Pics:617 Squadron's Mystery Mosquitoes.....

Commanding the legendary 617 'Dambuster' Squadron in early 1944, Leonard Cheshire had the idea of using a Mosquito to mark targets at very low level. After trying out a Nightfighter at RAF Coleby Grange ( not far from 617s home at Woodhall Spa ) Cheshire flew the first such operation on April 5th, 1944.

Four crews were specially trained and Mosquitoes were used very successfully until 3rd October 1944, after which time all low-level marking for 5 Group was done by 627 Squadron ( although 617 still used a P-51 Mustang on occasion ).

617's Mossies have subsequently become near-mythical - it isn't known what, if any, markings they carried as photos are virtually non-existent, and Squadron record-keeping was erratic.

There is today only one survivor of 617's Mosquito crews, and that is Flt. Lt. Tom 'Ben' Bennett, DFM, seen here two weeks ago at the Mosquito Museum ; -




And here he is, on the left, with pilot Gerry Fawke at Woodhall Spa in mid-1944, standing in front of Mosquito FB.VI 'The Aristocrat' : -



'Tom & Gerry' were the crew who marked for the famous Saumur Tunnel Tallboy raid, among others.

Two Mosquito FB.VIs were issued to 617 Squadron - NT202 and NT205. This next, rare, snapshot MAY be the other one ; it shows three NCO's of 627 Squadron ( who shared Woodhall Spa with 617 ) in front of 'Leonard Cheshire's Mosquito' : -




In addition to these two Mosquitoes, 617 are believed to have used B.IVs DZ415,DZ418 and DZ421 ( all of which were 'borrowed' from 627 ) and B.XVI ML976 ( listed as belonging to 109/571 Squadrons ).

As you can see in the photos, no codes or serial numbers can be seen.

All very tantalising ! Maybe, in an attic somewhere, there are some long-forgotten photos still to be discovered........

 

Hi Martin:

I'd always thought (based on the 617 Squadron ORB) that Cheshire's mossie was NS993 N.

The ORB actually says it was MS (not NS) 993, however it does specifiy a VI (actually, it says 6, but...) and Air Britain has NS993 as being issued to 617.

It's interesting to note the stub exhausts on the 627 Sqn snap.

NS993 eventually went onto 515 Squadron, thence to the Swiss through *ahem* mis-adventure, where it was used as a test bed for Mamba jet engines!

 

Thanks for adding to my thread, mhuxt !

You're right - Alan Cooper lists MS993 and I couldn't find it - but NS makes sense. So it looks like 3 x FB.VIs went to 617....

( or did they ? )

 

Heheheh:

That's just what they want you to believe ... !

No worries Martin, is there any clue as to the serial number / squadron letter of The Aristocrat? I had NT205 as L, for what it's worth.

Cheers,

Mark

 

Ohh..this is good fun, really....

Alan Cooper in 'Beyond The Dams To The Tirpitz' agrees with your matching of NT205 with 'L'. In the same list, he shows NT202 as 'N'.

No matter how hard I scrutinize the photos of 'The Aristocrat', there simply is no sign of a serial number or letter. The only, vague, clues are the sixteen bombs painted below the cockpit.

Now, in Ward/Lee/Wachtel's history of 617, some of the early Mossie missions are not given serial nos due to vagueness in Squadron records. However, NT202 is listed as completing 10 missions, NT205 17. Certainly, NT205 appears to have been 617s hardest-working Mossie. And, thinking out loud here, 202 and 205 weren't taken on charge by 617 until 5/5/44, so it's unlikely they took part in the April operations.....

I wonder - just wonder, mind ! - if NT205 'L' was 'The Aristocrat'....

( I wonder if Mr Bennett still has his logbook...? )

 

Hi Martin:

The mission markings would seem to be an excellent clue, wouldn't they. I reckon you're on to something with that, well done!

Any clues from Mr. Bennett as to how the aircraft got it's name?

Cheers,

Mark

 

No.......like a total amateur, I hadn't thought beforehand of intelligent questions to ask ( a lesson I should have learned before ). Although, to be fair to myself, I wasn't really aware that he was going to be present.Even so, a missed opportunity for me. However, I'm in close contact with people who are working on a couple of 617 Squadron-themed events for early 2009, so I may yet get a second chance......

 

LOL, I know the feeling. Old boy down he street from me mentioned almost in passing one day that he'd done two tours on bombers.

Me: "Oh yes?



Nice weather today, isn't it?"

 

You never really get an opportunity to speak meaningfully with veterans at 'signing events'....

To show you what an opportunity I lost , I'd taken along a pre-production model of the new Corgi 1/72 'Guy Gibson' 627 Squadron Mossie. During the lunchbreak, I sneaked off to photograph it next to the 627 Squadron Bombing Trophy (OK, OK - I'm a sad 'anorak', - but I restored the trophy a few years back....)...




At that moment, Mr Bennett appeared and was obviously interested in the model. And he indulged me by autographing the box....



So there I was, mumbling 'Erm...thank you Sir...'

OK, he did tell me a few Gibson/617 tales but only later did I think - should have asked this - should have asked that....

Oh, well.........

 

Yes, but then again, there's a time and place for everything, and it's no doubt more respectful to work through questions rather than immediately to jump down the throats of the guys who were there.

Just my $0.02 (if it's worth that...)

 

Martin,

Nice pictures!

 

Great pictures, and nice memories.

It's bizarre, having grown up with The Dambusters film, that I now live close to Saumur, France, where the first Tallboy bombs were dropped on the railway tunnel to scupper the deployment of a Panzer division to reinforce the German defence of Normandy. This was June 8th, 1944.

There's a great pdf file available for download at:

http://www.dambusters.org.uk/docs/recordbook.pdf

That also confirms Cheshire's Mossie as being a Mark VI, MS993 (N).

I was fascinated to read the account. 3 Mossies dropping marker flares, followed in by 25 Lancasters. I've seen images of the damage caused in this raid, and I've spoken to an old boy locally who remembers the raid.

 

Thanks for bringing up this old thread, Stu....and I did in fact get another chance for a longer chat with Mr Bennett at the Mosquito Museum in 2009....I'd like to see the Saumur Tunnel one day