DeHavilland Mosquito B Mk.IV....?

[Lucky13]

Does anyone know the code for this Mosquito, GB-?...?

Date: 20-OCT-1942
Time:
Type: de Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk.IV
Owner/operator: 105 Sqn RAF
Registration: DZ313
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Niedersachsen - * Germany
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Marham
Destination airport:
Narrative:
From Marham on a cloud-cover attack on Hannover. Missing (Hannover) 20.10.42. Cause of loss and crash-site not established.
Crew:
F/Sgt (1264627) Laurence Walter DEETH (pilot) RAFVR - killed
W/O (523113) Frank Edward Malcolm HICKS (obs) RAF - killed

 

[Wurger]

DZ 313....

And I have found the info in the site..... http://ww2today.com/25th-august-1942-perils-of-low-level-mosquito-bombing

"Mosquito B Mark IV Series 2, DZ313, in flight shortly before delivery to No. 105 Squadron RAF at Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, as 'GB-E. "

 

[Lucky13]

 

[Crimea_River]

Beat me to it. The IWM website here AIRCRAFT ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945 DE HAVILLAND DH98 MOSQUITO (E(MOS) 884) says the same.

 

[Wurger]

However I would like to pay your attention to the another Mosquito Mk.IV DZ353 that was coded the same....

 

[Lucky13]

Looks almost as confusing as No. 405 Squadron, then again, they lost 50 of their Lancasters!

 

[Wurger]

Yep... I think the key is the series of the planes. Part of them were of the I series while these above are said to be of the II one.

 

[Lucky13]

Aaaah...

 

[Crimea_River]

If the original GB-E went down, they would have reassigned the aircraft ID to a another machine, otherwise you'd run out of letters. I believe the picture of the row of 105 Sqdn aircraft was taken in December 1942.

 

[Wurger]

So the pic was taken later than the DZ313 was destroyed. It would mean that the code GB_E was possible for the Mosquito.

 

[Airframes]

Yep, nothing unusual. The individual code letter, in this case 'E', would be issued to another airframe in the event one was lost, transferred to another squadron, or non-operational for whatever reason. As an example, it was not uncommon for an aircraft to be on a squadron as, say, 'E', and then be moved to an MU for repair, modification or whatever, only to return to the same squadron, and then be marked as, for example, 'G'.
This shows up often in research, where an aircraft is found on squadron records wearing two, or even three, different code letters.

 

[Wurger]

True....

 

[Lucky13]

What happened to ML913.....

Date: 06-JUL-1944
Time:
Type: de Havilland Mosquito B.Mk.IX
Owner/operator: 105 Sqn RAF
Registration: ML913
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: North Sea - * United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Bourn, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:
Narrative:
His Mosquito IX ML913 GB-E had taken off 23.39 hrs (5 July) from Bourn for an operation against Scholven-Buer; Mosquito lost without a trace

Crew:
F/Lt (81668.) George Kenneth WHIFFEN (pilot) RAFVR - killed
F/O (155.999.) Douglas Knight WILLIAMS DFC (obs) RAFVR - killed

 

[Lucky13]

As I mentioned earlier about the No. 405 Squadron and their Lancasters...

LQ-A: KB961, ND524, ND616, PA965, PB129...
LQ-B: JB484, KB964, KB985, ME379, ND617, PA965, PB183, PB262, PB477...
LQ-C: JA939, KB997, ND507, NE180, PA965, PB183, PB451, PD183, SW255...
LQ-D: JB120, JB369, KB965, ND587, ND616, PA965, PA972, PA977, PA982, PB239, PB288...
LQ-E: JA920, JB729, KB977, ND982, PA980, PA982, PB183, SW260...
LQ-F: KB973...
LQ-G: JB222, JB226, KB991, ND524, ND709, PB451...
LQ-H: KB967, LM340, ME622, PB229, PB299, PB513...
LQ-I : PB282..
LQ-J: FM120, ME304, ND343, ND462, ND642, PB113, PB627, PB628...
LQ-K: JB241, JB280, KB976, ME315, ND423, PA981, PB413, PB527...
LQ-L: FM122, JB120, LM345...
LQ-M: JB222, JB707, KB999, ND412, ND526, PB402, PB681...
LQ-N: KB956...
LQ-O: JA909, JB182, JB286, JB477, KM950, PB233, PB413, PB555...
LQ-P: KB700, NE119, PA988, PB174, PB525...
LQ-Q: KB700, ND881, PB530...
LQ-R: FM110, JA924, JB348, JB481, JB737, ND526, PB513...
LQ-S: ND341, ND493, JA976, JB188...
LQ-T: JB668, KB945, ND352, PA977, PB516...
LQ-U: DS719, JB684, KB949, KB955, ME445, ND616, PA982, PB513, PB650...
LQ-V: JA974, ND344, ND464, ND855, PB614...
LQ-W: KB957, ND347, ND980, PB530, PB628...
LQ-X: JB484, KB952, ND616, ND912, PA965, PA970, PA982, PB229, PB267, PB485...
LQ-Y: KB959, PA970, PB282...
LQ-Z: FM115, JA980...
LQ-?: ED911, JA979, JB713...

