Håkan Gustavsson & Ludovico Slongo Desert Prelude Early clashes SAMPLEJune - November 1940 This work is dedicated to our beloved wives Lotta and Eva. Published in Poland in 2010 by STRATUS s.c. Po. Box 123, Table of Contents 27-600 Sandomierz 1, Poland. e-mail: [email protected] Introduction....................................................................................................................3 for MMP 1940................................................................................................................................4 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfield Before.the storm..............................................................................................................4 Hampshire GU32 3AX, UK. e-mail: [email protected] June.1940......................................................................................................................18 © 2010 MMP http://www.mmpbooks.biz The ground.war.......................................................................................................18 Operations...............................................................................................................27 All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for July.1940.......................................................................................................................57 the purpose of private study, research, criticism The ground.war.......................................................................................................57 or review, as permitted Operations...............................................................................................................64 under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, August.1940..................................................................................................................93 1988, no part of this publi- Operations...............................................................................................................99 cation May be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, September.1940..........................................................................................................124 or transmitted in any form or by any means, elec- The ground.war.....................................................................................................124 tronic, electrical, chemi- Operations.............................................................................................................133 cal, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording October.1940..............................................................................................................155 or otherwise, without The ground.war.....................................................................................................155 prior written permis- SAMPLE sion. All enquiries should Operations.............................................................................................................160 be addressed to the pub- lisher. November.1940...........................................................................................................186 Operations.............................................................................................................192 ISBN Colour.profiles............................................................................................................205 978-83-89450-52-4 Index...........................................................................................................................221 Acknowledgments This.work.has.used.a.huge.number.of.sources,.which.will.be.recorded.in.the.end.of.part.2.. Editor in chief Roger Wallsgrove However,.a.number.of.colleague,.friends.and.historians.have.also.kindly.helped.the.authors. with.support,.inspiration.and.additional.material..Our.gratitude.goes.especially.to:. Editorial Team Bartłomiej Belcarz Giorgio.Apostolo,.Andrea.Angiolino,.Roberto.Bassi,.Nick.Beale,.Csaba.Becze,.Christer.Bergström,. Robert Pęczkowski Vincent.Biondi,.Gianni.Biguzzi,.Maria.Teresa.Bobba,.Colleen.Bowker,.Gabriele.Brancaccio,.Rob. Artur Juszczak James Kightly Brown,.Gianandrea.Bussi,.Jean.Michel.Cala,.Massimo.Cappone,.Alberto.Casirati,.Matteo.Cerofolini,. Don. Clark,. Gordon. Clarke,. Shawn. Cottingham,. Alexander. Crawford,. Ferdinando. D’Amico,. Map Dariusz Karnas Francesco.D’Amico,.Ernest.Dean,.Peter.Dean,.Luca.Delle.Canne,.Averil.DoRego,.Santiago.Flores,. Marco.Gargari,.Luigi.Gorrini,.Chris.Goss,.Mike.Grierson,.Russell.Guest,.Börje.Henningsson,.Ian. Colour Drawings Artur Juszczak Hodkinson,.Peter.Holloway,.Clare.Gordon.Jones,.David.LaJuett,.Stefano.Lazzaro,.Enrico.Locatelli,. Tedor Liviu Morosanu Alfredo. Logoluso,. Petr. Lukes,. Nicola. Malizia,. Antonio. Maraziti,. Giovanni. Massimello,. Fabio. Kjetil