My last primary school teacher Mr Walker was a Battle of Britain spitfire ace and served in fighter command for the duration of the war. He told a fascinated “me “ lots of stories. The one that really stuck with me was, by 1944-45 he was flying-tempests. He described his role in the annihilation of the German army during the retreat through the fallaise gap. This was 1971-72 and he still lived it like it was yesterday. Fascinating life, a teacher who became an air warrior, then a teacher at wars end. Ordinary men doing extraordinary things in the name of freedom. Thank you all for the freedoms we enjoy today.
I am 75 and saw the Mosquitoes when the film 633 Squadron was being made at Biggin Hill. The Camera plane was a B25 Mitchel. l also touched one at Biggin Hill Battle of Britain day where l went every year from mid 50s to mid 80s, just to feel the fabric. My Geography teacher and also the Borough Solicitor at LB of Hackney did up and undid their coat buttons when talking. It was a nervous reaction, resulting from being rear gunners in Wellington Bombers. If they were alive today they would both wonder why they bothered. We have gone from. Fighting invaders on the Beaches to housing them in 4 Star Hotels . Utter madness even in Englistan!😢
@@christophercook723... Except the line about 4 star hotels simply isn't true, is it? It's one those classic media distortion things the right wing press use to whip up the racist anti immigration rabble. Also. They fought world war 2 in defense of refugees and their rights to flee - or did you miss the bit about German Jews fleeing Germany in the 30's....? The anti ethnic intolerant assholes were the bad guys in ww2, remember? Or are you keener on members or the greatest generation who were in the SS?
Fascinating! I am a 90-year old ex-RAF Navigator who had the good fortune to have operated on the Mk.34 PR Mosquito. Back in 1952/53 had been stationed in Nairobi doing photo survey in Lancasters, including the B of B PA474 (on which I had some 50 hours), and on posting back to the UK was posted to 58 (PR) Squadron at RAF Wyton and, before converting onto the Canberra PR3, had acquired some 300 hours on the Mossie with my pilot - with whom had flown some 400 hours on the old DC-3 in Nairobi. I am one of the fortunate ones to still be around, and would love to know if there are any other navigators of my vintage still around! Regards to one and all, Ian Suren
you have the eternal gratitude of the people of the secular democracies. We were faced with a future of almost incomprehensible evil, and you and your colleagues stood the Luftwaffe and the Nazis down.
My grandfather worked for De Havilland all thorough the war, especially on Mosquitos. He was there till the late 60s, he was a specialist. I'm very proud for him.
In modern times, we argue whether our children are mature enough to make responsible decisions at 18. These men were facing the biggest decisions of all at similar ages.
My grandfather was killed in a mosquito in 1943 six weeks before my dad was born and my grandmother raised him single handedly.my grandfather's name was FREDERICK THOMAS WESTON and before he joined the war effort he was a lecturer at queen's college British Guyana and he flew with the British Guyana patches on his uniform.if you Google CARIBBEAN AIRCREW WW2 you will find his story there.he flew out of HUNSDON AIRFIELD UK
@@mikemiller9867 that's incredible, thank you so much for your message, I will have to ask my father a few questions so I will get back to you as soon as I have spoken to him.
I had a friend that was Mossie pilot by the name of Peter Stanton. He loved to talk about his missions aqnd we would meet in the Littlehampton sailing Club. He loved staffing trains and tanks. After the war he became a British Airways pilot. He loved flying. He died in 2004. RIP Peter and I see you soon.
