Northern Front

The battle of the aerodromes begins at 05:30, as eight Vickers Wellesley of No. 47 (RAF) Squadron take off from Erkowit (Sudan) to bomb the Italian aerodrome at Asmara (Eritrea). The attacks are carried out at low altitude, catching the defence completely by surprise. The RAF suffers its first loss of the day: K7730 force-lands after being damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and its crew (Pilot Officer Brian K. L. Fuge and Sergeant Samuel A. Elsy) are taken prisoner. Some sources attribute the loss to Tenente Carlo Canella (412 Squadriglia). Aerial photographs taken later show heavy damage to the Asmara base.

Line-up of Wellesleys of No.14 (RAF) Squadron. Collection: No.14 (RAF) Squadron Association.

No.14 (RAF) Squadron takes part in the opening day, dispatching nine bombers to strike the nearby aerodrome at Massawa (Eritrea) at 16:00. The first wave reaches the target at 18:30. Pilots report multiple hits on the objective.

According to Sergeant Leslie A. J. Patey (L2645):

« There was no difficulty finding the target area, the light conditions being just sufficient to see the target.  On the run in to the target the height was so low that I could see personnel standing in the entrances to the hangars.  Our arrival must have caught them by surprise … the first load of bombs was on target because fire immediately started as we broke formation in readiness for the [second] run-in. By the time we had started our second run it was quite dark and it seemed as if all hell had broken loose: tracer and ‘flaming onions’ together with flashes from the heavier calibre guns from the naval ships in the harbour lit the sky.  Being the first experience of this sort of thing it was quite frightening to fly into to drop our remaining bombs … and it seemed as if any aircraft going in at the height we were flying would be shot to pieces »

The following aircraft are duly expected by the anti-aircraft defences, as Sergeant Arthur F. Wimsett (L2652) recalls:

« watching the flak and searchlights as our flight approached Massawa and thinking how pretty the flak looked: it was sufficiently dark to show up in red and green.  On arrival the flak seemed to be going above our height, probably up to 5-6,000 feet but we also saw tracers coming up at us from small arms fire from the ground … when we actually arrived the daylight had gone, but we could see the hangars and airfield clearly illuminated by the dump fire and several smaller fires around the airfield.  Our Flight went into line astern, opened bomb doors and selected the bombs for dropping – four 250-pounders.  I believe I dropped mine on a hangar on the north side of the airfield and turned south round the airfield and harbour with the air gunner enjoying himself at the back by firing at items on the ground.  Coming back up the coast we did not see another aircraft until we crossed the Sudan border, when all aircraft had been briefed to switch on navigation lights.  It then seemed that we were surrounded by aircraft.”

 

Finally, the aircraft land at Port Sudan, where the Vickers Wellesley of Flying Officer Reginald P. B. H. Plunkett (L2710) is reported missing. It returns the next day; he explains that he became lost in the night and chose to land on the coast. Three other aircraft are damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

Vickers Wellesley L2645. Used by No.14 (RAF) Squadron and No.47 (RAF) Squadron during the East African Campaign, the aircraft is seen here later with No.117 (RAF) Squadron at Khartoum. Imperial War Museum collection.

Operations by the Regia Aeronautica remain limited, confined to a few armed reconnaissance sorties over Port Sudan and Aden, flown by Savoia-Marchetti SM.81s of 28bis Gruppo and 29bis Gruppo. MM 20275 (10 Squadriglia) is reported to have struck a hill near Massawa while returning to Zula (Eritrea), killing the entire crew.

Southern Front

On the southern front, it is the SAAF that opens hostilities, as four Junkers Ju.86 of No.12 (SAAF) Squadron C Flight, commanded by Major Danie du Toit, depart Eastleigh (Kenya). After two hours’ flying, they land at the forward landing ground at Bura, near the frontier with Italian Somaliland:

« A dusty strip in the middle of the desert, with no infrastructure whatsoever, where crews have to refuel aircraft by hand.»

The Ju 86s take off again at 10:00, loaded with 250-lb bombs, tasked to bomb the citadel at Moyale (Kenya–Ethiopia frontier), where rumours report numerous motorised convoys, including armoured cars.

According to Major Danie du Toit (no. 641):

« We went so low over the target that almost every one of our planes was hit by fragments of our own 250-pounders. We caught them by surprise. There was some smallarms fire but we hit a big shed packed with transport and light tanks. We landed to refuel at Wajir’s airfield where the boys of Rhodesia’s No.237 Squadron were on stand-by with their antiquated Hardy’s. »

It is worth noting that this attack takes place six hours before South Africa’s official declaration of war on Italy…

Junkers Ju 86 no. 641, formerly ZS-ANI. The only K-1 variant purchased by the SAAF. The variant’s distinctive ventral gun position is quickly adapted to other Z-5 models. After service with No.13 (SAAF) Squadron on maritime patrols, the aircraft is transferred to No.12 (SAAF) Squadron for its move to East Africa, then to No.16 (SAAF) Squadron; it is lost in an accident at Debra Tabor (Ethiopia) on 23 September 1941 while on the strength of No.5 (SAAF) Coastal Flight. Collection: Lawrie Shuttleworth, via Tinus Le Roux.

For its part, No. 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron begins a long series of monotonous missions with its old biplanes. It is not possible to describe all these operations. Over the coming months the Rhodesians fly numerous single-aircraft patrols along the frontier on a daily basis. However, these missions will rarely result in notable events.