Åkra Marzocca,.Francesco.Mattesini,.Ross.McNeill,.Carlo.Minguzzi,.Pierluigi.Moncalvo,.Patricia.Molloy,. Krzysztof Wołowski Remi Pierlot Simon.Muggleton,.Claudio.Narduzzi,.Gustavo.Ottolenghi,.Manlio.Palmieri,.David.Park,.Michele. Palermo,.Antonio.Poggi,.Tomáš.Polák,.Ondrej.Repka,.Giuseppe.Riccardi,.Vanni.Rinaldi,.Roberto. DTP Artur Bukowski Scaglioni,. Flavio. Silvestri,. Graham. Buxton. Smither,. Gianmaria. Spagnoletti,. Andrew. Thomas,. Bartłomiej Belcarz Gabriele.Valentini,.Mirek.Wawrzynski,.Hugh.Wheeler,.and.Paul.Whelan.. Printed by All.the.personnel.of.Ufficio.Storico.Stato.magg..Aeronautica.and.in.particular:.m..llo..Pasquale. Drukarnia Diecezjalna, Rubertone,.ten..col..Giancarlo.Montinaro,.ten..col..Massimiliano.Barlattani.and.col..Euro.Rossi. ul. Żeromskiego 4, 27-600 Sandomierz The.personnel.of.Fototeca.AMI.and.in.particular.ten..Gianluca.Pasqualini.of.“Troupe.Azzurra”.. tel. +48 (15) 832 31 92 Another.special.thanks.goes.to.Ian.Acworth,.Fulvio.Chianese,.Patricia.Molloy,.Vanni.Rinaldi. fax +48 (15) 832 77 87 www.wds.pl and.Renato.Zavattini,.who.all.provided.us.with.unique.images.and.information.for.this.book,.to. [email protected] Enrico.Cernuschi.for.all.his.help.and.encouragement.and.to.Many.Souffan.who.kindly.shared.with. PRINTED IN POLAND us.his.knowledge.and.expertise.on.French.Air.Force.and.in.particular.the.operations.of.FAFL.. We.apologize.if.we.have.forgotten.any.names. Håkan.Gustavsson.&.Ludovico.Slongo,.Borlänge.&.Padova.January.2010 2 Introduction The first.North.African.Campaign.was.a very.interesting.one.for.several.reasons..North.Africa. was.Italy’s.main.front.in what.was.later.called.the “Parallel.War”,.i.e..the period.during.which.Italy. tried.to fight.the Commonwealth.autonomously,.without.the help.of the German.Armed.Forces,. and thus.a period.during.which.achievements.and defeats.were.due.only.to Italian.merits.or.mis- takes..This.period.is.one.of the very.few.where.historians.can.try.to assess.the real.effectiveness. of the Italian.war.effort,.without.being.confused.by the presence.of German.forces,.and this.is.ob- viously.true.also.in the field.of air.warfare.. With.the Battle.of Britain.absorbing.practically.all.the best.resources,.the Commonwealth.forc- es.on the North.African.front.had.to rely.mostly.on second.line.machines,.sometimes.already.put. out.of service.at home..This,.together.with.the Italian.trust.in the biplane.formula,.meant.that. Maggiore Ernesto Botto the Western.Desert.was.(together.with.Greece.and East.Africa).the last.battlefield.in the history. in an aircraft from the of air.warfare.where.biplanes.confronted.each.other..Needless.to say,.pilots.of these.archaic.air- 73a Squadriglia, leading craft.were.by no.means.inferior.in determination.or.skill.to their.colleagues.fighting.in Spitfires.or. a formation from the SAMPLE o Messerschmitts.over.the English.Channel..Many.of the most.important.Italian.and Commonwealth. 9 Gruppo over North pilots.of the conflict.drew.first.blood.during.this.campaign,.notably.amongst.them.the top.Italian. Africa during the return and RAF.aces.of WW.II,.Teresio.Martinoli.and Thomas.Pattle.. from a mission. Identified Despite. this,. the air. war. during. this. campaign. has. been. rather. neglected. by historians,. be- in the image are fighters ing.treated.only.as a marginal.sideshow.overshadowed.by events.of the subsequent.periods,.after. from the 96a Squadriglia. the Luftwaffe.intervention..This.book.is.an.attempt.to correct.this.negligence,.and show.that.these. [via Fulvio Chianese at eight.months.were.a period.of heavy.fighting.where.large.formations.of aircraft.clashed.under. Associazione Culturale the burning.North.African.sun,.with.heavy.losses.suffered.by both.sides.in the air.. 4o Stormo di Gorizia] 3 1940 Before the storm Italian forces When.Italy.declared.war.on France.and Britain.on 10 June.1940,.it.faced.forces.from.both. countries.in their.North.African.possessions..The Regia Aeronautica.forces.in the region.formed. the Aeronautica della Libia,.which.was.commanded.by Generale.Felice.Porro.. At the start.of the conflict.there.were.two.fighter Gruppi.in North.Africa;.the 8o.and the 13o Gruppi of the 2o Stormo C.T.,.soon.joined.by a third.one;.the 10o Gr..of the 4o Stormo C.T.. The 2o Stormo C.T..was.commanded.by col..Angelo.Federici..The two Gruppi.(8o.and 13o).had. their.headquarters.in Tripoli.Castel.Benito.at the airbase.“Enea.Silvio.Recagno”,.but.on 1 June.they. received.orders.to move.to their.war.bases..For.the 13o Gr..it.was.the same.Tripoli.Castel.Benito,. while.the 8o Gr..received.orders.to move.to Tobruk.T2.starting.from.4 June..The 8o Gr..was.wait- ing.for.the first.deliveries.of CR.42s,.and moved.to T2.with.only.the CR.32.quaters.combat-ready.. Only.a very.small.ground.echelon.followed.the pilots.because.most.of