Thank you so much! It’s the closest I’ll get to my favourite little wooden plane fly!!! Being an Aussie there isn’t much chance of ever flying in one so watching your video on my huge TV screen is such a treat! I’m an Aussie female who is just obsessed with the legendary War Birds, even did a trip to Duxford for the legends air show in 2016 - just awesome!!! Wish I could fly………🇦🇺❤️
Whenever I hear the reminisces of these old guys it takes me back to a time when my father was still alive and how he retold some of memories from 1938-1947. He refused to talk about his experiences whether flying bombers or his favourite plane “The Mossie”. This changed after I’d completed my first tour/deployment and when chatting to him about it his only words were - “now do you understand my reluctance to tell you about it when you were young? At least we had the advantage of distance/altitude to save us from the worst of it, but you are up close and personal!”. After the loss of some 55,000 RAF Bomber Command (a totally volunteer force) it’s hardly surprising that the veterans of those times find it hard to put it into words. It’s hard to explain how they felt about bombing the enemy, but worse was if their squadron was ambushed and they landed with numerous wounded/dead - something the Erks had to handle by hosing the interior then repairing the aircraft before being put back into service The thing that stands out the most is the very matter of factness in which they talk about the whole war, yet there’s a lot of close up detail that they skirt around or just tear up and go silent. These guys have been handling their PTSD for 50+ years, but us new veterans that survive still struggle to access the almost non-existent government programs dealing with it, instead relying upon charities such as “Help for Heroes”. They do an amazing job but as I don’t feel my situation is worth their attention I don’t use it as there are many others in greater need than I. After retirement I was single for several years until I met my wife, a doctor with more knowledge than I. She finally said that I had all the hallmarks of PTSD, what with hyper vigilance, waking up screaming, checking under the car, attacking NHS staff in recovery room after surgery (they hadn’t read my GP’s warning about staying out of arms reach until I was fully conscious - probably saved me from an assault charge! Ain’t life great?) I can fully understand why they do so, as I’ve been told by my far better half, that I do the same (Royal Marine Commando 1978-2008) - being a doctor she explains it as being a sub-conscious defence mechanism which pretty much all veterans do and just shutting down when those buried memories escape the box I’d locked them away in. God knows how dad did it all those years during the war, then afterwards until his death from cancer. One little oddity in all this is that both parents died of cancer, mum was a smoker, dad stopped mid 1960, whilst I’ve had my diagnosis (non-smoker) changed to terminal Stage 4 aggressive, metastasised and on the last leg. I wonder if there are many other veteran families that have anything like the same sort of crappy luck?
My late instrument flight instructor flew a mosquito night fighter over London. I asked him one day how he found the Mosquito to fly? "I felt I was king of the world when I first flew the mozzy." he replied. Rolly Trevitt was his name and a kinder, more gentle individual you would never find.
I love the matter-of-fact style of telling story of firing field artillery from your wooden airplane at submarines, destroyers, and punching the piston engine complete out of another airplanes frame with an anti-tank gun. Tea sipping bad-asses.
@@ebisu8824 You are clearly a total ignoramus, your pea sized brain unable to comprehend the result of a Nazi victory culminating in the extermination several different "inferior" races.
What's really, I mean really, impressive is how these utterly courageous gentlemen describe their quite astonishing actions in the most normal of terms. As if they were sweeping up leaves in the backyard. Sort of: "I just did my job" in the true spirit of WWII. MsG
About 25 years ago I was in Hutton-le-hole in North Yorkshire when I heard the distinctive, but odd, sound of a Merlin. At first I thought it was 2 Spitfires but then I saw a Mosquito, the one and only time I saw one flying. The sight and sound has stayed with me to this day.
My father was a foreman on the job when they built the first Mosquito at Hatfield..... He did fly in one with Geoffery DZeHavilland himself one day as they were short of people for a instrument test, so dad got roped in. He said that the pilot really wrung the Mossie out, and dad was really glad that he knew how hood all the glue joints were!...... a great aircraft flown into battle by brave men. After the war dad went back to De Havilland (he had a spell in the Army) and worked on the prototype Comet and the development of modifications after the high altitude failures..... So he started on Tiger moths long before the war and ended up on the Comet afterwards... quite a change in skills as by trade he was a carpenter/joiner...... Oh... y'all might like to know that there's an outfit in NEW Zealand that will build you a Mossie if you have a big bank account. I've seen one (have pictures) being flown at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton..... brand spanking new... all they need is the 'metal bits' (engines, undercarriage etc.) and they make all the rest.... They made all the jigs to fabricate the wooden bits..... Lovely to see they are not going to die any time soon...
