What type of aircraft carried Bohr from Sweden to Scotland in 1943?

A de Havilland Mosquito carried Niels Bohr from Sweden to Scotland in October 1943. The aircraft was operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, or BOAC, on a wartime route linking neutral Sweden with Britain.

The Mosquito was a fast, mostly wooden British aircraft originally developed for bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter duties. Its speed and ability to fly at high altitude made it especially useful for crossing the North Sea and German-occupied territory. BOAC operated specially marked aircraft as civilian transports, helping them avoid the diplomatic problems of openly military flights from neutral Sweden.

The converted Mosquitoes carried small, valuable cargoes and selected passengers rather than a normal airline load. Bohr’s journey was part of the effort to bring him to Britain, where he joined the Allied scientific mission connected with the development of the atomic bomb.

A dramatic detail of the flight is that Bohr nearly died after failing to switch on his oxygen equipment at altitude. He passed out, but the pilot noticed that he was not responding over the intercom and descended over the North Sea. Bohr later joked that he had slept through the journey.