Mosquito MkXVIII Tsetse

[sergey]

Colleagues.

Different publications provide varying figures for the number of Mosquito Tsetse tanks (with a 6-pounder gun) built—from 18 to 27. Information on their losses during service is only found by chance—I only found two cases, November 4 1943, and June 9 1944. Could you please tell me how many Tsetse tanks were actually built and how many were lost?

Sergey

[Stig Jarlevik]

According to Alex Crawford who wrote the book about the Mosquito Mk XVIII there were only 17

HJ732 (prototype)
HX902 618Sq lost 4 Nov 43 attacking a trawler
HX903 618Sq > 248Sq lost 10 June 44 in a collision with Mosquito HR138
HX904 618Sq > 248Sq > 254Sq Cat Ac accident 5 July 45, reclassified as a Cat E, SOC
MM424 618Sq > 248Sq > 254Sq SOC
MM425 618Sq > 248SqCat E accident 10 Dec 44 SOC
NT224 248Sq > 254Sq SOC
NT225 248Sq shot down by enemy fighter 7 Dec 44
PZ251 248Sq shot down by Flak 21 Oct 1944
PZ252 248Sq > 254Sq SOC
PZ300 248Sq > 254Sq Cat Ac accident 4 May 45, reclassified as Cat B 24 May 45, reclassified as Cat E 3 Dec 45, SOC
PZ301 248Sq > 254Sq SOC
PZ346 248Sq shot down by enemy fighter 7 Dec 1944
PZ467 no operational unit, transferred to US Navy 9 April 45 > NX66422 1946
PZ468 248Sq > 254Sq Cat Ac accident 4 May 1945, 9 MU storage, SOC
PZ469 no operational unit,sold as scrap 7 Aug 47
PZ470 no operational unit, SOC

Cheers
Stig

[sergey]

Thank you. Which squadrons, besides 248 Squadron, used the Tsetse? I read about 254 Squadron, but I also saw mention of 235 Squadron.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Units added above
Cheers
Stig

[Stig Jarlevik]

Our friend Geoffrey Sinclair offers the following. I never looked at that site myself.
I need to check out the 18th one...

http://airhistory.org.uk/Mosquito/production.html says 18 XVIII and they
were all FBVI >XVIII conversions,

HJ732 AAEE 12-6-43 DeH mods 24-6-43 AAEE 1-7-43 DeH riw 19-8-43 10MU
24-7-45 SOC 31-5-46
HX902 AAEE 5-9-43 248Sq 23-10-43 'DM-O' Missing from offensive patrol -
seen to ditch and disintegrate Bay of Biscay CE 4-11-43 SqLdr CF Rose+ |
FSgt S Cowley+
HX903 AAEE 6-10-43 248Sq 3-11-43 'DM-T' 618Sq 27-2-44 248Sq 4-3-44 DeH
riw 15-3-44 248Sq 'I' Collided with HR138 in formation returning from
patrol lost tail and dived into sea off Portreath CE 9-6-44 F/O AL
Bonnett (RCAF)+ | FLt AM McNicol+
HX904 AAEE 6-10-43 248Sq 23-10-43 'DM-E' DeH 23-11-43 248Sq 23-11-43
618Sq 11-12-43 riw 2-1-44 Predannack 10-2-44 248Sq 17-2-44 618Sq 27-2-44
248Sq 4-3-44 AC 10-3-44 ros. Cockpit perspex cracked after firing
6-pounder Banff AC 11-11-44 FLt DJ Turner safe 254Sq 16-3-45 Bircham
Newton 19-3-45 254Sq 29-4-45 Swung on landing u/c collapsed Chivenor
Devon AC 5-7-45 W/O JT Madsen (RNZAF) safe. recat CE 30-7-45
MM424 10MU 12-2-44 248Sq 26-2-44 'H' AC 9-3-44 AC 25-7-44 254Sq 4-3-45
Bircham Newton 9-3-45 254Sq 16-5-45 AC 17-7-45 ros 9MU 28-8-45 SOC rtp
4-11-46
MM425 10MU 2-2-44 248Sq 26-2-44 'L' 618Sq 29-2-44 248Sq 4-3-44 'DM-L' AC
12-7-44 riw 17-10-44 Port prop feathered itself after t/off and stb u/c
would not retract belly landed Banff CE 16-12-44 F/O WG Woodcock safe |
F/O CGJ Vacher safe
NT220 RAE Farnborough 10-5-44 22MU 7-7-49 Sold scrap SB.Lunzer 10-11-50
NT224 248Sq 5-6-44 AC 17-8-44 ros M.Hearn riw 6-11-44 248Sq Port u/c
collapsed Banff AC 13-2-45 FLt JR Keohane safe ros. Bircham Newton
22-3-45 254Sq 16-5-45 9MU 20-8-45 SOC rtp 20-11-46
NT225 248Sq 2-6-44 'DM-O' Missing after combat with Bf109s and Fw190s nr
Gossen 7-12-44 F/O WN Cosman (RCAF)+ | F/O LM Freedman+
PZ251 CCPP 13-7-44 248Sq 21-10-44 'DM-I' Missing from shipping recce
Askvoll - Utsira CE 21-10-44 F/O RS Driscoll+ | F/O TA Hannant+
PZ252 CCPP 13-7-44 248Sq 25-8-44 254Sq 16-3-45 AC 30-4-45 ros 9MU
23-8-45 SOC rtp 25-11-46
PZ300 CCPP 14-8-44 248Sq 25-8-44 AC 24-10-44 Bircham Newton 16-3-45
254Sq 21-3-45 'QM-A' Port tyre burst landing u/c collapsed North Coates
AC 3-5-45 FLt RA Davis safe. AC 11-5-45 M.Hearn riw 4-6-45 recat CE 3-12-45
PZ301 CCPP Bircham Newton 18-8-44 248Sq 25-8-44 254Sq 16-3-45 'QM-B'
Bounced on landing u/c twisted North Coates AC 5-5-45 FLt RA Davis safe
ros 9MU 3-9-45 SOC rtp 31-12-46
PZ346 CCPP Bircham Newton 5-9-44 248Sq 28-10-44 'DM-Z' Missing during
strike Aalesund harbour crashed into sea off Gossen CE 7-12-44 F/O KC
Wing (RCAF)+ | P/O VR Shield (RAAF)+
PZ467 DeH Hatfield 5-10-44 27MU 12-12-44 Pershore 9-3-45 Dorval 27-4-45
Patuxent River 30-4-45 USN as '91106' to NX66422 N66422 Swung on landing
and u/c collapsed Charlotte NC 27-1-48
PZ468 3504SU 2-11-44 DeH 1-11-44[sic] 248Sq 12-12-44 'QM-D' Bircham
Newton 14-3-45 254Sq 31-3-45 9MU 20-8-45 SOC rtp 26-11-46
PZ469 27MU 4-12-44 AAEE Boscombe Down 27MU 8-8-45 57MU 17-10-45 Sold
scrap SB.Lunzer 7-8-47
PZ470 27MU 14-1-45 SOC 23-7-46