Can't argue with that statement. Even today and updated turboprop version with modern avionics, would hold it's own for ground attack. Low speed loiter performance was excellent even though at the time it was used for it's high speed. The wing design was an engineering masterpiece. Apart from anything it just looks so sexy.
@@rummerlinelmo The fact that it was made of wood made it a war winning tool as important as the Sherman and T-34. That is why it was one of the best planes of WWII.
An avid admirer of the Mossie since the 50s (war comics, ken), I've read that the crews had the highest chance of survival of any allied aircaft. Brings tears to my eyes when I imagine what these young men went through, on both sides.
Absolutely fantastic. I Love and admire how humble they are. We were blessed to have had these brave people to protect us, while they were so young, they truly are the greatest generation. Thank you 🙏
I’ve always viewed the Mosquito’s as the “special forces” aircraft of the RAF. Going in enemy territory, in small numbers, inflicting masses amounts of damage & carnage on “specialist missions”. Exactly how special forces soldiers operate today. I can’t imagine being on the receiving end of a Molins 57mm shell. Ripping an engine off the wing of a JU88 😱. I have so much respect for these pilots. So much respect for De Havilland and the Mosquito. Such a beautiful versatile aircraft. Without a doubt the most deadly Warbird of WW2. Forever my No. 1 of all time. It really was the “wooden wonder”.
@@getredytagetredy I have been reading some post war interviews with Luftwaffe pilots and summary of thier diaries, and they did not rate the P38, the only USAF scout they feared was the P51, and that was a real game changer.
Extraordinary aircraft, and extraordinary yet modest men who flew them, explaining in very matter-of-fact tones how they achieved impossible things in life-threatening circumstances.
Have nothing but praise for these pilots and crew. My father flew Beauforts in New Guinea. He was one person that found it difficult after the war to recall his exploits against the Japanese. I think that's why he became a doctor, preferably saving lives than taking them.
@Tabourba my grandfather always chatted happily about the war in Africa. Showing us photos etc. Only recently I found he then fought the Japanese. He never spoke about it. By this stage he was a veteran of some 3 years against the Afrika corps. From what I have read, it appears the Japanese experience was too much for this hardened veteran soldier.
We are suffering an epidemic of “Self Loathing “ of any thing that is associated with Western Civilization. Everyone of these down votes (229) is from a “Self Loathing Cultural Marxist “ they Hate us beyond belief yet NONE of what THEY say is “Hate speech”
Will never forget the contributions that are made by great Americans and allies who sacrificed their lives, to give us freedom, and now we can hear them directly which is the greatest thing thank you RU-vid
When I was a kid of 8-9 years old and living in Arizona my parents hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for three RAF fliers - 2 English and 1 Scot (I remember the Scot because we wondered what language he was speaking). They told stories about their WWII adventures and asked if I was familiar with British aircraft. I told them my favorite plane was the Mosquito. They asked why and I said because, just like its namesake, it was a massively irritating little SOB, just like the USA's Warthog (Thunderbolt II). At that time I had no idea it had a six-pound cannon in it's nose.
My father flew out of Predannack and while, like most veterans, he didn't talk much about what he was doing in the war did once mention being one of the Mosquitoes that were accompanying this type of plane when the went raiding for submarines. He talked about them "flying around making a nuisance of themselves while the plane with this ruddy great gun took aim at the ship" and when the gun fired it practically stopped the plane carrying it dead in the air. The Mosquitoes from this airfield did reconnaissance and low level intrusion raids over France. (My mother said that he used to have a bit of French tree....it came back in the tail wheel....)
