Libya / Ground Attack on Via Balbia Dear Colleagues; I would be interested to learn about eventual strafing and ground atack on Axis means of transport at the following dates & locations: Area el-Agheila / Agedabia on 30 January 1942 Area Misuratha on 28/29 April 1942 Area el-Agheila / Agedabia an 30 April to 1 May 1942 If you know any details, units, type of plane involved in these attacks, I would highly appreciate, if you could drop me a note. Kind regards, Kuno
Hi there - I haven't found much concrete information, but I will post up what I do find in case it is of any use to you. Australian newspapers around those dates mention air attacks in those areas on ground transport etc, but no units or pilot's names mentioned. From the archives I have a couple of aircraft losses, but not on the dates you specify. 14SQN – Forced landed 16Mar1942, walked until 25Mar and picked up by Royal Dragoons Armoured Car unit. All survived. MILLS, Alan Checkley - (Squadron Leader); Service Number – 34097 RAF (?); File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Blenheim 4 V5446; Place - El Agheila, Libya; Date - 16 March 1942 EY, REGINALD NORMAN – (Sergeant); Service Number – 407694 RAAF (Discharged 1945) HUNT, JOHN ALEXANDER RICHARD – (Sergeant); Service Number – 407364 RAAF (KIA 2Apr1943 – 55SQN) ***************************************** (Unit not specified) - JONES, Robert Sydney - (Flying Officer); Service Number - 290726; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Kittyhawk AK 577; Place - El Agheila area, Middle East; Date - 11 January 1942 (Discharged 1946 - POW) ***************************************** (Unit not specified) - CAMPBELL, Barton Jadrell - (Flight Lieutenant); Service Number - 404054; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Hurricane IIC HV 309; Place - El Agheila, Libya; Date - 13 November 1942 (Discharged 1945 - POW) ***************************************** (KIA - 260SQN) TREGEAR, Frank Webster - (Sergeant); Service Number - 402893; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Kitty hawk; Place - Cyrenaica, Libya; Date - 24 April 1942
This officer picked up a gong in May 1942 for his low-level attacks with 260SQN - Fit. Lt. I. N. MACDOUGALL, NO. 260 Sqn.— This officer has been engaged on operational flying since October, 1939. and took part in numerous sorties, both by day and by night, whilst operating from this country. In the Mddle East, he has performed much valuable work, leading his flight and sometimes the squadron with great skill and zeal on low level machine-gunning attacks. Throughout, he has displayed tremendous keenness and set a high standard. His great powers of leadership have been outstanding.
