The Rising of the SAAF (August - November 1940)
Beginning of the Offensive Bomber by the SAAF.
Objective: to eliminate the Regia Aeronautica on airfields in Somalia and Southern Ethiopia.
Deployment of No.1 (SAAF) Squadron detachments at Atbara and Azaza, along the Sudanese border.
Deployment of No.3 (SAAF) Squadron, with its Hawker Hurricanes, on the Southern Front.
20 August 1940
20 Août 1940 Northern Front Despite the difficult struggles of the previous days, the Aden-based units remain active. Five Vickers Wellesley of No.223 (RAF) Squadron return to Ethiopian aerodromes between 08h00 and 13h30. Several buildings…
21 August 1940
21 Août 1940 Northern Front The day is very quiet on the northern front. No.223 (RAF) Squadron is ordered to prepare for its return to Sudan the next day[1], while No.203 (RAF) Squadron undergoes a…
22 August 1940
22 August 1940 Northern Front Five Vickers Wellesley of No.14 (RAF) Squadron take off at 05h00 to attack ships reported on Dahlak Bay. However, the bad weather forces the aircraft to…
23 August 1940
23 August 1940 Northern Front On this relatively calm day, several units are experiencing various changes. No.11 (RAF) Squadron sees the arrival of two pilots: Pilot Officer Moore and Sergeant Thornton…
24 August 1940
24 August 1940 Northern Front The No.430 (RAF) Flight is sending two Gloster Gauntlets and two Vickers Vincents from Al-Qadarif Airfield to bomb Fort Galabat.[1] Vickers Vincent over Aden, 1930. Southern Front Following the 21 August…
25 August 1940
25 August 1940 Northern Front Six Bristol Blenheim Mk I of No.11 and No.39 (RAF) Squadron (three and three), having joined the advanced airfield on the island of Perim the day…
26 August 1940
26 August 1940 Northern Front Since his return to Sudan, No.223 (RAF) Squadron tqke off for its first mission when five Vickers Wellesley leave to attack the Asmara airfield between 06h00…
27 August 1940
27 August 1940 Northern Front This day sees part of No.14 (RAF) Squadron engaged in a special mission. Indeed, in mid-August 1940, the local command of the RAF is contacted by…
28 August 1940
28 August 1940 Northern Front Three Vickers Wellesley of No.223 (RAF) Squadron are sent bombing the airfield of Barentu between 05h00 and 09h00. The attack seems a success with several direct…
29 August 1940
29 August 1940 Northern Front To end the month, No.8 (RAF) Squadron decided to take off with six Bristol Blenheim Mk I between 06h05 and 09h30. The first three attack Tandaho’s…
30 August 1940
30 August 1940 Northern Front An Italian bombing on Hayya station is reported at dawn. Again, as on the southern front, these attacks by two or three aircraft are more like…
31 August 1940
31 August 1940 Northern Front If the last day of the month is relatively calm, the No.14 (RAF) Squadron ORB provides a very interesting document summarizing the action since June 1940.…
1 September 1940
1 September 1940 Northern Front The day is mainly marked by a massive raid against the naval base of Assab. The RAF engages all its Bristol Blenheim Squadrons based in Aden.…
2 September 1940
2 September 1940 Northern Front Following the loss of the previous day, No.14 (RAF) Squadron performs six sorties to search for the missing aircraft. The latter is finally spotted around 18h00…
3 September 1940
3 September 1940 Northern Front The RAF has more and more difficulty organizing “massive” attacks, except by regrouping all its Squadrons. For example, No.47 (RAF) Squadron aligns only two Vickers Wellesley…
4 September 1940
4 September 1940 Northern Front After several false alarms the day before, several Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 of 44bis Gruppo BT, based in Dire Dawa, attack Aden with some efficiency since the ship…
5 September 1940
5 September 1940 Northern Front Following the events of the day before, No.203 (RAF) Squadron is responsible for providing air cover for a maritime convoy accompanied by H.M.A.S. Hobart. HMAS Hobart…
6 September 1940
6 September 1940 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 from 44bis Gruppo BT are back to attack Aden and convoy BS 31/2. The No.94 (RAF) Squadron’s Gloster Gladiators responded and the N5757 (Sergeant F.E. Hendy)…
7 September 1940
7 September 1940 Northern Front The No.430 (RAF) Flight is active during this day as a Vickers Vincent (a second is damaged at takeoff) and two Gloster Gauntlet take off from…
8 September 1940
8 September 1940 Northern Front On this day, the Escadrille d’Aden suffered a tragedy when the Glenn Marin 167-F n° 82 (Lieutnant flight Roger Ritoux-Lachaud [1]; Flying Officer Pierre Fenaux of…
9 September 1940
9 September 1940 Northern Front After a stop, the night before, at Ras Ara, four Bristol Blenheim of No. 11 and No.39 (RAF) Squadron (one [1] and three) took off at…
10 September 1940
10 Septembre 1940 Northern Front In the night, British troops launch an attack on Fort Kassala. No. 14 (RAF) Squadron sends, at 11h15, three Vickers Wellesley in support. They are intercepted…
11 Septembre 1940