There is something in the British DNA that makes you look at a tiny Triumph or MG, and an American V8 motor, and say, we'll cram that thing in there, no problem, what's the worst that could happen? Or a Vincent motorcycle engine into a Norton frame and you have a Norvin. Or a 17-pounder field cannon into a Sherman tank and you have the absolutely beastmode Sherman Firefly. Same crazy thing with putting this field gun into a Mossie. Those Brits lovvvvvvve sleepers!!!
I always prefer hearing this stories directly from the men that lived them. I hope there are large archives of these stories being preserved. These men are fascinating to listen too. These are two of the men who helped save the free world.
My Great Uncle was a Beaufighter & Mosquito Pilot ( Rank Sgt P/O A ) - serving in RAAF No 456 Mosquito Squadron on Night Fighters/Intruders out of RAF 10 and 11 Group in late 1943-44 - then RAF No 46 Squadron and RAF 108 Sqd in the North African campaign he was one of 4 Australians in a Unit. No 46 & 108 Sqd flew Night Fighter patrols over Egypt, Libya, Malta, Greece and the Aegean generally. His personal file shows the destruction of Ships, Trains, motor vehicles and a Heinkel HE. 111 amongother victims. Through 1943-44, flying out of an airfield in Athens - after the HE. 111 was intercepted and destroyed - records state his Beau harassed a German retreat by strafing Railway and Motor Transport following this up with nightly 'Intruder Missions' over the wider Aegean ( Salonika, Crete, Rhodes, Melos, Leros and Cos ) - Night Fighter Pilots were cut from a particular cloth - Gods bless them all!
British Six Pounder field gun was in use throughout WW2. B-gger gun were needed against Tiger tanks but they were devastating against Panzer II and Panzer III and there were never very many Tigers in use. Some of the longest range tank kills were done with Six Pounders. Quick to move about, fast to set up and operated by a small crew.
Yes we did OK, but without the USAF to do the daylight bombing we'd have lost it. Our aircraft would have been cut to pieces in daylight, so we did the night ops as we have the bomb sights for that, and primitive radar, but it was the Americans in their big formations of B17s that went over Germany in daylight. Their bombloads weren't that big (A Mossie could carry more) but they were very will armed, and needed to be. They gave a good account of themselves over Germany, but took horrific losses at times, but day after day went back. Their courage and skill are often not recognised by us Brits, partly because it was such a melee in daylight that their bombing was not always that accurate....it's a miracle they got to the target at all. They were great pilots and very brave men...they knew they were comparatively 'sitting ducks' for the German fighters, yet they never faltered. Between us, we got the job done...... Grood show chaps.
@@KathrynLiz1 Both sides had the evidence the 400mph Mosquito type aircraft would make better bombers than the slow four engine things we did use. The B17 with its large crew and heavy defensive armament carried about 4000 pounds of bombs to Berlin and up to 6000 pounds on shorter missions. The Mosquito with two crew could take 3000 pounds of smaller bombs or one 4000 pounder to Berlin. It's high speed was enough to evade interception. Two of them could take 6000/8000 pounds. They would do that with the same number of engines, just four crew and get the job done with better accuracy. The top brass, fixated on area bombing were not interested in doing a better job or putting fewer men at risk.
SAME HERE, AS A KID, I MUCH PREFFERED TO LISTEN TO VISITING FAMILY ADULTS TALKING TO MY PARENTS , THAN HANGING AROUND MY RELATIONS, OF MY AGE. THIS WAS EARLY POST WAR MOSTLY, SO LOTS OF REMINISCING ABOUT THE WAR.
Its so humbling how they down play everything! He talks like hes going shopping at Asda and just cant find that "Bally well elusive £1 for the damn trolley, don't cha know!" "Tis but a scratch" as his legs are flying orf! When the last one dies we will never see the like again.
Fantastic insight from the men who flew these aircraft. Very important to capture their memories and history. They truly learnt the respect they deserve.
