Shot Down Mosquito in Harbor

[kaki3152]

Ok, I've posted this picture a number of times. A shot down Mosquito (F.B. VI?) in a German controlled harbor. Any ideas?

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Have not IIRC seen this picture before .
So have looked on The Mosquito Page Production lists as I think I saw either "TZ, "T7" or "37" letters/numbers on the piece of tail section.
So,
TZ = Not Mosquito.
T7 = Could be MT, NT or VT. But MT was all NF.30's. NT did not reach the 700's .VT was post WW2.
So started to look at VI's which beguin with DZ.
So DZ37?
370 - 139 sqn, Missing Hamburg 7.4.44.
371 - 139 sqn, Hit by flak and crashed in sea returning from Eindhoven 6.12.42.
372 - 105 sqn, Crashed on landing Marham 2.3.43.
373 - 139 sqn, Missing Liege 13.3.43.
374 - 139 sqn, Missing Duisburg 30.8.43.
375 - 192 sqn, Missing on SD flight over Bay of Biscay 11.9.43.
376 - 192 sqn, SoC10.10.46.
377 - 192 sqn, Hit Halifax after landing, Foulsham 28.4.44.
378 - 105 sqn, Damaged,20.2.43 To 3509M.
379 - 139 sqn, Missing Berlin 18.8.43.

So two possibles, DZ371 and DZ375.

Have looked no further, but :

HK370/379 were NF.XIII's.

LR370/9 were FB.VI's.
LR37O - 613 sqn, Ditched 20m W of Guernsey on return from Sortosville-en-Beaumont, 19.5.44. A third possible.

MM370/1 were PR.XVI's.

PF379 was PR.XVI.

PZ371/9 were FB.VI's.
PZ371 - 305 sqn, Missing 28.3.45.
PZ374 - 305 sqn, Missing from night intruder 26.2.45.

TA370/9 were FB.VI's.
TA370 - 613 sqn, Missing on sweep 15.4.45.
TA372 - 464 sqn, Missing from intruder mission 24.4.45.
TA378 - 305 sqn ?

My thoughts are that maybe the 1945 losses are too late ?

There were many others that are just noted as NFD or NFT, No Further data/Trace.

Good Hunting,
Alex

[Hans Nauta]

Hi Kaki and Alex,

It's a fighter variant of the Mossie, equiped with auxiliary tanks. An FB.VI may be the most likely variant, perhaps even the rare FB.XVIII.

It appears to me that this one may have made a belly landing on land instead of a ditch on water. In the latter case I should think the auxiliary tanks would have ripped of and also more of the engine nacelle plating.

Regards,
Hans

[kaki3152]

Alex and Hans, thanks for the information. I agree that 1945 losses are probably too late.
Hans, that sounds correct. I don't think the wing tanks would have survived a water landing

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Just thinking out loud.

If it was not any of the combinations I gave earlier ( "TZ", "T7" or "37" ) then maybe it could be "57", "87" or "97" ?
Just seek out serial numbers with a combination of those numbers preceeded or followed by another number may eventually arrive at the answer ?

Good luck
Alex

[kaki3152]

Alex, I think the answer lies in some of the 1943-1944 Mosquito losses that you posted above. I'll try to narrow it down .
Also, since it looks like a survivable landing, I'll look for crews taken POW.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Perhaps 1945 should not be discounted after all as I earlier thought ?
Alex

[kaki3152]

Hello,

Thanks to some help from another forumite (is this the right terminology?), we have a very good candidate for this rather battered Mosquito

The Mosquito has been identified as Moquito VI, PZ397, "X", 418 Sq, lost on February 22,1945 in the famous Operation Clarion. The occupants, W/C J.C. Wickett and F/O W. Jessup survived as POWs, as the photgraph shows the cockpit area intact.