22 November 1940
Southern Front
At dawn (05h36), three Caproni Ca.133 bombed the airfield of Bura (Kenya) without causing damage. Three Hawker Hurricane of No.3 (SAAF) Squadron (Lieutenant Colin A. Allan ; Second Lieutenant F.R. Glover and Robert H.C. Kershaw with No. 292) take off immediately to catch them. The leader was quickly shot down, southeast of Bura (crew killed) by Lieutenant Colin A. Allan, while the other bombers were damaged by the two other South African pilots. A Caproni Ca.133 is in fact forced into a forced landing near the Italian Somaliland border (crew captured).[1]
Crew members of Caproni Ca.133 captured by South Africans. The date of the event is not known. Collection : Imperial War Museum.
Two Fairey Battle (n° 925 and n° 927) of No.11 (SAAF) Squadron take off, at 10h30, from Archers Post, for a photographic reconnaissance mission above the airfield of Afmadow and Gobwen, as well as Kismaayo. The planes are engaged by Fiat CR.42 over the port and a fight breaks out during which Air Sergeant S.H. Hipkin claims the destruction of an Italian fighter. However at the same time, the Fairey Battle n°927 (Captain D.W.J. Allam ; Air Sergeant J.L. Wright and Jack B. Lockwood) was hit and started to catch fire. The pilot was able to make a forced landing and the crew was captured.[2]
[1] No.3 (SAAF) Squadron : War Diary. Kew : TNA, AIR/54/3 ; November – Narrative Norther Operations SAAF. Kew : TNA, AIR/54/8 ; BROWN, James Ambrose. A Gathering of Eagles : The campaigns of the South African Air Force in Italian East Africa (1940 – 1941). Cape Town : Purnell and Sons, 1970. p.97 ; MCLEAN, Steven. Squadrons of the South African Air Force and their aircraft (1920 – 2005). Cape Town : [s.n.], 2005. p.48 ; SCHOEMAN, Michael. Springbok Fighter Victory : East Africa (1940 – 1941). Nelspruit : Freeworld. p.73 et 137 ; SHORES, Christopher ; RICCI, Corrado. Dust Clouds in the Middle East – The Air War for East Africa, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Madagascar, 1940 – 1942. London : Grub Street, 2010 (Reprinted). p. 79 ; CANWELL, Diane ; SUTHERLAND, Jon. Air War East Africa (1940 – 1941). The RAF versus the Italian Air Force. Barnsley : Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. p. 78.
[2] No.11 (SAAF) Squadron : War Diary. Kew : TNA, AIR/54/3 ; November – Narrative Norther Operations SAAF. Kew : TNA, AIR/54/8 ; SHORES, Christopher ; BROWN, James Ambrose. A Gathering of Eagles : The campaigns of the South African Air Force in Italian East Africa (1940 – 1941). Cape Town : Purnell and Sons, 1970. p.95 ; RICCI, Corrado. Dust Clouds in the Middle East – The Air War for East Africa, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Madagascar, 1940 – 1942. London : Grub Street, 2010 (Reprinted). p. 79 ; CANWELL, Diane ; SUTHERLAND, Jon. Air War East Africa (1940 – 1941). The RAF versus the Italian Air Force. Barnsley : Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. p. 78.
