On 1 June 1943, Wing Commander John Selby, (pictured) commander of 23 Squadron RAF flying out of RAF Luqa on Malta, was the first member of the unit to try out the newly-arrived Mosquito FB VIs in a bombing raid on rail traffic in Sicily. The unit had been flying Mosquito NF IIs, which were great at strafing but carried no bombs. The FB VI could carry up to four bombs. Selby announced his mission as the start of the "bombing programme" for 23 Squadron. Indeed it was. For the rest of the summer, 23 Squadron flew almost non-stop lone-Mosquito "Train Busting" missions to Sicily and Italy. Fly as Selby to take out trains near Syracuse, Sicily.
