The Mosquito B.IV was a significant variant of the de Havilland Mosquito, serving as a ‘light’ bomber with notable operational success. Here are key details and highlights:
Development and Early Service
- Flight Trials and Production:
- Official flight trials began in February 1941. The prototype, W4057, first flew in September 1941.
- Nine B.IV Series 1 aircraft followed, completed by February 1942.
- Production continued with the B.IV Series 2, with 300 units completed by September 1943.
Specifications and Modifications
- Armament:
- Initially designed for a smaller bomb load, the B.IV ultimately carried four 500 lb bombs, doubling the initially planned capacity.
Operational History
Introduction to RAF Service:
- The Mosquito B.IV entered RAF service with 2 (Light Bomber) Group, specifically with 105 Squadron at Swanton Morley, starting in November 1941. It replaced the Bristol Blenheim, which had suffered significant losses in low-level daylight operations.
Notable Operations:
- First Operation: 105 Squadron conducted its first mission, a daylight raid on Cologne, on May 31, 1942, coinciding with the aftermath of the first ‘thousand-bomber’ raid on the city.
- Operational Effectiveness: Between May 1942 and May 1943, Mosquitoes conducted over 100 daylight raids with a much lower loss rate compared to the Blenheim, demonstrating their superiority in this role.
- Daring Raid on Oslo: A notable mission was the attack on the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo on September 25, 1942. The squadron employed a combination of ‘low-level formation’ and ‘shallow-diver formation’ tactics, achieving remarkable precision and effectiveness.
- Berlin Raid: On January 31, 1943, 105 Squadron executed a bombing raid on Berlin, timed to disrupt a speech by Göring. The raid was successful, with 139 Squadron following up with a similar attack in the afternoon, targeting a speech by Goebbels.
Tactical Innovations
- The Mosquito B.IV utilized low-level attack formations to evade enemy defenses and ensure precision. The combination of shallow-diving bombers and extremely low-level approaches proved effective in various missions, demonstrating the aircraft’s versatility and the crews’ skill.