Warbird Information Exchange

Mosquito Paint

The FHC’s Mosquito is back form the paint shop and nearly finished. Flight Officer Alan Wagner of No. 605 Squadron flew “Wag’s War-Wagon” and became an ace in the plane on the night of March 5/6, 1944. Wagner often flew with his navigator Flight Officer “Pip” Orringe.

The plane’s standard factory camouflage was later overshot with an “Intruder Scheme,” a night black underside. After its March 5/6, 1944 mission, Wagner’s aircraft carried two victory markings for Japanese aircraft Wagner claimed over Ceylon (today Sri Lanka) earlier in the war, along with three marks for German aircraft shot down—two Me 410s and a Fw 190. An FHC mechanic will be hand-painting the personal markings on the plane in the upcoming days.

In total, Wagner shot down nine confirmed enemy aircraft and two V-1s. Tragically, he was killed while chasing a V-1 “buzz bomb” in heavy fog when his speeding Tempest fighter struck the ground in July of 1944. He was 29 years old.

I am only in my 20s but someday I will fly it at airshows. I am getting rich really fast writing software and so I can afford to do really stupid things like put all my money into warbirds.