De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI: Day and night fighter-bomber/intruder, armed with four machine guns and four cannon as F Mk II, plus two 250-lb (113-kg) bombs in rear of bomb-bay and one 250-lb (113-kg) under each wing; (increased to 5.00-lb/227-kg bombs in Srs 2 aircraft); alter-native wing loads included SCI, mine, depth charge, four 60-lb (27-kg) rockets each side or 50- or 100-Imp gal (227- or 455-1) drop tank. Prototype first flew June 1, 1942; total of 2,305 built. Merlin 21, 23 or 25, and some aircraft with AI Mk IV, V or XV radar. First deliveries to No 418 Squadron May 1943. Nine Mk VI aircraft (plus one Mk IV and three Mk III) modified for use by BOAC, in civil markings, on courier service between Scotland and Sweden, making 520 round trips between February 1943 and May 1945. Thirty-eight supplied to RAAF.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk X: Proposed fighter-bomber, similar to FB Mk VI with Merlin 101 engines. Not built.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XI: Proposed fighter-bomber, similar to FB Mk VI with Merlin 61 engines. Not built.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XVIII: As FB Mk VI with 57-mm, 6-lb (2.7-kg) Molins gun in fuselage replacing four 20-mm cannon; also armed with four 0.303-in (7.7-m) machine guns and two 500-lb (227-kg) bombs or eight 60-lb (27-kg) RPs under wings. Total of 27 converted from FB Mk Vis; first flown June 8, 1943; initial operations October 24, 1943, with No 248 Sqn, Coastal Command. Sometimes referred to as the 'Tse-tse'.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 21: Canadian production equivalent of FB Mk VI, built in 1943. Two with Merlin 31s and one with Merlins 33s.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 24: Similar to FB Mk 21 with Packard Merlin 301 engines. Two commenced 1943, only one com-pleted, cancelled before flight February 1944.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 26: Similar to FB Mk 21 with Packard Merlin 225 engines. Production totalled 337, October 1944 onwards; 197 to RCAF, balance to RAF, used principally in Middle East.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 40: Australian production version, by de Havilland at Bankstown, Sydney, based on FB Mk VI. Prototype converted from British-built Mk II with Packard Merlin 31s and flown on July 23, 1943. Production totalled 100 with Merlin 31s and 112 with Merlin 33s and paddle-blade propellers, first flown July, 23, 1943, and deliveries to RAAF commencing March 4, 1944, and continuing post-war. Service with No 1 Sqn against Japanese targets, and with Nos 87 and 94 Sqns.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 42: One FB Mk 40 converted with Merlin 69 engines.

Photo	Description
	Drawing Mosquito FB Mk.VI
	464 Squadron at last converted from the Ventura to the Mosquito Mk VI in August 1943. These squadron Moskitos were photographed at Hatfield on 2 June 1944. (de Havilland via Philip J. Birtles)
	This famous photograph of 21 Squadron Mosquito jacked up and firing into the butts, taken on 19 December 1944 by James Jarche of Illustrated, was set up especially for the photographer by F/L Good, Armament Officer at Thorney Island. Mosquitos of 464 and 487 Squadrons remainded at Thorney Island until December 1944, while 21 Squadron did not join them on the Continent until February 1945. (via Les Bulmer)

Bibliography

• "Encyclopedia of military engineering" /Aerospace Publising/
• "British warplanes of World War II" /under cor. Daniel March/
• THE REICH INTRUDERS. Dramatic RAF medium bomber raids over Europe in World War 2. /MARTIN W BOWMAN/