One Thousand Mosquitos

From the de Havilland archives; July 1945, just a month before the Japanese surrendered. Plant workers at de Havilland's Toronto factory celebrate the completion of their 1,000th Mosquito fighter bomber.

And from Flight magazine, dated June 25 1945- less than a month before the photo above. In total 1,133 Mosquitos were built at Downsview.

Probably the finest tribute to the Mosquito came from Herman Goering;

"In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked."