Mosquito Squadron (1969)

Dam and Bust those Germans!

Squadron Leader Quint Munroe is struggling to come to terms with the probable death of his friend and comrade, Sq. Leader David Scott. After choosing to leave the squadron, Quint is approached to take part in a crucial mission to bomb a château in occupied France that houses a deadly German flying bomb factory. The top secret mission will involve using a new land bouncing bomb that needs to be delivered with the ultimate precision, which is why they want the respected Quint to lead the assault. To further complicate matters, Quint starts to fall in love with David's widow, Beth. Will Quint take up the task? can he succeed? and just why have the Germans dropped a parcel on the base containing a roll of film?

It's not very good, that's really all there is to it, Mosquito Squadron is a collage of far better films put together to make one complete whole. David McCallum, bless him, 6 years after he was integral to The Great Escape's success, he is found sadly lacking as a lead actor asked to carry a film. Charles Gray proves that Blofeld really was a career high and the rest of the cast cover themselves in mud. Director Boris Sagal shows that he should have stayed doing TV work, whilst the writers I hope were embarrassed to have been paid for their work on this one.

So why after all my moaning do i give it a generous 3/10? Well the model work is half decent and Frank Cordell's score is deserving of a far better film, whilst editor John S. Smith should be applauded for his cheek. But really this is one to avoid, the sort of film that was shown prior to the main event in a double feature. Rent The Dam Busters and 633 Squadron instead to see just why this film falls some way short of being entertaining. 3/10

A rather far-fetched tale about an RAF squadron out to destroy a (not very) secret Nazi V2 rocket site in Occupied France. David McCallum leads a distinctly B-list cast in this rather processional drama with plucky POWs and nasty Nazis. It does feature some great aircraft and it is fun to watch their aerobatics. Otherwise it is all a bit flat and might just have been made for television.