus example.....driven and crashed in the wheels up scene (and later set on fire in another scene)....and two cockpit sections....its a bit like in the tv series "the Sweeney" in the 1970s.....mk2 jaguars...who no one wanted back then...were written off in almost every episode.
@Tim Richardson
*"Hindsight"* is one thing, but foresight is another. If only I had preserved my 1989 Suzuki RG500 Kevin Schwantz Race replica it would be worth £20k today. Fortunately I did have the means to do that, but in the late 60's - early 70's not many thought that way.
*Even as late as 1982 I sold a number plate (45 K) that would be worth many thousands today. I do somewhat ruefully regret that !*
モスキート、垢抜けていてカッコいいです。あまりにもスピットファが有名だったので注目していませんでした。
And one aircraft truly feared by Goering... "In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! 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? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked" :-)
Yes, the Germans spent huge resources trying to build their own 'Mosquito' and never manged it.
IIRC, the chemical plant that was making the Tegafilm adhesive was bombed during pre-production testing and this productioncapability was lost.
Good thing Herman Goering was in the German side, along with others like him.
So proud of all our service men and women, may the good Lord, keep you all save, where ever, you are serving .
Looks like the Pools of Dee in the Cairngorms at 3:12, I was there two summers back and imagine being there with a low flying Mossie would be amazing!
Best movie I ever saw I fly Rc planes like the ones in movie best plane in the world nothing better
A great book to read on the Mossie is "The Mosquito Log" by Alexander McKee.
Thank you Geoffrey De Havilland for such a great fighter bomber.
No, there are no Mosquitos flying anymore. Two of the planes are in museums (last I read about them, in USA) and the last flyable one was totally destroyed in a fatal crash during an airshow several years ago.
What amazes me is a fighter bomber with that kind of agility! wow!
Love the music score as well - have you noticed the backing rhythm is in groups of 6 beats then two groups of 3? The drums are beating out '6-3-3' - very clever, Ron Goodwin (composer).
MIke Baldwin out of Coronation Street (Johnny Biggs) piloting one of them
The Sheree power and the noice , I love the mossy
magnificent nothing quite like the sound of twin Merlin's
With the gear down ready to land or on take off they look like hawks or eagles with their talons ready to ponce on their prey.
Castle Bravo that was the inspiration behind engineering aircraft man designed them just like the bird species
Ponce??
..
And the sound of those bloody glorious Merlins!!!!!
What 18 pants wetting pacifists gave this a thumbs down?
+soaringtractor Why don't you sit on a lit stick of dynomite, it might clean you out....
It's 3 years on, and they've bred, it seems - seventy-five now! Poor snowflakes - they probably were never taught about the UK's contribution to winning WW2, and they just 'need' their safe spaces. It's all just too much for them to understand.
A truly great British film and although it was not a true story, l dare say it was as close to several such real life events ! I would like to beleve that should we were to find ourselves in a similar prodicoment in the future we would once again rise to the occasion ! God bless Britain and her alies
2 scrapped mosquitos would b worth a mint in 2020
The Mosquito was one BADASS plane. My favorite piston engine plane of WW2, they were very fast and never got the recognition they deserved...
An interesting plane is made of wood. does not have defensive weapons.
However, during the Second World War, 254 aircraft were lost for 40,000 sorties.
some were fitted with defensive weapons, cannons . rockets machine guns...could pack the same wallop as a small Cruiser
Keep yer eyes peeled and there is a genuine fighter Mossie in there!
Remembering those brave men who flew from Hunsdon.
My favourite fighter bomber of ww2 fast nimble and good looking
my 2nd fav plane after the spitfire.
What epic sounding engines,, it's like a concert !! Would of been better listening without actual instrumentation though.
Cliff Robertson as the twin engine qualified Cigar Store Indian.... and even better, English subtitles in a movie spoken in English!
No CGI here! The real thing
Do You have any sources? One short scene in the beginning shows 4 aircraft flying. The rest of the film shows 3 flying and 2 taxiing. The two scenes of Mosquitos folding their landing gears and crashing is the same plane filmed from different directions.
Three airworthy aircraft survived the filming: One "TIII" and two "35". I have a little litterature about them, but have been unable to find information about the fourth plane in the short flight scene and why only three were shown later.
"They must have had supurb technology in those day's, to suddenly make these words appear directly infront of them."
The Mossie, 4 guns 4 cannons, 8 rockets and a belly full of bombs. Faster than any prop aircraft in ww2. Deadly against everything from bombers to ships to tanks. Beautiful aircraft.
so cool
OK. Wikipedia says there were several numbers never allocated to any squadrons.
these kites had the horsepower of a diesel locomotive - hot hot hot, and by all accounts sweet to fly
well, times two engines total -- a switching engine, maybe
Light bomb that ran like a fighter.
gorgeous plane....but none of them have the 4x 20mm cannons under the 303s ?
I love it Is good
Was that the Mach Loop they were flying in at 3:09?
No it was all shot in Scotland.
Entirely out of wood...
A fine machine!
Wrong the Engine's and armour were metal!
The camera man to be in creative tho
just imagine this film with today's special effects,
what cgi ? that would be shit
Better than make out of fake CGI effects
One of a music score .
One of my favourite films,just wish the old airfield still looked as nice as it did for the film,have a bl..dy prison on it now.
twin merlins!
asgrrr; you only have so many words on this site - lost the end of your comment.
Part II please.
I also worked on a site on the edge of the airfield they used, doing location work for an episode of New Tricks. But that's another story.......
The greatest plance of all time. A tag that will upset many, but for versatlity, nothing else comes close. And if Uncle Sam had used these instead of B17s & Liberators maybe the tally of human lives lost would have been 20% ... Nightfighter. Coastal Command U-Boat killer, High altitude Reconnaisance. Fighter-Bomber. Pathfinder. Bomber. Trainer and Target Tug. And ultimately flow off Carriers just 'cause we British piano makers like that sort of thing. And then there's the Molins 57mm cannon :) Geoffery DH deserves al lthe acolades.
Mosquitoes are way cool!!
Pound for pound, round for round, the greatest plane of WW2. "Mossie" could do it ALL! There'll never be another like it.
This movie is near and dear to me. I first saw it when I was like 8...and my Grandfather watched with me. He was a pathfinder and flew Mossys.. and he was great at providing details but I could also see his expression..a slightly sad but endearing face. He loved his Mossy..and it he really meant alot to him too.
I have since seen it multiple times and my memories of him resurface and brings a smile to my face. Everytime I hear that theme..A thrill still rushes through me. :)
You were “like 8” what does that mean, how can you be “like 8”, 7+1 6+2 or what??
Pathfinders are a paratrooper regiment
-Lightning Will- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinder_(RAF)
@@-lightningwill-6014 Not in the RAF they're not.
@@-lightningwill-6014 RAF pathfinders flew in to mark targets before the heavy bombers came in.Thought everyone new that.
633 Squadron, starring, ..... the de Havilland Mosquito!
An Oscar nomination for Best Actor to an airplane! 🇬🇧👍👏
Although, it's understandable if it's acting is considered a little "wooden".. ;)
@@GrinnenBaeritt Good effort.
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Impossible not to like and admire the De Havilland Mosquito. Impossible.
quite right
jolly good showing, scarce say the blighters will know what hit them
brings tears to my eyes , the musical score is so moving.....god bless these young fearless brave warriors.....
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I was honoured to be at the De Havilland Mosquito Museum on the Mosquitos 75th anniversary. When they rolled out the original prototype which was bright yellow. Once back inside the hanger all the engineers, volunteers etc in their boiler suites lined up in front of it as the 633 Squadron theme music played. I was so lucky to have experienced this very special piece of history. She may had been a wooden wonder, but even more so a very special lady..... God bless all those pilots and crews who flew her, and even more so to those brave peole who made the ultimate sacrifice for us never to be forgotten R.I.P
I
One of the coolest aircraft ever made.
THE coolest ever!!
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Totally agree , even the luftwaffe were amazed at the performance of this Aircraft aka the wooden wonder..
I was priveleged to be an apprentice to the great Tom Herbert 76- 78. He was at De Havillands, Hatfield during the war, and his tool box was made of Mosquito Plywood. He taught me more than I could ever hope to teach anyone else. I still proudly possess (and use) some of his self made tools. God bless you Tom, wherever you are.
The Mosquito. Simply one of the greatest and most beautiful aircraft of all time.
agnostic47 nah the b29 for sure
@@gabrielbrewin-brown351 The Corsair but yeah
I think the Mossie was one of the most beautiful aircraft from the war years, second perhaps only to the spitfire. and one of the unsung heroes of that great conflict too., such an amazingly versatile plane that flew in so many different roles and guises.
@@WaruiKoohii You mean the Corsair that the US Navy wouldn't accept because of oil covering the windshield when flying? Still the British sorted that out for you, and taught you how to land it on a carrier!
@@sprinter1832 british boasting sucks so bad. Your stupid pride makes good people selfish. Your aircraft and flying has never been as good as america. And the p38 was way more capable had a longer range, more guns and could carry more bombs. Get over yoirself, be th first englishman not consumed with pride.
The Mosquito is one of the greatest looking aircraft of that era. I remember being taken to see this by my Dad at the old Crescent cinema in Leeds. These sequences were excellent on a big screen.
fabulous aircraft deserved much more recognition
“ In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! 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.”
- Hermann Göering, January 1943
I think this was recognition enough.
Much more recognition? It's widely recognised as the most versatile recon / night fighter / light bomber of WWII and one of the most heautiful aircraft ever built.
I assure the Mosquito is recognized anywhere it flies.
@@alexcawthorne811 Goering had a love/hate relationship with it! and also awarded 2 kills to any German pilot that shot one down!
I'm sorry but 40 years after I 1st saw it is still an awesome movie.
Great planes, not had the recognition they deserved.
True. The acting was as wooden as the Mosquitos' airframes. btw, did you notice in all those cockpit shots there was no sign of the Mosquito's tail?
Which you hadn’t said that really bothering me now
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