WAR IN THE DESERTWAR IN THE DESERT CONVOY ATTACKSSOUTH AFRICAN TOMAHAWKS
44 FLYPAST June 2018
Right
On the extreme right
is Captain Andrew
Bosman. Standing on
the wing (left to right) is
the OC Major ‘Axe’ Kriel,
Captains Eric Baker and
Doug Golding. Sitting
on the wing are Laurie
Wilmot, Doug Moody,
Tom Masters and Bev
Christmas. Bushy
Langerman is crouching
second from left. Also
included are Dick
Thorpe, Melville Duff-
Richardson and Rowan
Jackson.motor boats, barges and jetties were
hit until May 1, the unit losing Lts
D H Quilliam and A C Futter.
The last serviceable Kittyhawks
with 4 Squadron got airborne on
May 12 to escort Baltimores of 21
Squadron raiding German artillery
positions. Unbeknown to aircrew
they had witnessed the last raid in
the North African campaign.
News of General Jurgen von
Arnim’s capitulation was notified
later that day and Marshal Giovanni
Messe surrendered the Italian
1st Army shortly after noon the
following day.Having stood down, 4 Squadron
moved to Sorman, west of
Tripoli, on May 21 ostensibly to
conduct shipping strikes in thehave flak protection.
Much to the unit’s chagrin,
promises of a re-equipping saw
further Kittyhawk Is arriving on
June 24. It required intervention
at senior level before confirmation
was received of a pending change to
Spitfires.
Conversion to Spitfire Vs at El
Haouaria began on July 13 and these
were complemented by some Mk.
IXs on August 10. Three days later,
4 Squadron left for Sicily where it
established camp at Pachino. The
first chapter in 4 Squadron’s war
effort had been completed, having
run almost the entire length of
North Africa.Mediterranean. The truth was that
the Kittyhawks were in no fit state
for operations over land let alone
against vessels that would inevitablyAbove
Pages from the
logbook of Major John
‘Gugu’ Hewitson, OC
of 4 Squadron.Above right
On returning to LG
97 on July 21, 1942,
Lt Johnnie van Nus
crash-landed the
badly shot up AK817.Right
The maintenance
fl ight of 4 Squadron
at work.Above
A mass Tomahawk
take-off in 1942.
ALL VIA AUTHOR