Tony Fairbairn - The Mosquito in the USAAF: De Havilland’s Wooden Wonder in American Service

THE MOSQUITO IN THE USAAF

DE HAVILLANDS WOODEN WONDER IN AMERICAN SERVICE

TONY FAIRBAIRN

THE MOSQUITO IN THE USAAF

De Havillands Wooden Wonder in American Service

First published in Great Britain in 2021 by

Air World

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire Philadelphia

Copyright Tony Fairbairn, 2021

ISBN 978 1 39901 733 6

ePUB ISBN 978 1 39901 734 3

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By Brigadier General Elliott Roosevelt USAAF (Ret)

Dear Fairbairn

In answer to your questions regarding the use by US reconnaissance outfits of the Mosquito aircraft, I am glad to supply the following information.

When preparing for the invasion of North Africa from July to November 1942, the 3rd Photo Group trained for combat at Steeple Morden, England. We were equipped with three squadrons of F-4s (Lightnings) and one squadron of B-17s. Early on we discovered the B-17 was useless for reconnaissance flying alone over enemy territory. I started to bombard higher headquarters to re-equip the B-17 squadron with Mosquitoes, having flown one over at Benson in August 1942. I appealed to our Ambassador, Mr Winant, to help me get some British aircraft. He tried hard, but the RAF had urgent need for all they could get, but we succeeded in speeding up the Canadian manufacture of Mosquitoes. Finally, after the invasion of North Africa in November 1942 the RAF allocated two production aircraft to my 3rd Photo Group. I took delivery of the first one at Benson and flew it to Algiers. Later this plane was lost in a landing accident which occurred when a lieutenant colonel on the staff of the 12th Air Force Headquarters was being checked out. The second British Mosquito was delivered to us in North Africa, and was used successfully in many photo missions over Italy and Sicily in the months leading up to the invasions. Gradually, in 1943 we started receiving Canadian-built Mosquitoes in the US recon units. In 1943, the 90th Photo Wing (Recon) was formed, in North Africa, of the RAF and American Recon outfits, and it included a Free French Squadron and a South African Air Force Squadron.

When I was transferred from Italy to England in January 1944 and asked to organise the 325th Recon Wing I equipped the Alconbury and Watton units with Mosquitoes. These units were under the command of Colonel Leon Gray. They flew many successful reconnaissance missions on daylight and night operations. They flew in many counter-espionage agents to be parachuted over various targets at night. They also were used effectively in advance of bomber formations to drop window to confuse the enemy.

I consider the Mosquito to have been the most successful multi-purpose aircraft produced during the Second World War. The only criticism I ever made of the plane was the tendency of the Rolls Royce engines to overheat on hot, humid days when delayed while waiting for take-off.