WORLD WAR TWO EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
48 FLYPAST August 2018
WORLD WAR TWO
48 FLYPAST August 2018
WORLD WAR TWOWORLD WAR TWO EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
BRITAIN STAGED A DISASTROUS THREE-MONTH CAMPAIGN IN THE AEGEAN SEA DURING
- ANTHONY ROGERS DESCRIBES THE UNEVEN STRUGGLE
A
fter an unconditional
armistice with the Allies on
September 3, 1943, Italy
ceased to be an enemy country.
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill considered it an
opportune time to open a new
front in the eastern Mediterranean,
thereby increasing pressure against
a faltering Wehrmacht and possibly
providing encouragement for Turkey
to join the Allies. British-led forces
were deployed immediately to the
Italian-occupied Greek Dodecanese
Islands in the southeastern Aegean
Sea, off the coast of Turkey.
Pre-empted by the Germans
in seizing control of Rhodes,
the British instead turned their
attention to other islands, notably
Kos and Leros. Resident Italian
forces on Kos were joined by 1st
Battalion, The Durham Light
Infantry (1 DLI), 1st Anti-Aircraft
Regiment Royal Artillery (with
40mm Bofors), a detachment of
2909 Squadron RAF Regiment
(with 20mm Hispanos), RAF
signallers and radar technicians.
Providing air defence were Spitfire
Vs of 7 Squadron, South African
Air Force (SAAF). Previously,
the islands had been reliant on a
handful of assorted Italian fighters
commanded by S Ten Giuseppe
Morganti of 396a Squadriglia.
As had been amply demonstrated
in the central Mediterranean,
control of the sea-lanes was dictated
as much by air superiority as by
naval power; aircraft were essentialfor the safe passage of shipping and
played an important transport and
re-supply role.
Air cover was also crucial for
any land operation. The British
intended to use Kos as a base
for single-engined fighters to
provide short-range support for an
attempted landing at Rhodes, and
to protect warships sailing out of
Leros. However, by September 17,
the Germans had been alerted to
the presence of British forces
on Kos.DIGGING IN
On Saturday September 18, a
216 Squadron Dakota en route to
Kos with soldiers of 1 DLI flew
too close to the sea, and ditched
off Turkey; all on board survived.
Other Dakotas landed at the
airfield at Antimachia, on Kos.
These had just been off-loaded
when Messerschmitt Bf 109s
carried out a strafing attack. Three
of the transports were burnt out
and one was badly damaged. A
Dakota that arrived during the raid
made an emergency landing near
Lambi, north of Kos town.
During the day, 7 Squadron
SAAF suffered its first combat
casualties while at Kos. Spitfires
flown by Lieutenants A G Turner
and A E F Cheesman were shot
down, resulting in the deaths of
both pilots. In turn, IV Gruppe,
Jagdgeschwader 27 (IV./JG 27)
lost two Bf 109Gs. Oberfeldwebel
Wilhelm Morgenstern was reportedmissing and Unteroffizier (Uffz)
Gustav Dettmar was taken prisoner.
During interrogation, the latter
stated he’d been hit by anti-aircraft
(AA) fire.
Thereafter, the Luftwaffe
continued to target Kos, and
Antimachia in particular. The
outnumbered South African Spitfire
pilots flew one sortie after another,
but whatever they achieved was
outweighed by enemy successes.
Due to events on September
18, the remainder of 1 DLI was
transported to Kos by sea. Daylight
air deliveries were curtailed, but
not in time to prevent two Dakotas
from being dispatched from Nicosia
on the morning of the 19th.
Within minutes of landing,
strafing attacks left a Dakota
destroyed and the wireless operator/
air gunner, Sgt Gerard E Newall
dead. The other aircraft was refused
permission to land and returned to
Cyprus, while the Dakota damaged
in the previous day’s raid was hit
again, being consumed by fire.
Thereafter, supply flights were
almost always carried out
in darkness.Right
The Hellenic Air Force
Underwater Operations
Team has retrieved
several wrecks from the
Aegean, including a Ju 52
of II./TG 2 shot down by
ground fi re over Leros, on
November 14, 1943.Bottom right
Junkers Ju 88s of an
unidentifi ed unit over the
eastern Mediterranean.