D-Day: Prof. Fred Shotton's modified Photo Reccon Mosquito

By: R6915 - 19th June 2023 at 16:57 Permalink

A great many years ago I dimly remember reading a paperback book written about the "Wheezers and Dodgers". This group of Naval Officers were tasked with creating, strange, possibly crazy weapons for clandestine operations. Author Neville Shute Norway was one of them. Other names I have forgotten but one infamous experiment included the big Pan Yam Drum!

But I have the thought that this book also included also incuded them being tasked with something to do with building scal models of the proposed landing beaches including details of the types of sand , beach gradients, and more minute detail that had to be investigated before it was considered possible to beech landing craft on a specific beach. My memory of this book goes back to about fifty years ago or thereabouts when it was first published so do check the foregoing most carefully.

Didn't the Fleet Air Arm also have access to a few Mosquito's - or am I dreaming. Some one on here will set that straight, I'm sure.

I do hope this may give you a lead! Best of Luck!

By: Oracal - 19th June 2023 at 19:52 Permalink

I sure I read an obituary quite recently that minisubs took personal on clandestine ops to the beaches to collect samples of the sea shore materials. Possibly additional to any aircraft ops.

By: Lyffe - 19th June 2023 at 23:27 Permalink

It does not answer your questions but you could try https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/lapworth-museum/about/object-sh… for starters.

By: Lyffe - 19th June 2023 at 23:33 Permalink

You could also try page 427 of his obituary at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbm.1994.0023 . I'm just Googling his name plus D-day.

By: dhfan - 20th June 2023 at 10:21 Permalink - Edited 20th June 2023 at 10:27

I've got the book, or another similar one, mentioned by R6915 as well. I can't remember the title as I haven't read or even seen it in years.

The Giant Panjandrum was effectively a massive rocket-propelled Catherine wheel designed as I recall to clear invasion beaches of mines.

It was tested on the beach at, I think, Westward Ho! Not all the rockets fired and it ran amok, at one stage heading for the scientists.

The Navy had radar equipped TR.33 and TR.37 Mosquitos which carried torpedoes as well as some of the usual armament. I'm not sure they ever embarked on a carrier as a squadron.

There was also the TT.39 gargoyle but that's best ignored - it was an eyesore.

I've read the GeoScientist article linked by the OP, it was posted on Pprune 10 days ago.

Bearing in mind it wasn't written by an aviation expert, could it just be referring to a standard PR Mosquito?

By: R6915 - 21st June 2023 at 12:04 Permalink

I Googled Wheezers & Dodgers - just in case I got a result.

Surprisingly there is a Kindle version of the book currently available. It also seems that this book was reprinted in 2009 by Seaforth.

Seaforth Publishing By Pawle, Gerald. ISBN 1848320264 Paperback, 304 pages

There's also a short Wikipedia page and the author Gerald Pawle was one of the group of naval officers involved with Neville Shute (who wrote the forward to the book. The official titlle bestowed upon them by The Lords Of The Admiraity was :- Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development

Whether there's a Mosquito connection mentioned I do not know, but as it is also published on line as a Google Book I will look at it soon. But I do recall it was written with great humour!

By: 1batfastard - 1st August 2023 at 14:07 Permalink - Edited 1st August 2023 at 14:09

Hi All,

BFA :- I contacted the DH Mosquito museums archivist a Mr Peter Shallcross in the hope he could forward some relevant information, he in turn passed my email to his colleague  a Mr Ian Thirsk (Mosquito Specialist) who has agreed to my publishing his reply below on the forum to aid your quest.

" Dear Geoffrey,

My apologies for the delayed response to your enquiry of June 21st.   I was very interested to read the background to your request and believe the aircraft you are referring to is a modified Mosquito

[series (II), possibly DZ441 (see attached photo). This was one of several B.IV’s modified at Heston to accommodate additional glazing under the forward fuselage immediately aft of the nose. These aircraft were employed to photograph the D-Day beaches before and after the landings and were also fitted with a 35mm cine-camera.]

I will see what additional information I can find. Thanks for your interest in the Museum, it is much appreciated.

Regards,

Ian Thirsk.                    "

As you can see there may be more to come if available but I think you will agree Mr Thirsk has done a fantastic job with what information he has provided, along with Mr Shalcross from the DH Mosquito museum who has helped immensely  by passing on the request to him.

Geoff.

By: 1batfastard - 15th August 2023 at 14:20 Permalink

Hi All,

BFA :- No problem just trying to help out where I can if possible. :- )

Geoff.