The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

Just watching 633 Squadron this afternoon, a thought occurred. The Mosquitoes used in the mission in the film have solid machine-gun noses, but wouldn't a precision bombing raid of this type be better with a glazed-nose version?

Was it a case of the film-makers wanting to give the characters the ability to shoot back, or using the only Mosquitoes available to them, or is it more historically accurate than I'm assuming?

I think the Mossies available at the time had bomber noses, but the film makers gave them gun noses.
As for historical accuracy the raids on Copenhagen SS HQ, Amiens prison and others were done with FB versions with gun noses. Only one glass nose took part in these raids, carrying a film cameraman to record the raid.

One of the "stars" of the movie is located at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI. The nose was painted over i n the movie and it restored to the glass nose. Looking closely at the subjects in the movie you can see the glass nose outline. Funny that this Mk 35 (I think) is now painted as EG*T.

If I remember rightly, the book had them as FB variants, so the gun-nose is correct.

Solid-nose Mossies (FB.VI) were most often used for these sorts of precision bombing raids - think Amiens Prison, Gestapo HQ attacks, etc.

The aircraft in the books were apparently modified with 2 cannon and 2 303 MGs. I must re-read it and see how they did that. The first chapters of the book has them flying Bostons. I feel a What If coming on. The books used to have some nice covers showing the various aircraft used. There were some interesting modifications. Rockets, Highball type bombs etc.

This is a handy site for all things Mossie.

http://www.mossie.org/books/Mosquito_books.php?page=F;

Should anyone be interested, I can scan the covers.

I've actually put a few kits aside to build a fictional 633 Sqn set. In the 60's they became an Operational Evaluation Squadron flying the TSR-2 Eagle, the F-111K and Vigilante. Emblem is a white circle with a black V for 'Vesuvius.' ( Black for the Fjord. Schwartz Fjord.)