The Wargamer

Introduction

The twin-engine DeHavilland Mosquito was one of the most versatile aircraft of World War II. It was often called the "wooden wonder" in reference to its plywood construction. However, most of its pilots just referred to it as the Mossy. Originally intended as a fast bomber, the Mossy went from drawing board to prototype in less than a year, with its maiden flight in late 1940. The Mosquito was fast, had an extremely long range and could carry a heavy bomb load. The RAF soon realized they had an excellent aircraft and ordered variants of the original design. In addition to the bomber variant, there were also fighter-bomber and night-fighter models. The Mossys were also enlisted for reconnaissance, mine laying, path finding, and transport duties. Most fighter-bomber and night-fighter designs packed quite a punch in the form of four .303 machine guns and four 20mm canons mounted in the nose. A special "Tse-Tse" version mounted a 57mm cannon in the fuselage and was used in an anti-shipping role.

The Mosquito earned its famous reputation by participating in high risk, high profile raids such as the bombing of Gestapo headquarters in The Hague and the raid on Amiens prison in France. It was often selected for these missions due to its high speed, large bomb load, and precision targeting. It was even said that the Mosquito could carry the same bomb load to Berlin as a B-17 and do it faster using less fuel with better accuracy.

Mosquito Squadron by Just Flight is a third party add-on for Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Flight Simulator 2000/2002. Mosquito Squadron gives the player controls of a Mosquito FB. Mk VI fighter-bomber in twenty-one historically accurate missions.

Installation and Technical Issues

Installation is simple and works well with the existing Combat Flight Simulator 2 interface. However, owners of Flight Simulator 2000/2002 are not able to operate weapons, or access quick combat or missions in Mosquito Squadron.

Documentation

Mosquito Squadron ships with a slim but functional 32-page manual that outlines installation, instrumentation, and mission overviews. It also contains some nice history on the Mossy and some of her crewmembers. The manual also details the historic missions that come with the add-on.