Anthony Rogers - Air Battle of Malta: Aircraft Losses and Crash Sites, 1940 - 1942

AIRCRAFT LOSSES AND CRASH SITES 194042

ANTHONY ROGERS

First published in 2017 by Greenhill Books,

c/o Pen & Sword Books Ltd,

47 Church Street, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire, S70 2AS

www.greenhillbooks.com

Anthony Rogers 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN 978-1-78438-188-2

eISBN 978-1-78438-190-5

Mobi ISBN 978-1-78438-189-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data available

10 July 1940: Savoia-Marchetti S.79 of 195 a Squadriglia over Grand Harbour

Fiat CR.42 (MM4368) after crashing at Wied il-Gajn on 16 July 1940

Flight Lieutenant George Burges of Maltas Fighter Flight in Gladiator N5519

July 1940: at Gibraltar en route to Malta, Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm pilots and a naval rating on board HMS Argus

James MacLachlan as a squadron leader during a visit to the United States

Personnel of the three Services at the crash site of a Junkers Ju 87

26 February 1941: part of the wreckage of Ju 87 5152/6G+ER of 4./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1

Bombardier George Dale of 10th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery with wreckage of Ju 87 5718/6G+PR

Sergeant Charles MacDougal

Sunderland L2164 of 228 Squadron in Mistra Bay

Hurricane V7430

Sergeant Fred Robertson after being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal

Royal Irish Fusilier posing with trophies

27 April 1941: Sunderland L5807 of 228 Squadron ablaze at Kalafrana

Crew of an 18 Squadron Blenheim after a ditching off the south-east coast on

December 1941

Oberleutnant Viktor Schnez with Oberleutnant Georg Lust in November 1941

Burnt-out wreckage of Ju 88 1346/M7+AK

During a visit to Malta in 2000, Viktor Schnez discusses events of 3 January 1942 with eyewitnesses Peter Micallef and John Galea

9 March 1942: a crewman descends by parachute near the burning wreckage of Ju 88 8680/3Z+JP at al Far

Tail section of the 6./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine

Rhodesian Pilot Officer Douglas Leggo before his commission

Sergeant Archie Steele while serving in 615 Squadron

Mosquito of 69 Squadron

Curious onlookers examine a Bf 109 of 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 that crash-landed near Paola on 1 April 1942

Leutnant Herman Neuhoff of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53

Lieutenant Clifford Clark of the Royal West Kents

Sergeant Ernie Broad with Australian, Jack Yarra

Pilot Officer Phil Wigley with Pilot Officer Ron Noble

Bf 109 shot down by AA near al Far on 14 April 1942

Flight Lieutenant Rhys Lloys of 185 Squadron with a wing panel from Hauptmann Krahls Bf 109

Pilot Officer Tex Putnam

Stuka 2075/S7+JP after crashing on the shore at onqor on 3 May 1942

Flight Lieutenant Norman MacQueen of 249 Squadron

Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker, while in Germany in Ergnzungsgruppe/-Jagdgeschwader 53

35/36 On 8 May 1942, Becker was shot down and taken prisoner

37/38 Ju 87 of 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 , shot down by AA at Senglea on 10 May 1942

Australian Sergeant Tony Boyd of 185 Squadron

Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham of 601 Squadron

Bomber crashed at Ta Qali

Dismantled fighter of 152 a Squadriglia

Crash site in 1989 of Spitfire of 126 Squadron, with the remains of both Hispano cannon firmly embedded

Savoia-Marchetti S.84bis of 4 o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre , destroyed by Spitfires of 249 Squadron on 4 July 1942

1997: John Galea indicates the crash site of a Spitfire

A Ju 88 of 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 crashing at Kirkop at 23:46 hours on 20 July 1942

One of four 3.7-inch AA guns at XHB 8, near Bengisa

Macchi C.202 (MM7842) shot down by 249 Squadrons Sergeant George Beurling

Screwball Beurling with the rudder and cat and mice emblem of 378 a Squadriglia from Sergente Maggiore Gellis Macchi

