Northern Front

The “Battle of the Airfields” began at 5.30 when eight Vickers Wellesleys of No.47 (RAF) Squadron took off from Erkowit (Sudan) to target the Italian airfield at Asmara (Eritrea). The raids were carried out at low altitude and took the enemy defences completely by surprise. However, the RAF suffered its first loss when K7730 was forced to make an emergency landing after being damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Its crew (Pilot Officer Brian K.L. Fuge and Sergeant Samuel A. Elsy) were captured. The bomber was shot down by the Tenente Carlo Canella (412 Squadriglia), according to some sources. However, subsequent aerial photographs confirmed extensive damage to the Asmara base.

No.14 (RAF) Squadron also took part in this first day, sending nine bombers to the nearby Massawa airfield at 16:00. The first wave of bombers arrived over the target at 18:30, where the pilots scored a number of hits. 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 were eagerly awaited by the anti-aircraft defence, recalls Sergeant Arthur F. Wimsett (L2652):

“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 1 500 – 1 800 m, 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.”

 

The aircraft finally touched down at Port Sudan, where Flight Commander Reginald P.B.H. Plunkett’s Vickers Wellesley (L2710) was reported missing. However, he returned the next day with the explanation that he had preferred to land on the coast as he had been lost during the night. Three other aircraft were damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

Vickers Wellesley L2645. Used by No.14 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.

 Wellesley of No.14 (RAF) Squadron. Collection : No.14 (RAF) Squadron Association.

The activity of the Regia Aeronautica was rather limited to a few armed reconnaissance flights over Port Sudan and Aden by Savoia-Marchetti SM.81s belonging to 28bis and 29bis Gruppo. MM 20275 (10 Squadriglia) was reported to have crashed into a hill near Massawa on its way back to Zula (Eritrea). All on board were killed.