THE APPENDIX 208 1. RAF ORDERS OF BATTLE AIR HEADQUARTERS MALTA Hurricanes & two Fulmars were lost in accidents; HQ: Valletta, Malta these figures exclude losses on the ground. AVM Forster H.M. Maynard – 20 Jan 1940 to 1941 Fighter Squadrons AVM Hugh P. Lloyd May – I June 1941 to 1942 AVM Sir Keith Park – 15 July 1942 to 1944 Unit Aircraft Period AVM RM Foster – 26 March to Oct 1944 261 Sqdn Hurricane I Aug 1940 — May 1941 AVM KB Lloyd – 19 Oct 1944 to 6 Jun 1947 806 FAA Fulmar I Jan 1941 — Mar 1942 Air Headquarters Malta was formed on 26 Sqdn (det) December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean. 185 Sqdn Hurr I, IIA, May 1941 — Feb 1942 Subordinate to Middle East Command, Air IIB & C HQ Malta was transferred to Mediterranean Air 249 Sqdn Hurr I, IIA, B May 1941 — Feb 1942 Command on 18 February 1943, and then to HQ 46 Sqdn Hurr IIB, C June 1941 — Feb 1942 Mediterranean Allied Air Forces on 10 January (became 126 Sqdn) 1944. On 1 August 1945, the formation was transferred to RAF Mediterranean and Middle 1435 Flt Hurr IIB, C Dec 1941 — Feb 1942 East, and granted independent command status on 800 FAA Fulmar I May — Nov 1941 1 December 1953. Air HQ Malta was disbanded Sqdn (det) on 30 June 1968. 242 Sqdn Hurr IIB, C Nov 1941 — Feb 1942 (det) First Period, June 1940 to February 1942 605 Sqdn Hurr IIB, C Nov 1941 — Feb 1942 (Part) The RAF began its war began in Malta with a token strength of six antiquated Gladiator Sqdn, Sq = Squadron, det = detachment, FAA = Fleet Air fighters. A force of Hurricane’s was flown in and Arm, ref = reformed, Hurr = Hurricane this constituted No. 412 Flight. In late-1940 RAF Wellingtons (five squadrons) were based on the Note: No. 261 Squadron had been formed partly from 412 island and were the only offensive capability Flight, containing 12 Hurricane Mk Is. In May 1941, No. 249 Malta possessed. In January 1941, however, all Squadron replaced 261 Squadron on the island. these were destroyed on the ground in a series of intense air attacks. Meantime, Hurricane fighters were constantly ferried to the island to replace Strike Squadrons losses and to increase the number fighters on Malta. In all, 361 Hurricanes were ferried towards Unit Aircraft Period Malta since August 1940 of which 303 reached the 252 Sqdn Beaufighter I May 1941 — Dec 1941 island, and of which 150 went on to North Africa. (det) May 1941 brought the total force of Hurricanes to 50 aircraft. 252/272 Beaufighter I July — Aug 1941 From June 1940 to the beginning of 1942, Sqdn (det) the defending fighters had claimed 199 confirmed 272 Sq (det) Beaufighter I Aug — Sept 1941 enemy aircraft kills and 78 probables, while the 107 Sq (Det) Blenheim IVF Aug 1941 — Jan 1942 AA guns accounted for another 50 aircraft. All this 113 Sq (Det) Blenheim IVF September 1941 had been achieved for the loss of 20 Hurricanes, three Fulmars, one Gladiator plus another 10 114 Sq (Det) Blenheim IVF Sept 1941 — Jan 1942 209 Bomber Squadrons Fighter Squadrons Unit Aircraft Notes Unit Aircraft Period 148, 37, 38, 221 Wellington 249 Sqdn Spitfire Vc, b Mar — Nov 1942 (Special Flight), 104 126 Sqdn Hurr IIB, C, Spit V Mar — Nov 1942 & 40 Sqdns 185 Sqdn Hurr IIB, C, Spit V Mar — Nov 1942 21, 139, 82, 110, 105, Blenheim IV 1435 Flight Hurricane IIB, C, Mar — Aug 1942 107 & 18 Sqdns Beaufighter I 830 FAA Sqdn Swordfish 12 aircraft 229 Sqdn Hurricane IIC Mar — May 1942 828 FAA Sqdn Albacore 229 Sqdn Spitfire V Aug — Nov 1942 Reconnaissance Units 601 Sqdn Spitfire V April — June 1942 603 Sqdn Spitfire V April — July 1942 Unit Aircraft Period 1435 Sqdn Spitfire V July — Nov 1942 431 Flight Maryland Sept 1940 — Jan 1941 89 Sq (det) Beaufighter I, VIF June — Nov 1942 69 Sqdn Maryland Jan 1941 — Feb 1942 242 & 605 Spitfire V March 1942 (Mixed Sqdns into 185 Sqdn) Note – 69 Squadron formed by expanding 431 Flight in Jan 229 & 1435 Spitfire V July 1942 (reformed 1941. Sqdns using 603 Sq personnel) Second Period, March to November 1942 This was the second period of concerted enemy air strikes, marked by the arrival of Spitfires Strike Squadrons on Malta from 9 May. The Spitfires soon achieved air dominance Unit Aircraft Period when on May 10 they destroyed 23 axis planes for 235 Sq (det) Beaufighter I Jun — Aug 1942 the loss of four Spitfires. A total of 111 Spitfire’s were delivered to Malta during May, with 25 lost 252 Sq (det) Beaufighter I Jul 1942 & Aug 1942 in combat. In July 1942, Malta had 80 serviceable 248 Sqdn Beaufighter I Jul — Aug 1942 fighters, with an average of 17 a week shot down 227 Sqdn Beaufighter I Aug — Nov 1942 or too badly damaged to fly again. But in exchange (formed from 235 Sq det) 149 axis aircraft had been shot down, with another 38 classified as probably destroyed and 140 damaged for the loss of 36 Spitfires. By mid- November when the raids on Malta were called Bomber Squadrons off, a total of 385 Spitfire had been sent to the Island of which 12 returned to the carrier; 367 Unit Aircraft Period reached Malta and 134 had been lost to accidents or combat. 