16 September 1940
Northern Front
After a day of rest, Vickers Wellesley take off for further night attacks. Three aircrafts of No.47 (RAF) Squadron are sent to Asmara between 15h30 and 20h20. They are followed by three more of No.223 (RAF) Squadron and No.14 (RAF) Squadron on Gura, between 19h45 and 02h00. However, the weather conditions (low cloud and thunderstorms) prevent the aircraft from properly conducting the bombing, and all must fall back on various secondary targets without result. Vickers Wellesley L2664 (Pilot Officer Grahame E. Walker [1], Sergeant Humphrey L.S. Price [2]) of No.223 (RAF) Squadron does not return, victim of anti-aircraft or weather conditions [3].
Southern Front
Caproni Ca.133 of 9a Squadriglia BT (25bis Gruppo BT), based in Baidoa (western Mogadishu) are transferred to the new Vittorio d’Africa field (near Merca, south coast of Somalia) [4].
Three Junkers Ju.86 of No.12 (SAAF) Squadron take off from Mombasa to bombard an advanced terrain near the Birikau River (Somalia), discovered by Hartbees of No.40 (SAAF) Squadron. The attack is conducted in dive-bombing and allows the destruction of several buildings and several hits on airfield. However, since no enemy aircraft was present at the time of the attack, it was considered a failure by the South African command [5].
[1] « Casualty details : Walker, Grahame Edmund », Commonwealth War Graves Commission http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1282926/WALKER,%20GRAHAME%20EDMUND
[2] « Casualty details : Price, Humphrey Lawrence Stewart », Commonwealth War Graves Commission http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1282259/PRICE,%20HUMPHREY%20LAWRENCE%20STEWART
[3] « 16 september 1940 », No. 14 (RAF) Squadron : Operations Record Book (Form 540 and Form 541), Kew – TNA, AIR 27 / 192 ; « 16 september 1940 », No. 47 (RAF) Squadron : Operations Record Book (Form 540 and Form 541), Kew – TNA, AIR 27 / 463 ; « 16 september 1940 », No. 223 (RAF) Squadron : Operations Record Book (Form 540 and Form 541), Kew – TNA, AIR 27 / 1374 ; Shores C. et Ricci C., Dust Clouds in the Middle East, 2e éd., London, Grub Street, 2010, p.61 ; Sutherland J. et Canwell D., Air War East Africa, the RAF versus the Italian Air Force, Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2009, p.67.
[4] Dunning Chris, Courage Alone, The Italian Air Force (1940 – 1943), Leicester, Hikoki Publications, 1998, p.57 ; Shores C. et Ricci C., Dust Clouds in the Middle East, 2e éd., London, Grub Street, 2010, p.61.
[5] « 16 september 1940 », Narrative northern operations SAAF, September 1940, Kew – TNA, AIR 54 / 8.
