618Sq Mosquito Highball set up

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11 years 8 months

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Does anyone have drawings or detail photos of Highball setup for 618 Sq Mosquitos? Parts in pictures were found in Narromine NSW Australia where 618 Sq Mosquitos were disposed off, generally to local farmers, after 1945. These parts have no dH 98 part numbers, but have timber components, madoplam covering, paint scheme and context of location to be 618 Sq Mosquito material. It would be ideal to match these components to drawings or pictures to confirm this.

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11 years 8 months

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These are ‘handed’ arm assemblies, definitely not tailwheel towing arms. There is an adjustable fitting that looks like a steady for a flange. They are handed in that they bend out in opposite directions, so either port & starboard or fore and aft. May be ground handling equipment? Torpedo equipment?

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Sorry, photos exceed upload limit - have to resize and post later. Frustrating.

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Click on your user profile up in the RH corner and delete some of your old uploads/pictures ☺

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See last letter in this thread , which shows DZ554 as Highball Mossie sent to OZ....https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234984984-618-squadron-in-australia/ I have handled several mil aircraft parts where last 3 of serial where roughly marked on parts. A crumpled engine cowling from a Beaufighter crash site on Islay had the entire serial daubed on the inside and others from the same site where the serial was neatly stencilled.

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Scotavia, thanks for a great link and a great link to the pencilled number! I have seen crude ID markings on removable fairing on British aircraft a number of times, so it makes good sense. I believe the Pacific service colouring underneath, based on dozens of seperate observations was PR Blue. If I was coming in low against the sky and facing ships guns, I would want PR Blue under me!

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I agree that it was PRU Blue, but am not so sure about the desirability. From a ship, an aircraft will stand out as a dark object against a light background. The best camouflage is going to be something light. There were trials using an Avenger with lights on all forward facing surfaces, and that was the best of all - but a little impractical.

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11 years 11 months

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"Parts in pictures were found in Narromine NSW Australia"

I lived and worked in this area in the 90's. On the property where I stayed there were components lying around, fittings and hardware lying in the dirt, ex Mosquito. The airfield where I worked was a satellite/dispersal airfield to Narromine, the revetments complete with camouflage netting persisted into the sixties.

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GB, thank you for confirming PR Blue undersides and the interesting Avenger story! For the sake of a future searcher I might load a few PR Blue component images to provide a definitive record. Also there are fabric remains in aluminium finish, so I believe the Pacific scheme in 1945 was silver up top, PR Blue underwear. Currawong, very interesting story, particularly about the revetments lasting into the 60’s, will PM to try and get more details.

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There were trials using an Avenger with lights on all forward facing surfaces, and that was the best of all - but a little impractical.

Have a look at Yehudi Lights on Wiki.

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17 years 11 months

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Didnt 618 operate out of Kingaroy Airfield as well?

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11 years 8 months

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Not sure. Often flew to Laverton in Vic and Bankstown for servicing. What makes you say Kingaroy? Was this a staging or training field?

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I just noticed our signature lines have disappeared.

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11 years 8 months

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Nicko, I agree that most pictorial evidence, op cit and Mosquito Monograph, show camo on top and presumably sea gray underwear. What I can’t reconcile are remains, particularly mystery Highball bits, in PR Blue. I am forming the hypothesis that Highball equipped Mosquitos were kept in hangars while training hacks were parked outside. ‘Secret’ equipment in hangars was not photographed, while nosey locals could photograph hacks. Until more technical details emerge around Highball and Sea Mosquito setup, I am still just guessing. There are some books in the mail that may give some clues, hopefully...

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11 years 11 months

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Umm, there are other pretty feasible reasons why there are places where the grass does not grow at Narromine. As with many other "rural" airfields.

But you never know, so good luck.:eagerness:

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The Mosquito museum at London Colney has a section of rear fuselage from a Sea Mosquito( ex St Davids airfield) which includes the arrester hook mountings. You might find someone here who could grab some close ups.

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Wow Scotavia, great information, thank you ! Is anybody visiting there soon ? Can anybody take some photos? Very interested in internal details like reinforcing timber work inside the fuselage, as well as external details, mounting arrangements, thank you in anticipation ! Ed

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Easy to get the insects mixed up, Mosquito, Hornet ! The hook gear looks very similar, would still be very interested in getting a few detail photos if anyone wants to risk the roundabouts in.

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Re post #28
Ed, I thought you have a copy of David Vincent's Mosquito Monograph? Either you don't have one or you had too many beers at that pub.
The HR series aircraft are Mk.VI. These aircraft were just for flying around, and had no special equipment. That photo is the one in the book that I referred to by email.
The highball aircraft were Mk.IV - DZ series of regos.
Although I said before that I don't think that the Mk.XVI in the photo I posted (#25) was in PR blue, I think that the Mk.XVI aircraft were the ones that were painted in PR blue.
I think that the RAF were cluey enough to know that overall PR blue was not at all suitable for the low altitude attacks that the highball aircraft would carry out. Remember the post early on about not wanting dark colours on the underside. In camouflage speak dark on top and light underneath is 'countershading' and this is best for low viz.
Are you sure you have PR blue? It is not clear to me on all the photos you have posted - maybe I agree in some cases. CMA has a trashed cowl in what I believe is PR blue. Probably also from Narromine. It is a disgusting weak purple colour now, but not quite as bad as the borscht I had a Sheremetyevo airport.
I think that the XVIs had different Merlins to the Mk.IV. Did this mean a different cowl? IIRC, the cowl did not have any number or ID scrawled on the inside, but I can check.