The Mosquito is such a remarkable strategy case study that I will keep coming back to it for different reasons. Beyond being a brilliant example of the power of a strong, single-minded focus, and in addition to its graphic lessons of virtuous versus vicious cycles in design, the story of the Mosquito includes another profound lesson at the core of strategic thinking — a message that is often overlooked.
The history of the de Havilland Mosquito provides a stunning, even forehead-slapping, example of overcoming resource constraints by making use of otherwise under-utilized resources.
During the second world war aluminum was in such great demand for use in aircraft construction that there were regular “drives” to encourage people to turn in their aluminum cookware so that it could be melted down and reused in aircraft parts. Aluminum was in critically short supply. Literally, without sufficient aluminum there wouldn’t be enough aircraft to win in the air.
Similarly, there was a shortage of workers experienced and skilled in the forming and fabrication of aluminum. Production of aircraft had ramped up so dramatically, in so few years that there just wasn’t time to train enough skilled workers.
Geoffrey de Havilland chose to use WOOD for the construction of the Mosquito. He chose it because it was strong, light, and moldable. His factory had considerable experience using it, and had continued to use it and push its limits while others had evolved from steel tube and fabric to aluminum. To some in the Air Ministry, this made the concept of a wooden aircraft, in 1939, seemed obsolete. It took his critics some time to realize that the Mosquito’s wooden construction would be one of its great strengths.
“. . . There were very good reasons why we should use wood for the Mosquito, too. Our experience had been chiefly with wood structure, there were thousands of skilled woodworkers readily available, the stocks of aluminium alloy sheet metal were already allotted. Finally, and most important, we estimated that a year could be saved in production due to the simplicity of wood construction as compared with metal.”
– p 158 Sky Fever, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland
“. . . de Havilland had surmised that in time of war aluminium for aircraft would be a very scarce commodity, and so would the expertise of those personnel who were skilled in the metal construction. There would be, on the other hand, many experienced carpenters, piano, cabinet, and furniture makers available whose skills could be used.”
– Royal Australian Air Force Museum entry
http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/exhibitions/restoration/dh_98.htm
Those “thousands of skilled woodworkers” represented a large pool of workers who otherwise would be under- if not unemployed — the market for fine furniture and pianos having been largely suspended during the war. As skilled trades, they were accustomed to working from drawings and to fine tolerances — something not quickly learned. So here, then, was another complete production network to augment the maxed-out aircraft industry.
de Havilland simultaneously side-stepped the limits on two resources — aluminum and the skilled trades that knew how to work with it. He substituted two resources that had a surplus — wood and its related skilled trades.
What seems obvious from this viewpoint was, in fact, an example of very creative thinking — thinking that was resisted by others of the time who might have been expected to see the same solution. In April of 1941 a number of American manufacturers were asked by General Henry (Hap) Arnold to evaluate the design for production in the U.S. All were opposed. The response from Beech Aircraft summarized their attitude.
“It appears as though this airplane has sacrificed serviceability, structural strength, ease of construction, and flying characteristics in an attempt to use a construction material which is not suitable for the manufacture of efficient airplanes.”
In fact, the Mosquito proved to be one of the fastest, most effective, most versatile, and resilient aircraft of World War II. As the war progressed, the Mosquito acquired an unexpected admirer — one who apparently appreciated the importance of resource constraints:
“It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminum 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.”
German Air Marshal, Hermann Göring, March, 1943