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.

Note the proximity of the number to another well-known suadron - 617 - the Mossie squadron was formed from hand-picked personnel to develop and use the smaller version of the Dams Raid 'Upkeep' bomb - 'Highball', designed to be launched from low-flying Mosquitoes against Axis capital ships.

The amount of training and development carried out by dedicated aircrew and technicians for a weapon which was ultimately never used in anger is heartbreaking !

618 were to be used against the Graf Zeppelin - then the Tirpitz - then in the Mediterranean - then against the Japanese for which they and their aircraft were shipped to Australia : all came to naught.

But a small detachment of 618 did achieve success by developing yet another 'secret weapon' - 'Tsetse' - the 57-mm gun-equipped Mosquito.

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.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson