The 1968 film “Mosquito Squadron” features some black-and-white archive footage of a Mosquito dropping a “Highball” bomb on land. I have watched the film many times and believe this footage to be genuine film from WW2 rather than a reconstruction. If this is so where did it come from and why has it never turned up in any documentaries about the war particularly the large number of documentaries about the “Dambusters”?
By: Mrs En830 - 9th December 2005 at 17:06
I am currently cataloguing a large collection of films from Farnborough, mostly dating between 1950 to 1985, including lots of early Concorde films 🙂 Yum yum :diablo:
Which will be of great help when they get one back into the air !!!!
By: Ashley - 9th December 2005 at 16:48
Ooh…
MTE 2344…right then…the IWM holds three copies of this item – one nitrate negative which may well be the original as far as I can tell from the records, plus a fine grain archive master, and a polyester print, all on 35mm. Under the previous reference section on the database, MTE 2344 has an RAE number (Royal Aircraft Establishment obviously). A large chunk of the MTE series as it now is came to us from the RAE (MTE being Ministry of Technology), so presumably the original nitrate came direct from there (the other two copies have been made by the Museum in the last ten years)
Incidentially, I am currently cataloguing a large collection of films from Farnborough, mostly dating between 1950 to 1985, including lots of early Concorde films 🙂 Yum yum :diablo:
By: irmurray - 9th December 2005 at 14:43
Highball – drops on land
Dear Rob/Kansan,
Various documentaries including the CH4 one you mentioned have shown footage of “Highball” but the point I was making was that they have not shown the exact footage shown in “Mosquito Squadron” which depicted a Mossie dropping a “Highball” on land. All the documentary footage I have seen shows Highball dropped on the water.
Hi chaps,
I have not seen the film, but I suspect the footage is genuine – Highball was indeed tested on land at Ashley Walk in the New Forest (where Upkeep was also tested on land, and where Tallboy and Grand Slam tests were also conducted). Some Highball tests were done here in April 1943, and more were done postwar, in 1947 (probably using “Card”, the Highball Mk II).
Film MTE 2344 held at the Imperial War Museum shows the latter test, and may be the footage in “Mosquito Squadron” (though I have not seen either)!!
Cheers,
Iain.
By: mark_pilkington - 26th September 2005 at 21:50
Keep googling Frank! I used “618 squadron highball” and got the BB post (from May 2005) on page 2 of the hits. Also found some images of 618 squadron’s machines derelict in Australia from the Webshots album of a certain Australian forumite – Setter
Rob / Kansan
You may be interested to know an ex-618 mosquito still remains existing today from the Narromine area, now being restored in our premier private museum of the Thomas Family, the Camden Museum of Aviation.
you can find images of the rebuild on their website
regards
Mark P
By: Kansan - 26th September 2005 at 17:24
Some further googling reveals that trials on land were undertaken for an “Upkeep” attack on the Dortmund Ems canal (weapon unspun) but this is the only reference to the use of these weapons on terra firma – plus you’d imagine these would have taken place with “upkeep” rather than “Highball”
Regards,
Frank
Horrido!
Keep googling Frank! 😀 I used “618 squadron highball” and got the BB post (from May 2005) on page 2 of the hits. Also found some images of 618 squadron’s machines derelict in Australia from the Webshots album of a certain Australian forumite – Setter 🙂
Rob / Kansan
By: JG54 - 26th September 2005 at 17:19
Some further googling reveals that trials on land were undertaken for an “Upkeep” attack on the Dortmund Ems canal (weapon unspun) but this is the only reference to the use of these weapons on terra firma – plus you’d imagine these would have taken place with “upkeep” rather than “Highball”
Regards,
Frank
Horrido!
By: Kansan - 26th September 2005 at 17:17
Colin,
As J. Saville used to say: How’s about this then?
http://www.rainair.co.uk/history.html
One of Beccles few claims to fame is that in 1944 it was used by Mosquitos of 618 Squadron to practice dropping spinning bombs called ‘Highball’ which were a derivative of the bombs used by 617 Squadron to breach the dams. The use of ‘Highball’ is shown in the 1970 fictious film ‘Mosquito Squadron’ (marvellous wooden aircraft, terrible wooden actors).
http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000386;p=0
Had the pleasure of meeting Des Curtis DFC at the MAA reunion – he provided me with a copy of his self-published book ‘A Most Secret Squadron’ – the only history of 618 Squadron RAF.
618 even tried ( successfully ) skipping ‘highballs’ into a disused railway tunnel in Wales. A group of enthusiasts trudged through the mud and undergrowth to the tunnel a few years ago and retrieved an inert bomb from the tunnel mouth – it can be examined today at the Yorkshire Aircraft Museum.
Anyone from YAM care to comment on the second quote from a Bulletin Board? I know they’ve got an “Upkeep”
R/K
By: Kansan - 26th September 2005 at 16:39
Dear Rob/Kansan,
Various documentaries including the CH4 one you mentioned have shown footage of “Highball” but the point I was making was that they have not shown the exact footage shown in “Mosquito Squadron” which depicted a Mossie dropping a “Highball” on land. All the documentary footage I have seen shows Highball dropped on the water.
Best Wishes,
Colin
Colin,
I’d better go and find a copy of “Mosquito Squadron” 😀
In the meantime – this looked interesting
http://www.narromineaviationmuseum.org.au/remembranceday.pdf
After a welcome by the Mayor, we played some wartime film footage on the museum auditorium’s new video projector system (which incidentally is available for hire for functions). Included were some rare scenes of 618 (Mosquito) Squadron RAF’s ‘Highball’ skipbombing trials in the UK prior to its posting to Narromine, the video coming to us via the RAF Museum and the efforts of Wal Rae during his recent trip to the UK.
R/K
By: colin.barron - 26th September 2005 at 16:34
Mosquito Squadron
Dear Rob/Kansan,
Various documentaries including the CH4 one you mentioned have shown footage of “Highball” but the point I was making was that they have not shown the exact footage shown in “Mosquito Squadron” which depicted a Mossie dropping a “Highball” on land. All the documentary footage I have seen shows Highball dropped on the water.
Best Wishes,
Colin
By: JG54 - 26th September 2005 at 16:15
IIRC, The German “Bouncer” was rocket assisted & called Peter/Paul??
Can’t help with the rest I’m afraid!
Horrido!
By: Kansan - 26th September 2005 at 15:41
The 1968 film “Mosquito Squadron” features some black-and-white archive footage of a Mosquito dropping a “Highball” bomb on land. I have watched the film many times and believe this footage to be genuine film from WW2 rather than a reconstruction. If this is so where did it come from and why has it never turned up in any documentaries about the war particularly the large number of documentaries about the “Dambusters”?
It did. The CH4 documentary “Secret History” about the Dam Busters touched on 618 Squadron, (Mosquitos), the Highball bomb and also showed some German archival footage of a bouncing bomb being dropped from a Focke-Wulf 190. (!)
It’s cropped up in a couple of other places too, but just can’t remember where.
Rob / Kansan
Sign In
September 26, 2005 at 3:34 pm