 

[Airframes]

Just shows the 'life expectancy' of aircraft at the time! Average flying life of a Lanc was less than 30 hours, IIRC.

 

[Lucky13]

True old boy! Lessens the confusion a tad this list...iirc, I think that the No. 405 Squadron was one of heaviest hit, when it comes to losses of their Lancasters....

 

[Lucky13]

Date: 11-APR-1945
Time:
Type: de Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk.VI
Owner/operator: 487 (NZ) Sqn RAF
Registration: TA113
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: ? -
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure airport: B.87/Rosières-en-Santerre, France
Destination airport:
Narrative: TA113 - Missing from sweep 11.4.45
Crew:
F/O (NZ416208.) Gordon Leonard PEET (?) RNZAF - killed
F/O (NZ421838.) Lawrence Albert GRAHAM (?) RNZAF - killed

 

[Lucky13]

Date: 31-OCT-1944
Time: 12:30 LT
Type: de Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk.VI
Owner/operator: 487 (NZ) Sqn RAF
Registration: PZ164
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Harplinge, near, 11 km NW Halmstad (Halland) - Sweden
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure airport: Swanton Morley
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Damaged by bomb blast, Aarhus (Denmark). Emergency belly landing in Sweden. Aircraft burned out.
"We took off from Thorney Island at 0700 hours on 1 November 1944 in a Mosquito aircraft. We landed at Swanton Morley to refuel, taking off on our mission which was to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters at Aarhus, Denmark at 0930 hours.
"We had released our bombs and as we passed over the target at 100 feet the bombs which had been released by a preceding aircraft exploded. Our aircraft was damaged and we were forced to feather the starboard propeller. We therefore followed briefing instructions and orders from the formation leaser and flew to Sweden.
"We landed in a field near the village of Harplinge, near Halmstad, Sweden and burned the aircraft. A policeman held us until the Army authorities arrived. We were then taken to Halmstadt and billeted at the Grand Hotel under armed guard. An interrogation was attempted but was not pressed.
"On 2 November we were taken to Falun via Gothenburg. At Gothenburg we escaped from our escort with the idea of reaching the British Consul. (We had been given to understand at the Squadron that if we could reach the British Consul in a neutral country we would be repatriated immediately.
"Wing Commander Thomas"I ran from the brightly lighted railway station at Gothenburg into a dark square. Running accross the square I jumped over a low chain. In mid air I realised that I had jumped out over a canal but it was too late to do anything about it. I fell 15 feet into the water and was pulled out and recaptured by the escort, police and civilians.
"F/L Humphrey-Baker"I had been running just behind W/C Thomas and when he disappeared I realised his mistake and turned to one side just in time. I continued on and reached the British Consul, who immediately turned me over to the police, where I rejoined W/C Thomas. We were then taken to Falun together.
"On 3 November we were billeted at the Solliden Pensionat Hotel and we were kept there until 14 November. During that time W/C Thomas ferried a PRU Mosquito from Malmo to Linkaping at the request of the Air Attache. On 14 November we went to Stockholm to be repatriated. On 23 November we were sent to the UK by air."

Crew:
W/Cdr (43115) William Lewis THOMAS DSO, DFC (pilot) RAF- Ok
F/Lt (124720) Peter Rodney HUMPHREY-BAKER DFC (obs) RAFVR - Ok

 

[Lucky13]

Yep, nothing unusual. The individual code letter, in this case 'E', would be issued to another airframe in the event one was lost, transferred to another squadron, or non-operational for whatever reason. As an example, it was not uncommon for an aircraft to be on a squadron as, say, 'E', and then be moved to an MU for repair, modification or whatever, only to return to the same squadron, and then be marked as, for example, 'G'.
This shows up often in research, where an aircraft is found on squadron records wearing two, or even three, different code letters.

As you were saying old boy!

JB313 Lancaster Mk. III;

MG-P
MG-D
MG-F
MG-D
MG-H

Missing from a mission to Aachen, 24/25-5-44.....

 

[Trev Earl]

Hi...regarding this, do you have any more information for this particular loss, the pilot Lawrence Deeth was my Dad's cousin and it would be great to find out any more. Please send me a PM or e-mail.

Trev Earl