11 September 1940 Northern Front A large-scale operation was organized in Sudan in the evening, bringing together aircraft of No.14, 45, 47 and 223 (RAF) Squadron to target the airfield of…
12 September 1940
12 September 1940 Northern Front Three Bristol Blenheim Mk I’s of No. 11 (RAF) Squadron are sent to attack the jetties at Assab harbor. Despite strong air defense, crews reports indicate…
13 September 1940
13 September 1940 Northern Front The Vickers Wellesley are active in Sudan and two aircrafts from each of Squadrons are sent to attack Gura in the evening, between 17h30 and 19h30…
14 September 1940
14 September 1940 Northern Front The Vickers Wellesley continue to attack Gura Airfield between 19h00 and 00h00, with five aircrafts of No. 14 (RAF) Squadron (only two on the target), three…
15 September 1940
15 September 1940 Northern Front No.94 (RAF) Squadron knows a bit of action when Squadron Leader William T.F. Wightman (L9047) takes off at 12h25 for the usual patrol over the port…
16 September 1940
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…
17 September 1940
17 September 1940 Northern Front The French attached to No.8 (RAF) Squadron continue their flights with the Glenn Martin 167-F No. 102 (Flight Lieutenant Jacques Dodelier, Warrant Officer Yves Trecan, Sergeant…
18 September 1940
18 September 1940 Northern Front Following reports of troop concentrations near Kassala, three Vickers Wellesley of No. 47 (RAF) Squadron took off at 03h30 for a bombing. All the bombs fall…
19 September 1940
19 September 1940 Northern Front The Bristol Blenheims return, again, to Dire Dawa with two aircrafts of No.8 (RAF) Squadron, two of No.11 (RAF) Squadron and two of No.39 (RAF) Squadron.…
20 September 1940
20 September 1940 Northern Front After being announced for several weeks, the first three Blenheim Mk IVs were delivered to No.14 (RAF) Squadron on 14 September 1940 in Port Sudan. These…
21 September 1940
21 September 1940 Northern Front During a nighttime bombardment of Gura and Asmara, the Vickers Wellesley K8530 (Flight Sergeant Bathe; Sergeant Naismith) was intercepted, around 11h36, northeast of Massawa. A short…
22 September 1940
22 September 1940 Northern Front The end of September is marked by the gradual arrival and deployment of Major-General Lewis Heath’s 5th Indian Division in Sudan. This event leads to transfers…
23 September 1940
23 Septembre 1940 Southern Front According to South African documents, an Italian bomber attacks and drops three bombs on the airfield of Wajir at dawn (01h45). Unfortunately, without further details. At…
24 September 1940
24 September 1940 Northern Front An attack by Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 was reported on Aden at 12h45 when a fight broke out between an Italian bomber and a Gloster Gladiator of No.94…
25 September 1940
25 September 1940 Northern Front The day before, seven Vickers Wellesley of No. 47 (RAF) Squadron were instructed to join Khartoum airfield at 09h00. The next day five planes take off…
27 September 1940
27 Septembre 1940 Northern Front Although a first Squadron of No.45 (RAF) detachment has already arrived from Egypt at the end of July to support Vickers Wellesley, its participation in air…
28 September 1940
28 September 1940 Northern Front This day sees the first operation conducted by No.237 (Rhodesia) Squadron since its transfer to Sudan, when the Hawker Hardy K4055 (Pilot Officer Peter HS Simmonds,…
29 September 1940
29 September 1940 A reconnaissance mission is carried out by Glenn-Martin 167F No. 102 (Flight Lieutenant Jacques Dodelier, Warrant Officer Yves Trecan Flight Sergeant Ronan Michel) between 06h50 and 12h10 above…
30 September 1940
30 September 1940 No.45 (RAF) Squadron sends three Blenheims to bomb the Gura airfield around 12h50. However, 412a Squadriglia CT was transferred to this airfield with nine Fiat CR.42 a few…
1st Octobre 1940
1st October 1940 Northern Front A new reconnaissance flight was made over the Dessie area by the Escadrille d’Aden (Flight Lieutenant Jacques Dodelier, Yves Trecan Warrant Officer, Sergeant Ronan Michel and…
2 October 1940
2 October 1940 Northern Front Three Bristol Blenheim of No.45 (RAF) Squadron take off from Wadi Gazouza, at 14h30 to attack the Gura airfield. Approaching the target, they are intercepted, above…
3 October 1940
3 October 1940 Northern Front Despite a smaller pace of operation, the Aden-based Bristol Blenheims continue their regular attacks on the various targets of the Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia. However, these…
4 October 1940
4 October 1940 Northern Front In the morning, Captain Brian J. L. Boyle (N5852), Lieutenant Andrew Duncan and Servaas de Kock Viljoen of No.1 (SAAF) Squadron take off from the Azaza…
5 October 1940
5 October 1940 Northern Front The RAF decided to test another form of operation by sending three Vickers Wellesley of No.47 (RAF) Squadron and two Gloster Gauntlet : K5355 (Flight Lieutenant…
6 October 1940
