On 20 April 1941, a group of distinguished Americans headed by the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, John Winant, and which included Major General Henry \u2018Hap\u2019 Arnold, Chief of the US Army Air Corps, visited the de Havilland Aircraft Company\u2019s airfield at Hatfield, England.<\/p>\n
The party was there ostensibly to gain an insight into how various US aircraft supplied to Britain were performing, as well as to observe some of the latest British products being put through their paces. The eighteen types on display included both US and British bombers and fighters. But the star of the day was undoubtedly the de Havilland Mosquito!<\/p>\n
About the Author: The son of an RAF pilot, Tony Fairbairn’s childhood was spent on a variety of airfields around the world, which fired an early enthusiasm for aviation journalism and photography. While still at school in Singapore in the early 1960s he wrote his first article, for Air Pictorial, and then joined the RAF for a 30-year career.<\/p>\n
In this highly illustrated work, the author explores the full story of why the Americans wanted Mosquitoes, how they went about obtaining them, and their noted success and popularity with USAAF units. Contains 150 b\/w illustrations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following America\u2019s entry into the war, formal requests for Mosquitoes began in earnest in 1942. Initial deliveries for evaluation purposes in the United States soon followed in June 1943, the aircraft initially being supplied by de Havilland Canada. From February 1944 a steady flow of the photographic reconnaissance version, from Hatfield, were provided to what would become the USAAF\u2019s 25th Bomb Group at Watton, England. There they served with distinction in a variety of specialist roles, including day and night photography, weather reconnaissance, \u2018chaff\u2019 (Window) dropping, scouting for the bomber force, raid assessment, and filming of special weapons projects.<\/p>\n
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