FlyPast 06.2018

38 FLYPAST June 2018

WAR IN THE DESERT SOUTH AFRICAN TOMAHAWKS

FOUR GOES TO WAR

H

aving been based in East

Africa, personnel of 4

Squadron South African Air

Force embarked in the SS Ascanius

at Mombasa, Kenya, on September

3, 1941 bound for combat in the

Western Desert. After a 13-day

voyage via the Suez Canal, the

SAAF unit settled at Amiriya, near

Alexandria, where its first Curtiss

Tomahawk IIs arrived on

October 2.

In an effort to hasten

acclimatisation, senior pilots

were sent forward to 1 and 2

Squadrons SAAF to experience

operational flying over the

desert. They re-joined the unit

on the 27th, by then based at

Landing Ground 101 (LG 101)

near Qasaba, further west along

Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

Canadian Battle of Britain veteran

Flt Lt Beverley Christmas was

attached to bolster experience on

November 5 and six days later the

unit was on the move again, to LG

110 south of Sidi Barrani, also in

Egypt. The first sorties were flown

on the 12th, providing top cover to

SOUTH AFRICAN PILOTS MADE A VITAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE DESERT WAR. STEVE MCLEAN RELATES 4 SQUADRON’S EXPLOITS