6 October 1940 Southern Front No.40 (SAAF) Squadron continues daily reconnaissance operations on Hartbees from various advanced terrain in northern Kenya. For example, on 6 October, Hartbee No. 803 (Lieutenant Lawrence…
7 October 1940
7 October 1940 Northern Front Vickers Vincent, from No.8 (RAF) Squadron, are sent on mission, the last operation (mentioned in the ORB) being in August. The attacks, however, did not take…
8 October 1940
8 October 1940 Northern Front After several weeks of break for training on Blenheim, No.14 (RAF) Squadron is back in action with Vickers Wellesley as Flight Lieutenant Cecil Rowan-Robinson, with K8631…
9 October 1940
9 October 1940 Northern Front No.14 and No.223 (RAF) Squadron attacked the airfields of Gura and Mai Edaga with two (L2657 and K7767) and two (L2715 and K774) Vickers Wellesley respectively,…
10 October 1940
10 October 1940 Southern Front Around 15h45, three Caproni Ca.133 from 31bis Gruppo BT attack the Wajir airfield. They are followed, five minutes later, by three other aircraft of the same…
11 October 1940
11 October 1940 Northern Front At approximately 09h45, HMS Auckland [1] reported an unsuccessful attack by two Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s from an estimated altitude of 3 500 meters off Aden. The Bristol…
12 October 1940
12 October 1940 Southern Front On the night of 12 to 13 October, the SAAF organized a combined bombardment of No.11 and No.12 (SAAF) Squadron on the Italian airfield of Yabelo…
13 October 1940
13 October 1940 Northern Front A Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 of 44bis Gruppo BT (6a Squadriglia BT) makes an attack on Aden at around 07h55. Flying Officer Gordon S.K. Haywood (L9047) of No.94…
14 October 1940
14 October 1940 Northern Front It should be noted that the Italian anti-aircraft defence claimed the destruction of a British aircraft over the port of Massawa[1], the plane falling into the…
15 October 1940
15 October 1940 Northern Front The days of 15 and 16 October are marked by the events related to the deployment on Gedaref. On 12 October 12, eight Vickers Wellesley, No.47…
16 October 1940
16 October 1940 Northern Front Due to the British presence in Gedaref, the Italians decide to launch an attack on the airfield. For this purpose, General Pietro Piacentini (responsible for the…
18 October 1940
18 October 1940 Northern Front After the events of 16 October, No.1 (SAAF) Squadron is instructed to attack Barentu Airfield in response. Captain Brian J.L. Boyle (N5830), Lieutenant Andrew Duncan and…
19 October 1940
19 October 1940 Northern Front The French continue their reconnaissance flights aboard Glenn-Martin 167F n°102 (Flight Lieutenant Jacques Dodelier, Warrant Officer Yves Trecan, Flight Sergeant Ronan Michel and Robert Cunibil) with…
20 October 1940
20 October 1940 Northern Front As previous days, the Italians continue to attack British ships in the Red Sea (convoy BN 7) by sending Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 and Savoia-Marchetti SM.81. Around noon,…
21 October 1940
21 October 1940 Northern Front Three Wellesleys of No.223 (RAF) Squadron took off between 19h20 and 20h20 to bomb the airfields of Asmara and Gura. Once again, the results are difficult…
22 October 1940
22 October 1940 Northern Front The day is essentially marked by the organization of a massive attack, combined between the three Squadrons based at Aden, on airfields of Alamata and Dessie…
23 – 24 October 1940
23 – 24 October 1940 Southern Front This day is relatively insignificant in terms of activity. Two Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 make a surprise visit on the Kenyan airfield of Malindi. Nevertheless, these…
25 October 1940
25 October 1940 Southern Front The events of the day allow to highlight the major evolution provided by the arrival of the Hawker Hurricane on the southern front. Thus, three Savoia-Marchetti…
26 October 1940
26 October 1940 Northern Front On the northern front, an air incident is close to turning to tragedy for No.14 (RAF) Squadron. The unit is still in training on the Bristol…
27 – 30 October 1940
27 – 30 October 1940 Northern Front After several days of intense training, No.14 (RAF) Squadron makes its first operation with its new Bristol Blenheim Mk IV. For this purpose, three…
31 October 1940
31 October 1940 Southern Front At the end of October, South African Prime Minister General Jan Smuts decides to organize an inspection tour of his armed forces in Kenya. He is…
1st November 1940
1er November 1940 Northern Front Ground fighting erupts in the region of Gallabat. Three Gloster Gladiators of No.1 (SAAF) Squadron are sent to escort Gloster Gauntlets, equipped with bombs, of No.430…
2 – 3 November 1940
2 – 3 November 1940 Northern Front Christopher Shores indicates, in his book “Dust Clouds in the Middle East”, that during the day of 2 November, a Savoia-Marchetti 79 of 44bis…
4 November 1940
4 November 1940 Northern Front One of the few existing documents relating to No.1 (SAAF) Squadron provides some details. The unit is based in Azaza (Gedaref) with eight Gloster Gladiator Mk…