Leutnant Heinz Heuser of 1./Kampfgruppe 806

Canadian Pilot Office Rod Smith of 126 Squadron in the UK after his Malta tour

Flying Officer Ian Lindsay of 185 Squadron

Unteroffizier Heribert Wagner of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53

The Central Mediterranean

The Maltese Islands

Aircraft Crash Sites: Gozo and Comino

Aircraft Crash Sites: West Malta

Aircraft Crash Sites: East Malta

This book has evolved from an earlier work ( Battle over Malta ) and describes the circumstances of some 200 final sorties flown during 194042 by those who served in and with the Royal Air Force, and also by their opponents in the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe. The intention is to record for posterity not only how, but also where those flights ended.

If a record was kept of aviation losses in the Maltese Islands during the Second World War, its whereabouts is unknown. Existing war diaries and Malta Police reports sometimes make reference to aircraft crashes, but frequently without stating where they occurred. In order to glean as much information as possible it was therefore necessary to look at army, navy, air force and local police records. Other invaluable sources were personal diaries and eyewitness accounts. To better understand a battle one should know the region concerned, and to this end there were numerous exploratory trips to Malta and Gozo.

Such an undertaking would have been impossible but for the invaluable assistance and cooperation of Robert Farrugia in Malta. It has also involved well over 700 hours of research at The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) in Kew, England, where in excess of 300 documents were examined. In addition there were visits to the Imperial War Museum (London) and the RAF Museum (Hendon) and fruitful correspondence with the Royal Marines Museum (Eastney) and Air Historical Branch (London). In Malta, Frederick Galea and the late Philip Vella of the National War Museum Association dealt with my many enquiries. At Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin-Reinickendorf, Germany, Frau Pierenz and Viktor Lahme assisted in obtaining details from Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldungen (German Air Force personnel loss reports). Hans-Jrgen Wagner undertook further research at WASt on my behalf. The Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr (Germany), Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgrberfrsorge e.V. (Germany), the German Embassy in London and Ministero Della Difesa (Italy) were all very helpful, as was Colonnello Paolo Magro at the Italian Embassy in London.

Along the way many selflessly gave of their time to offer advice, corroborate events and provide their own recollections. They include former military personnel J. N. Allen, John Alton, Ron Backhouse, H. J. S. (John) Beazley, Howard Bell, Thomas Black Jimmy Booth, L. P. S. (Pat) Bing, Fred Callus, Carmelo Cassar, Phil Chandler, Emanuel Ciantar, Clifford Clark, Franklin F. Clark, George Dale, D. J. (John) Eaborn, Gordon Farquharson, Dave Ferraby, Ted Filby, Phil Francis, Stan Fraser, John Galea, Bob Garraghan, Doug Geer, Steve Haffenden, P. L. Hammond, N. P. W. (Pat) Hancock (Honorary Secretary/Treasurer of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association), J. S. Houghton, Professor Quentin Hughes, Bill Jackson, Lars Larsen, R. L. Ledbrook, P. G. (Graham) Leggett, George Lord, P. B. Laddie Lucas, The Honourable Judge Ian McKay, W. E. (Bill) Metcalf, Reg Morse, Thomas Neil, Leo Nomis, Malcolm Oxley, Denis Parker, Jim Pickering, Jack Rae, Frank Rixon, Peter Rothwell, Conyers Rutter, T. C. (Charlie) Savage, Bob Sergeant, Alan Sheppard, Bill Sheppard, F. E. (Ted) Shute, Peter Simpson, Rod Smith, Jim Somerville, Tony Spooner, Don Stones, Bill Strawbridge, Peter Thompson, Peter Watson, Bill Welford, Pat Wells, Phil Wigley and Roger Woodhouse; also former Luftwaffe pilots Heinrich Becker, Joachim Louis, Hermann Neuhoff, Heinz Riedel and Viktor Schnez, and Gino Battaggion, Generale Francesco Cavalera and Silvio De Giorgi, formerly of the Regia Aeronautica. Thanks, too, to Brian Cook, Honorary Secretary of the 89 Squadron Reunion Club, and D. P. F. Mac McCaig, Honorary Secretary/Treasurer of the 249 Squadron Association.