Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "America's WW2 British Planes" video.

The Mosquito wasn't close in bombload, even on paper. Although the theoretical maximum bomb load was 4,000 pounds, that was for a mission of less than 700 miles round trip. A more typical bombload was 2,500 pounds. The B-17 carried 4,500 pounds over ranges three times as long as the Mosquito, and had an internal bombload of 8,000 pounds over a 1,400 mile radius. A maximum bombload with external racks for a 700 mile mission was over 17,000 pounds. The B-17 was a slow but heavy strategic bomber while the Mosquito was a light but fast bomber, and later one of the first true multirole aircraft.
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The problem with the Spitfire was never it's excellence as a fighter. It was a lack of range. It simply couldn't fly bomber escort mission from England to deep into Germany, even with drop tanks The P-51 and, particularly, the P-47, had the range to fly these missions, so that's why the US reequipped from the Spit to these two types as soon as they were available in numbers. It was the opposite with the Mosquito. The US would have taken many more on strength, but there weren't enough that were surplus to RAF requirements.
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@brianmoore1164 What's an old lie? I have no idea what you're referring to.
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@Simon_Nonymous IIRG, the Mosquitos that flew the blockbuster missions had an extra tank in the forward part of the bomb bay and two slipper tanks on the iwngs. That was enough to get them to Berlin and back, as long as the jet stream wasn't against them on the way home. There was always a weather recon Mosquito or Lightning flying ahead of them to check on the winds, and it was always a close run thing. While they could fly two missions a day, the plane did require refueling before the second mission. English Electric produced some fine aircraft before becoming just part of BAC. The Canberra and Lightning were two world beating aircraft, but BAC just wasn't the right combination for English Electric.
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