My Favourite aircraft ever until the Harrier came out. Now they both share a Gold medal . but I think the Mosquito is the most elegant design by far , and in My eyes it's beautiful with the sound track from those Twin Merlin's , it must of been awesome judging from that of a single Spitfire & a single Hurricane on flybys I've seen and heard on several occasions . Epic !
@@davidgillettuk9638 Sam Sam pick up thy musket and defend thy self. I don't see it in the younger generation, I do see hurt feelings and confusion over what sex they may or may not be.
@@colingathercole391 , The "New Gestapo" who love to draw their batons on their countrymen and women to minimise free speech, have driven any spirit underground.
U have to love these men. They recall their combat experience like it was yesterday. Brave and gallant warriors all. Mosquito, most underrated AC of the war. Just ask a Luftwaffe veteran.
Really enjoyed the video and the aircrew stories are fascinating. I'm fortunate to know the pilot who has test flown the "new" mosses that have been built in New Zealand. His name is keith skilling and his father, Hugh skilling was my fathers pilot in their Lancaster crew. Keith flies at air displays all over the world and I met him at duxford where he flew a spitfire and a hurricane. He's even flown the Canadian Lancaster. Anyway type his name in the RU-vid search box and it should bring up a 10 min video of keith describing his experience of flying a mossie
As much as I love the Spitfire / Hurricane , my all time favourite WW2 aircraft has to be the D H Mosquito ( MOSSIE ) the first truly multi role aircraft , fast , heavily armed , whether used in fighter / night fighter / Light Bomber it even dropped the bouncing Barnes Wallace bomb although not used in combat / Reconnaissance / path finder or ground attack including being a ship buster armed with the molins gun , the Mossie excelled in all roles with reliability second to none , from cold climates to steamy jungle conditions the Mossie was there , not many left now with as far as I know only one airworthy example & sadly not in the UK although I do believe there is one under construction as we speak .
Yep, that is the problem with it being made mostly of wood, it rots. If it had been around during the Battle Of Britain it would have had a lot more support.
wOW, What great recollections from Veterans , that could be forgotten. I'm ex Royal Air Force Regiment of 22 years and have now only learned of the TSETSE.
I knew a Mossie pilot years ago. I used to try and talk to him about the plane. He never really rose to the bait. All he said was the early mossies weren't that fast and our lads in some cases got a real hammering. I asked him if he still had his jacket etc and he replied " I burned all my stuff. I was just glad it was over " . Makes you realise how lucky we are. Also how brave these lads were screaming in onto a target basically on a pallet of wood strapped to some guns and to two large engine's
My favorite ww2 aircraft! Love the story behind it's production and the unique missions it carried out. Its versatility made it the unsung hero of the European theatre.
I am so glad that thee veterans have recorded as many of their memories as they have. As there are fewer and fewer every day, the importance of their memories becomes critical for future generations. Living recorded memory has so much more impact; you can see the faces and hear the voices.
The Horten Brothers in Germany worked on revolutionary wooden aircraft. (1) They struggled for resources but (2) did not have the resin adhesives to get the job done.
Not just the use of wood, but the ability to use cabinet and piano makers to build aircraft. It was a way to get more aircraft built than anyone expected.
@@ScottKenny1978 Yes, that's exactly it, the furniture makers were used to build the wings and fuselage etc, particularly in the south Chilterns/High Wycombe area.
A great job in collecting the memories of these brave, modest men. You can only imagine the scene but their recollections go some way to helping us. A field gun fired from a wooden aircraft....’Total War’.
Nah. It's the Moneypenny. Unglamorous compared to the fighters (or even the heavy bombers), underappreciated in modern media but still doing an amazing job.
Bomber Command and US Eighth mad a huge error using so many heavy bombers. Most of their raids would have been more effective with Mosquitos. They would have needed 2x as many aircraft, but would have used fewer crew (2 per plane instead of 10) and the same number of engines. Two Mossies could carry more offensive armament that one B17 and being so fast could take on the German fighters directly. Lancaster was the true heavy but they were under-used for most raids when smaller faster planes could do the job.