37 Sqdn Wellington Feb — Mar 1942 104 Sqdn Wellington May — Jun 1942 Reconnaissance Unit 38 Sq (det) Wellington June 1942 217 Sq (det) Beaufort June 1942 Unit Aircraft Period 39 Sqdn Beaufort I, II Sept — Oct 1942 69 Sqdn Maryland, Baltimore Mar — Nov 1942 830 FAA Sq Swordfish, Mar — Nov 1942 I, II, Spitfire PR IV Albacore 210 2. LUFTWAFFE ORDERS OF BATTLE FLIEGERKORPS X Lt-General Hans Geisler (2 Oct 1939 - 20 Sept Order of Battle, 22 March 1941 1940) HQ — Athens & Sicily Unit Base Aircraft Strength 7./JG 26 Gela Me109E-7 14 s Italy’s military fortunes declined in the fall I/JG 27 Gela Me109E-7 39 of 1940, Hitler agreed to send reinforcements A I/NJG 3 Gela Me110E-3 7 to Italy, ostensibly to keep his Axis partner in the fight. III/ZG26 Ain-El- Me110D-3 33 He ordered General Geisler’s Fliegerkorps Gazala, Libya X, then stationed in Norway, south to Sicily to 9./ZG26 Gela Me110D-3 15 eliminate Malta, which was harrying Axis convoys II/LG1 Catania Ju88A-4 26 sailing on to North Africa. Fliegerkorps X began to III/LG1 Catania Ju88A-4 40 arrive and take up station on Sicily from 10 to 14 December. Their presence made an immediate 4./KG 4 Comiso He111H-3 12 difference and escalated the scale of the combat II/KG 26 Comiso He111H-3 26 against the island. Geisler used Ju88, backed up by III/KG 30 Comiso Ju88A-4 27 Italian SM79s to perform high-altitude bombing. Stab, Stg 1 Comiso Ju87B-2 The fighting prowess of the Italians was I/Stg 1 Ain-el-Gazala Ju87B-2 30 already suspect, notwithstanding the fact their existing fighters, notably the Macchi C.200 II/Stg 1 Trapani Ju87B-2 42 had were being out-matched by Malta’s new III/Stg 1 Trapani Ju87B-2 37 Hurricanes. This would change once again after I/Stg 2 Ain-el-Gazala Ju87B-2 38 Geisler’s Me109s entered combat. From the start Stab, Stg 3 Trapani Ju87B-2 5 of the war to 31 December 1941, the Italians had lost 175 planes over Malta, while the Germans JG = Jagdgeschwader (Fighter wing) acknowledged that they had lost 81. RAF losses NJG = Nachtjagdgeschwader (Nightfighter wing) had been steeper (See RAF order of Battle). ZG = (Zestörergeschwader (Destroyer Wing) Over Greece, Italian fighter units had LG = Lehregeschwader (Light Wing) been able to claim a 2-to-1 victory-to-loss ratio. KG = Kampfgeschwader (Bomber wing) Over Malta, these ratio slipped badly in favor of Stg = Stukageschwader (Dive-bomber wing) the RAF. Following the arrival of Fliegerkorps X, Stab = Headquarters flight the Italian Regia Aeronautica was able to rest its crews and many of its aircraft on Sicily were Numerals before the dash (/) symbolize squadrons. Roman withdrawn to the mainland. numbers denote gruppen (groups). This was initially a asetback to Fliegerkorps X. The Germans did not have enough short-range + The strength of Fliegerkorps X on 22 March 1941 was: reconnaissance planes on Sicily, their strength normal strength of 520 of which an average of around 350 was proving slow to build up. On 9 January 1941 were serviceable at any given time. The figures displayed in a day before Fliegerkorps X officially began — this column are the standard strengths of units. operations against Malta, Geisler had only 156 Not shown are other non-combat units, planes on Sicily. By early March, however, aircraft which accounted for 77 Ju52/3m transports and two strength had reached 510 planes, of which roughly reconnaissance units having a total of 29 Ju88D-1s. 340 were combat ready. 211 LUFTFLOTTE II General Feldmarschall Albert Kesslering (12 January 1940 - 11 June 1943), HQ — Frascati, Rome Fliegrkorps II Order of Battle, 4 April 1942 Unit Base Aircraft Strength F IGHTER U NITS O F L uf T fl OTTE 2 II/JG 3 San Pietro Me109F-4 25 Stab, JG53 Comiso Me109F-4 I/JG 53 Gela Me109F-4 34 II/JG 53 Comiso Me109F-4 34 III/JG 53 Comiso Me109F-4 32 IV (Jabo), Gela JMe109F-4/B 10 JG53 II/JG 3 JG 53 ‘Pik As’ I/NJG 2 Catania Ju88C-6 17 III/ZG 26 Trapani Me110D-3 20 II/LG 1 Catania Ju88A-4 35 Stab/KG Catania Ju88A-4 54 I/KG54 Gerbini Ju88A-4 31 II/JG 53 10(Jabo)./JG53 Stab, Comiso Ju88A-4 KG77 II/KG77 Comiso Ju88A-4 17 + The strength column indicates normal strength of corps.