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With Britain under siege at the beginning of the war, and a vast shortage of metals and skilled labour to work it, inspirational design led to the construction of one of the most remarkable warplanes ever built. Constructed almost entirely of laminated wood, bonded with glue, the complex construction was undertaken by craftsmen hitherto trained in the skill of building furniture! The result was the sensational de Havilland Mosquito. Powered by its two huge Merlin engines, its sleek, sharklike design made it the fastest and most versatile aircraft of the war. Never was the old pilot's adage "if it looks right, it'll fly right" more appropriately applied than to this beautiful aeroplane.
Extremely fast with a breathtaking top speed well over 400 mph, the two-crew "Wooden Wonder" was also an incredibly tough yet highly versatile aircraft. So versatile in fact it flew in every role undertaken by the RAF: lowlevel precision strikes, high altitude bomber operations, target marking, photo-reconnaissance, night-fighter and interceptor roles, excelling in every task asked of it. Loved by its crews, the Mosquito became a legend almost as soon as it entered service.
To commemorate this much-loved and incomparable aircraft, Gerald Coulson's evocative painting depicts a Mosquito B Mk. XVI, a high altitude bomber version, on operations deep over occupied Europe. In this guise the Mosquito was by far the fastest piston-engine bomber of World War II, and also the only light bomber capable of delivering the devastating 4,000lb 'block-buster' bomb.
With prints signed by three distinguished aircrew that flew the Mosquito in combat with RAF Bomber Command's
famous Pathfinder Force, this makes a truly wonderful pictorial tribute for all those who appreciate and collect aviation
Each print in Gerald Coulson’s Limited Edition, Mission by Moonlight, is signed by:
Wing Commander Robert Bray
Flight Lieutenant Frank Diamond DFC AE
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Perks DFC.
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