FlyPast 06.2018

WAR IN THE DESERT SOUTH AFRICAN TOMAHAWKS

40 FLYPAST June 2018

“Five days later Rommel’s forces had

been pushed back to a line south of Gazala

where they turned to face the Eighth Army

advance”

Above

Lt Roy Chadwick

returned to LG 122

on December 10,

1941, with substantial

damage to Tomahawk

AK238.

Above right

The ground echelon of

4 Squadron entering

Benghazi.

Right

During a sweep over

Gazala on December

16, 1941 Captain Doug

‘Snowy’ Moodie was

forced to bale out.

He returned to the

squadron on the

19th, still holding his

parachute.

2 Squadron escort of light bombers

on the 12th, the Tomahawks were

engaged by Bf 109s near Derna.

Claims were made for three

destroyed and three damaged; Lt L

O B Player failed to return.

On the 13th, Lt F C Lorentz

baled out of his Tomahawk and was

captured, while Lt D W Golding

destroyed a Bf 109. Repeated strikes

by Allied Desert Air Force (DAF)

light bombers as attempts were

made to outflank Rommel’s forces

led to further German withdrawals

towards Benghazi and then

Agedabia.

A Junkers Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ and an

Italian Macchi MC.202 Folgore fell

to 4’s guns on the 22nd. The year

ended on a high note when Bosman

and Golding combined to shoot

down a Ju 88 on December 30.

After brief stays at El Adem, Gazala

and El Mechili, 4 Squadron ended

1941 at Msus southeast of Benghazi.

Four pilots had been killed in

combat and at least 13 Axis aircraft

were believed destroyed by then.

Benghazi fell to the Eighth Army

on Christmas Day 1941. The

contribution to the advance by 4

Squadron had been steady, if not

spectacular.

GAZALA THRUST

The new year began with both sides

pausing to regroup and resupply.

On January 7 two Bf 109s were

claimed as ‘probables’ and Lt W M

Copeland was forced to bale out of

his Tomahawk. The unit completed

a hurried move from Antelat to

Benina, both in Libya, to exchange

aircraft with 260 Squadron, RAF.

From the 16th they flew harbour

patrols over Benghazi in Hurricane

Is. During this period, 4 Squadron

managed to oversee the demise of

a CANT Z.1007 Alcione trimotor

and a Ju 88. Eight days later

the South Africans received the

Tomahawks back before moving 200

miles east to Martuba, near Derna.

From February 3 the unit

re-located to LG 110 as the

front moved rapidly along the

Mediterranean coastline. The

following day, 4 Squadron was

ordered to LG 115 near Sidi

Haneish in Egypt to train new

arrivals before moving to Gasr el

Arid in Libya.

In an effort to divert Axis attention

from a shipping convoy departing

Alexandria for Malta, the unit

joined in distraction raids and

offensive sweeps against enemy

airfields. Captain D D Moodie

assumed command on April 8. An

engagement on the 11th ended

in tragedy when 2nd Lt G M K

Donaldson was shot down and

killed, while Lt R H Denehy later

died from his wounds.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE

REVERSAL

By the third week in May,

reconnaissance indicated an Axis

offensive against the Gazala line

was imminent and as part of the

preparations 4 Squadron moved to

LG 142 at Gambut.

The expected assault began on

the 26th. The unit took part in

inconclusive combats near the

main Axis thrust at the Free French

position at Bir Hacheim, before

flying escort to Douglas Bostons

attacking a large formation of

trucks and tanks on the 28th. As