The Ministry of Aircraft Production says 16 built as

1 in Aug-43, 2 in Sep-43, 1 in Jan-44, 1 in Feb-44, 1 in May-44, 1 in
Jun-44, 2 in Jul-44, 3 in Aug-44, 1 in Sep-44, 1 in Oct-44, 1 in Nov-44,
1 in Jan-45

The contract card lists a total of 16, HJ732 (Jun-43), HX903, HX904
(Oct-43), MM424, MM425 (Feb-44), NT224, NT225 (Jun-44), PZ251, PZ252
(Jul-44), PZ300, PZ301 (Aug-44), PZ346 (Sep-44), PZ467 (Oct-44), PZ468
(Nov-44), PZ469 (Dec-44), PZ470 (Jan-45), omitting HX902 (Sep-43 as mark
VI but entry ruled through) and NT220 (May-44 as mark VI)

RAF Serial registers mark XVIII
HJ732 (VI to XVIII, Jun-43), HX902 (Sep 43), HX903, HX904 (Oct-43),
MM424, MM425 (Feb-44), NT224, NT225 (Jun-44), PZ251, PZ252 (Jul-44),
PZ300, PZ301 (Aug-44 but marked conversions), PZ346 (Sep-44 marked
conversion), PZ467, PZ468, PZ469, PZ470 (Oct, Nov, Dec-44, Jan-45
respectively, PZ467 marked conversion), omitting NT220 (mark VI, May-44)

Geoffrey Sinclair

[Stig Jarlevik]

Checking the AM 78 form I find that NT220 was never converted.

HX902 is very clearly marked as a Mk 18 so no problem there.

I believe the British Air Ministry, when stating 16 aircraft, omitted the prototype conversion.

So 17 aircraft should be correct

Cheers
Stig

[sergey]

Stig, thank you for your wonderful answer!

[sergey]

According to Alex Crawford who wrote the book about the Mosquito Mk XVIII ...
HX902 618Sq lost 4 Nov 43 attacking a trawler
I read the same version in 248 Squadron documents. But the problem is that Tsetse pilots had strict orders to attack only submarines, so that the enemy wouldn't be able to detect the aircraft's 6-pounder gun. Therefore, the "trawler" was most likely escorting a submarine—Squadron Leader Rose had no reason to disobey orders, especially since he was flying in tandem with Flight Officer Turner's Mosquito. Perhaps there's information about this somewhere?

[Chris Goss]

Des Curtis has written about Tsetse operations and it will be covered in a forthcoming book by a new author. This is what was said:

We decided that the trawler was acting as a marker and guard of the seaward end of the mine swept channel leading into Brest. I watched Rose’s aircraft from the time we separated and he went into a diving attack, and was horrified to see a trail of white smoke coming from his port engine

[sergey]

Thanks Chris. Des Curtis was Turner's navigator, so this is the most reliable information!