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Originally Posted by Andy in West Oz  Kyt might be able to answer this. Mossies weren't as popular in Burma because the humidity and weather played havoc with the wooden "sandwich"? |
Yes, Andy, that's correct for the initial batch of Mossies sent out to SEAC. This first batch were to be used for PR work. However, the humidity, and the lack of proper maintenance and care facilities on some of the airfields meant that the glue started failing, and the problems centred around skin delamination, and wing spar failure. After a couple of fatal accidents caused by this problem, all mossies were grounded. By the beginning of 1945, these problems had been rectified.
However, there was also the psychological element in the Mossie being disliked initially. Unlike in the ETO, the Beaufighter was een as a superior aircraft. This was because most of the RAF activities were in ground attacks, where durability was more important than speed. Pilots often flew so low that they came back with twigs and leaves stuck to parts of their aircraft. And the Beaufighter was still a stable aircraft, even on one engine, whereas the Mosquito wasn't.
And finally, until the conclusion of the war in the ETO, Mossie replacements came in fits and starts.