AKHIL KADIDAL THE STORY OF MALTA: APPENDIX AIR HEADQUARTERS MALTA HQ: Valletta, Malta Air Vice-Marshal Forster Maynard – 1939 Air Vice-Marshal Hugh P. Lloyd May – 26 December 1941 Air Vice-Marshal Sir Keith Park – 15 July 1942 to 1944 Air Vice-Marshal R.M. Foster – 26 March 1944 Air Vice-Marshal K.B. Lloyd – 19 October 1944 to 6 June 1947 Air Headquarters Malta was formed on 26 December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean. Subordinate to Middle East Command, Air HQ Malta was transferred to Mediterranean Air Command on 18 February 1943, and then to HQ Mediterranean Allied Air Forces on 10 January 1944. On 1 August 1945, the formation was transferred to RAF Mediterranean and Middle East, and granted independent command status on 1 December 1953. Air HQ Malta was disbanded on 30 June 1968. RAF Order of Battle June 1940 to May 1943 First Period, June 1940 to February 1942 The air war began in Malta with token strength of six antiquated Gladiator fighters. A force of Hurricane’s was flown in and this constituted No.412 Flight. In late-1940 RAF Wellingtons (five squadrons) were based on the island and were the only offensive capability Malta possessed. In January 1941, however, all these were destroyed on the ground in a series of intense air attacks. Meantime, Hurricane fighters were constantly ferried to the island to replace losses and to increase the number fighters on Malta. In all, 361 Hurricanes were ferried towards Malta since August 1940 of which 303 reached the island, and of which 150 went on to North Africa. May 1941 brought the total force of Hurricanes to 50 aircraft. From June 1940 to the beginning of 1942, the defending fighters had claimed 199 confirmed enemy aircraft kills and 78 probables, while the AA guns accounted for another 50 aircraft. All this had been achieved for the loss of 20 Hurricanes, 3 Fulmars, 1 Gladiator plus another 10 Hurricanes & 2 Fulmars were lost in accidents; these figures exclude losses on the ground. Fighter Squadrons: 261 Squadron: Hurricane Mk I – August 1940 to May 1941 806 Royal Navy Squadron (Detachment): Fulmar Mk I – January 1941 to March 1942 185 Squadron: Hurricane Mk I, IIA, B, C – May 1941 to February 1942 249 Squadron: Hurricane Mk I, IIA, B – May 1941 to February 1942 46 Squadron (renamed to 126 Squadron): Hurricane Mk IIB, C – June 1941 to February 1942 1435 Flight: Hurricane Mk IIB, C – December 1941 to February 1942 1 800 Royal Navy Squadron (detachment): Fulmar Mk I – May 1941 to November 1941 242 Squadron (Detachment): Hurricane Mk IIB, C – November 1941 to February 1942 605 Squadron (Part): Hurricane Mk IIB, C – November 1941 to February 1942 NOTE – 261 Squadron had been formed by No. 412 Flight containing 12 Hurricane Mk Is. In May 1941, No. 249 Squadron replaced 261 Squadron. Strike Squadrons: 252 Squadron (Detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – May 1941 & December 1941 252/272 Squadrons (Detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – July 1941 to August 1941 272 Squadron (Detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – August 1941 to September 1941 113 Squadron (detachment): Blenheim Mk IVF – September 1941 Bomber Squadrons: Wellington Squadrons (148, 37, 38, 221 (Special Flight), 104 & 40 Squadrons) Blenheim Mk IV Squadrons (21, 139, 82, 110, 105, 107 & 18 Squadrons) Fairy Swordfish Squadrons (830 Royal Navy Squadron (12 Aircraft)) Albacore Squadron (828 Royal Navy Squadron) Reconnaissance Units: 431 Flight: Maryland September 1940 to January 1941 (became 69 Squadron – January 1941 to February 1942) Second Period, March to November 1942 This was second period of concerted enemy air strikes, but much had changed on the island. Some 64 Spitfires were put aboard the carriers USS Wasp and HMS Eagle and on 9 May the first of these agile fighters arrived at Malta. The Spitfire soon achieved air dominance when on May 10 they destroyed 23 axis planes for the loss of four Spitfires. A total of 111 Spitfire’s were delivered to Malta during May, with 25 lost in combat. In July 1942, Malta had 80 serviceable fighters, with an average of 17 a week shot down or too badly damaged to fly again. But in exchange 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 off, a total of 385 Spitfire had been sent to the Island of which 12 returned to the carrier; 367 reached Malta and 134 had been lost to accidents or combat. Fighter Squadrons: 249 Squadron: Spitfire Mk Vb – March to November 1942 126 Squadron: Hurricane Mk IIB, C, Spitfire Mk. V – March to November 1942 185 Squadron: Hurricane Mk IIB, C, Spitfire Mk. V – March to November 1942 1435 Flight: Hurricane Mk IIB, C, and Beaufighter Mk. I – March to August 1942 229 Squadron: Hurricane Mk IIC – March to May 1942 229 Squadron (reformed): Spitfire Mk. V – August to November 1942 601 Squadron: Spitfire Mk V – April to June 1942 603 Squadron: Spitfire Mk V – April to July 1942 1435 Squadron (Raised from 1435 Flt.): Spitfire Mk V – July 1942 to November 1942 89 Squadron (detachment): Beaufighter Mk I & VIF – June to November 1942 242 & 605 Squadrons were amalgamated into 185 Squadron in March 1942. 229 & 1435 Squadrons were reformed mainly from 603 Squadron personnel. 2 Strike Squadrons: 235 Squadron (Detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – June to August 1942 252 Squadron (Detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – July 1942 & August 1942 248 Squadron: Beaufighter Mk. I – July to August 1942 227 Squadron (From 235 Squadron detachment): Beaufighter Mk I – August 1942 to November 1942 Bomber Squadrons: 37 Squadron: Wellington – February to March 1942 104 Squadron: Wellington – May to June 1942 38 Squadron (detachment): Wellington – June 1942 217 Squadron (detachment): Beaufort – June 1942 39 Squadron: Beaufort Mk I & II – September to October 1942 830 Royal Navy Squadron: Swordfish, Albacore – March to November 1942 Reconnaissance Units: 69 Squadron: Maryland, Baltimore Mk I & II & Spitfire PR Mk IV – March to November 1942 De Havilland Mosquito: one Squadron. Post-Battle Period, June to August 1943 During this period, the Luftwaffe’s offensive had been all but crushed by the RAF, and the Maltese based squadrons now undertook missions in support of the Sicilian Invasion in July 1943. In order to cope with the sudden increase in squadrons, the RAF on the island was forced to build a fourth airfield. This was based on the island of Gozo, where it was constructed by forcefully (but fortunately temporarily) requisitioning farmlands, which were then flattened and padded with steel plates. This airfield was the home of the American 31st Fighter Group which used it until August 1943, after which the group moved to Sicily. Six RAF Spitfire Vc Squadrons (126, 185, 229, 243, 249 & 600 Squadrons) Mosquito Squadrons (23 & 256 Squadrons) Hurricane Night Fighter Squadron (73 Squadron) One Baltimore Squadron One Wellington Squadron USAAF 31st Fighter Group (Spitfire Mk Vc) 3 LUFTWAFFE Order of Battle Fleigerkorps X Lt-General Hans Geissler in Sicily (22 March 1941) UNIT BASE Aircraft Strength+ 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 Gela Me109E­7 14 I/Jagdgeschwader 27 Gela Me109E-7 39 I/Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 Gela Me110E-3 7 III/Zestörergeschwader 26 Ain-el-Gazala, Libya Me110D-3 33 9./Zestörergeschwader 26 Gela Me110D-3 15 Lehrgeschwader 1 HQ – Catania Ju88A-4 II/LG1 Catania 26 III/LG1 Catania 40 4./Kampfgeschwader 4 Comisio He111H-3 12 II/Kampfgeschwader 26 Comisio He111H-3 36 III/Kampfgeschwader 30 Comisio Ju88A-4 27 Stukageschwader 1 HQ – Comisio Ju87B-2 I/StG1 Ain-el-Gazala, Libya 30 II/StG1 Trapani 42 III/StG1 Trapani 37 I/Stukageschwader 2 Ain-el-Gazala, Libya Ju87B-2 38 Stab/Stukageschwader 3 Trapani Ju87B-2 5 + The strength of Fliegerkorps X on 22 March 1941 was: normal strength of 520 of which an average of around 350 were serviceable at any given time. The figures displayed in this column are the standard strength of the units. Not shown are other non-combat units, which accounted for 77 Ju52/3m transports and two reconnaissance units having a total of 29 Ju88D-1s. LUFTFLOTTE 2 Fliegerkorps II General Feldmarschall Bruno Lörzer in Sicily (4 April 1942) UNIT BASE Aircraft Strength+ II/Jagdgeschwader 3 San Pietro Me109F-4 25 Jagdgeschwader 53 HQ – Comiso Me109F-4 I/JG53 Gela 34 II/JG53 Comiso 34 III/JG53 Comiso 32 IV(Jabo)/JG53 Gela Me109F-4/B 10 I/Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 Catania Ju88C-6 17 III/Zestörergeschwader 26 Trapani Me110D-3 20 II/Lehrgeschwader 1 Catania Ju88A-4 35 Kampfgeschwader 54 HQ – Catania Ju88A-4 I/KG54 Gerbini 31 Kampfgeschwader 77 HQ – Comiso Ju88A-4 II/KG77 Comiso 17 4 III/KG77 Comiso 25 III/Stukageschwader 3 San Pietro Ju87D-1 35 Küstenfliegergruppe 606* Catania Ju88A-4 16 Küstenfliegergruppe 806* Catania Ju88A-4 27 + The strength column gives the normal strength of the corps, and not the serviceable number. In addition, Fliegerkorps II also controlled one Reconnaissance unit with 14 Ju88D-1s’, and two transport groups with a total of 44 Ju52/3ms’. * The Küstenfliegergruppes were specialist anti-shipping units. 5 Allied Aces of the Maltese Campaign Aerial Victories PILOTS UNIT NOTES Malta Total F/O George F. ‘Screwball’ Beurling (Can) 26.33 31.33 249 KIFA May 20, 1948 in Italy. Flight Lt Wally McLeod (Canada) 13 21 603, KIA September 27, 1944 over France. 1435 Flight Sgt. Pat A. Schade 12½ 12½ 126 KIFA July 31, 1944 F/O Raymond B. Hesselyn (NZ) 12 21½ 249 POW October 1943 F/O Adrian P. ‘Tim’ Goldsmith (Australia) 12¼ 16¼ 126 Survived war & died March 25, 1961 F/O John W.