12 June 1940 Northern Front The British continued to target Italian airfields with a series of bombing raids. Between 11:00 and 16:45, No. 47 and 223 (RAF) Squadrons carried out no fewer than eighteen sorties. They were met by anti-aircraft defences and Fiat CR.42s of 412 Squadriglia over the airfields of Gura (Eritrea) and Asmara.…
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11 June1940 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…
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9 January 1941 Northern Front Three Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs, from No.14 (RAF) Squadron, take off at 07:05 for an armed reconnaissance of the Kassala sector. On the return flight, R3899 (Sergeant Leslie A.J. Patey) is badly damaged in a flight with two Fiat CR.42s. According to British documentation, one of the Italian fighters is…
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8 January 1941 Northern Front Christopher Shores reports that Italian air defence claims a British bomber destroyed over the sea during an attack on Massawa.[1] It is, however, difficult to square this claim with the events of the day. Thus No.14 (RAF) Squadron took a break during the day before moving on to other objectives…
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7 January 1941 Northern Front As on previous days, No.14 (RAF) Squadron returns to Massawa. Three Bristol Blenheim Mk IV take off at 14:35 to attack the local power station. In order to complicate the task of the anti-aircraft defence, the aircraft attack from different altitudes. The result is not very convincing as the bombers…
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6 January 1941 Northern Front As the day before, No.14 (RAF) Squadron returned to Massawa. The Blenheim Mk IV T1818 (Sergeant Roy G. Gilmore, Kenneth James Wilkie and Smith) took off at 12:00 for a photographic reconnaissance of the harbour and bombing of the Regia Aeronautica HQ. Although the first task is accomplished, the crew…
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5 January 1941 Northern Front No.14 (RAF) Squadron begins a series of attacks on Massawa, that will continue over the next few days. Flight Sergeant Patey took off at 07:05 in a Bristol Blenheim MkIV (T1868) for a photographic reconnaissance, which is in fact aimed at attracting Italian fighters. At the same time, six other…
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4 January 1941 Northern Front After the accident of the day before, No.237 (Rhodesia) Squadron lost two more aircraft. Three Hawker Hardy take off, at 14:10, to attack Italian troops in the vicinity of Metemma (Jebel Miriam Waha). They are escorted by five Gloster Gladiators (Captain Gerald J. le Mesurier; Lieutenant Thomas Condon; E.A. Jarvis;…
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3 January 1941 Northern Front A Bristol Blenheim Mk IV (L8874), of No.14 (RAF) Squadron, takes off at 05:40 hours on a photographic reconnaissance mission over Massawa Harbour to monitor shipping traffic. The crew (Flight Lieutenant John K. Buchanan; Sergeant Kenneth C.A. Ball and Chaplin) dropped several bombs on the jetties where a destroyer is…
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2 January 1941 Northern Front No.223 (RAF) Squadron began the month with relatively intense activity. A formation of five Vickers Wellesleys took off at 07:35 to bomb the town of Kassala at about 09:35 at an altitude of about 2 600 metres. Although the bombs are reported to fall in the centre of the town,…
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