At age 20, I could barely tie my own shoelaces. These WWII-era guys were men, and then some, at age 18. Some even younger! They never cease to amaze me.
You have to keep reminding yourself----this plane is basically---WOODEN. In one documentary about the 'Mozzie', the narrator says, the Molin 6 pounder Gun, had a kick like a Mule, yet it never damaged it's mountings, so rigid was the construction. The cannon occupied most of it's considerable Bomb Bay.
@@johntechwriter My father was a tank commander in the New Zealand Division in Italy in 1944/45. He said they never had any illusions about the SS. He never went into details about it, but he did say once that any SS that fell into their hands did not find the experience rewarding...
@@johntechwriter SS were the Hitler's private army made up with the most nasty characters they could find. They ignored all normal rules of war so got treated with the same "respect" the SS offered to their victims.
I am jealous of Brian Beatty, Flight Lt. 248 Squad. I have been trying to grow my eyebrow hairs our for 40 years, I am so im pressed. Ive always wanted to look like an owl. Hats off to you my friend.
These guys are amazing! And to hear there account of there dangerous encounter's . Two holes for the price of one and manoeuvring so fast that your tail became distorted ! That is living life close to the edge !!!
You think THAT'S impressive? How about flying along a railway cutting and then launching a bomb into the open mouth of a tunnel then climbing away before the delayed fuse explodes bringing the tunnel roof down blocking the tunnel. They used to do that too!
The laminated wood construction made the Mosquito incredibly strong and reliable to fly. They got so low on so many sorties because they could do it and get away with it.
Thanks so much for this brilliant video, I have only just been informed by someone of the Molins 57mm and actually thought when I first saw such a large cannon on the Mossie in another video that it was only a 40mm! Great to see and hear these wonderful veterans of the war talking of their experiences. Thanks so very much for this, wonderful.
Thank you for a grear video. Love this aircraft and have to thank the servicemen involved! The thing that hurts me the most about watching this is that these guys, so humble who also live so very humbly deserve to be living like absolute kings.
An astonishing aircraft. Only Wilfrid Freeman thought it was worthwhile carrying on with it. And it could fly anywhere between 10 feet and 40,000 feet and carry the bomb load of a B17, and sometimes more.
Reminds me about my Dad telling me about being in a Submarine in the pacific in WW2 and my Grandfather telling me about being in the trenches in France in WW1.
I did not know, and was frankly astonished, when the man said it was solid steel, with no explosive inside, just a propellent . Almost like a Cannon Ball.
They fought for freedom and democracy? Why then did those freedom-loving democrats allow their government to declare war on Germany and reject any peace offer ever since, although that would have offered the potential to return to much of pre-war conditions, with an independant Poland and no extension of the war towards the North Sea and the Atlantic? Freedom and democracy did not seem to be too high on the agenda when the Soviet-Union invaded Poland. Or Finland. Or the Baltic states. Or Bessarabia. Or military meddling in Yugoslavia. Or Iran. Oh wait, neutral Iran was shared with Britain, so, that was okay then, wasn't it?
The upmost respect to these fly boys, from one veteran to another, Thank you for what you did for us. I hand on heart could never do what you have done.
I just love to listen to warrior's life story they are the one that made a great difference between the all the allied forces these man are amazing warriors
I am old, boomer old. I often had the pleasure of having "tea" with neighbors who were WWI and WWI vets. I'd get dressed up, and head to their homes. I would sit and listen to stories from fighter pilots, dough boys, sailors, and the like. Gotta tell you, they had some amazing tales. Many had war trophies. Dad was a WWII tank commander, and I have his Regiment's war diary, he had few trophies. In our house we had a armor piercing shell from the tank he trained in at Camp Borden, Ontario. He fired it into a berm, and dug it out later, he varnished it and used it as a door stop after WWII. When this gent held up the anti-tank round, it brought back a flood of great memories. :)
