Air War In East Africa 1940 41

Author : Jon Sutherland
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1844688046
Total Pages : 207 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Air War in East Africa, 1940–41 written by Jon Sutherland and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-06-25 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This little known campaign against the Italian invasion of British Somalia was bravely fought by a small force of elderly RAF and Commonwealth aircraft against almost overwhelming odds. This, against a backdrop of Britains meager assets being in demand in the much more prominent and important theatres such as Egypt and, of course, at home during the height of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.The history starts with the Italians use of airpower and gas against the spear-armed Abbysinnians in 1936. In August 1940 the Italians attacked and overwhelmed British Somalia and under air cover the British evacuated to Aden. The Allies fought many air battles with the better equipped invaders and flew dangerous reconnaissance missions in preparation for the major offensives in 1941.On the Northern Front, the first phases see aggressive air patrols and Allied reinforcements arriving from Egypt. They attacked towards Agordat pushing deep into Eritrea from the Sudan. Meanwhile to the south the South African Air Force and ground forces attacked into Italian Somalia during January and February 1941. In March the allies attacked Keren and the Italians finally surrendered. The final allied air strikes against Asmara and Massawa led to the final collapse of Italian resistance in May 1941. The campaign in Ethiopia saw General Cunningham's force advances 1,725 miles from Kenya in 53 days to reach the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and liberating it on April 6 1941. However, the conflict was still not over there was continued resistance from 7,000 Italian troops and air operations continued against them until their surrender in September 1943.The book includes the experiences of the men who flew the outdated aircraft of the RAF and the SAAF in the campaign and includes many quotes and incidents from both Allied and Italian pilots.

Author : Christopher F. Shores
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781898697374
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Dust Clouds in the Middle East written by Christopher F. Shores and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Campaign history covering the early war years in the Mediterranean.

Author : Piet van Schalkwyk
Publisher : Warplane Color Galler
ISBN 13 : 9788360672303
Total Pages : 80 pages
Book Rating : 4.0X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book South African Air Force Fighter Colors. Volume 1 written by Piet van Schalkwyk and published by Warplane Color Galler. This book was released on 2018-10 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early stages of World War Two, the Italian Forces in Abyssinia, East Africa, consisting of 200,000 troops and nearly 400 aircraft constituted a grave threat to Kenya and the Sudan. To meet this threat three South African Air Force (SAAF) fighter squadrons were deployed to East Africa to counter the attacking Italian Air Force. The three squadrons operated mostly old and antiquated bi-planes in the form of Hawker Furies, Gloster Gauntlets and Gloster Gladiators. Between then they did also operate a number of Hawker Hurricane Mk. Is, of which some still had fabric wing surfaces and two-bladed wooden propellers. These aircraft were also passed along between the various units, depending on the area that had the highest requirement. Among the three squadrons, 1 Squadron primarily used Gloster Gladiators, while 2 Squadron used Furies and Gladiators, with 3 Squadron being the primary users of the Hurricanes. These units were joined by 4 Squadron, training on Furies and Curtiss Mohawks, before moving to Egypt for operations in the Desert. 3 Squadron later converted to these Curtiss Mohawks, and eventually ended up with a mix of Mohawks, again supplemented by Gladiators. 41 Squadron, an Army-Cooperation unit, also converted to a fighter squadron after the major campaign was completed and served as a holding unit in East Africa, flying Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIs. One Detached Flight, operating Mohawks during the final part of the campaign, was renumbered as B-Flight of 3 Squadron and joined the primary unit for the last major operations in East Africa. The squadrons operated on all fronts in Somaliland and Abyssinia, and made a considerable contribution towards the victory that was achieved in that campaign. Commenting on the part, that the SAAF Fighter Squadrons played in the campaign, Sir Archibald Sinclair said: "When the Italian come to draw up a list of the factors that caused them to lose the East African Empire, they will place the South African Air Force somewhere near the top of the list". This volume covers the combat history of these fighter squadrons during the campaign, as well as the colors and markings of their aircraft. Primary sources, such as Squadron war Diaries and Pilot Logbooks. were used in the preparation of the text contained herein. This volume contains 23 full-color plates and 112 b&w photos, indicating the people and aircraft operated by these squadrons. This volume will be followed by two further volumes, tracing the onwards history of these squadrons as well as additional SAAF Fighter Squadrons during the campaign in North Africa and Malta, and the campaign in Sicily, Italy and the Balkans. The authors have already written eight books covering the colors and markings of the SAAF and SA Army equipment in a series of booklets entitled South African Colours and Markings, numbers 1 to 8.

Author : Andrew Stewart
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300208553
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.59/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The First Victory written by Andrew Stewart and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This compelling book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war. Andrew Stewart investigates such topics as Britain's African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell's command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.

Author : Maurer Maurer
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1428915850
Total Pages : 520 pages
Book Rating : 4.55/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Air Force Combat Units of World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1961 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 920 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Army Air Forces in World War II: Men and planes written by and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Marek Sobski
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 466 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book East Africa 1940-1941 (land Campaign) written by Marek Sobski and published by . This book was released on 2020-12-10 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Kingdom of Italy entered the war in Europe in June 1940, it did so only for a moment to hasten the fall of France and force Britain to the peace negotiations table. With each subsequent month it was turning out that the Italians had got involved in a war that was not going to have a quick and victorious end, and the state of their own unpreparedness for the conflict was shocking.Due to the Italian colonial possessions, the war also spread to East Africa, so distant for Europeans. This is where the situation of the Italian forces turned out to be the most difficult. The troops fighting there, mostly consisting of natives, were disastrously poorly armed, trained only for the purposes of colonial warfare or maintaining internal order in the colonies, cut off from supplies by neighbouring French and British possessions, and the Italian high command lacked the abilities of waging regular campaign. The British Empire, too, began the battle for the Horn of Africa poorly prepared, but quickly realised the importance of this campaign, namely the safety of its own lines of communication across the Red Sea, the Nile and Africa. Having quickly mobilised its forces, it proceeded to eliminate the Italian threat in this part of the world. This work presents in detail the campaign that lasted until November 1941, in which soldiers of about twenty nationalities from three continents fought on both sides for the colonial interests of Italy and Britain. The campaign in East Africa is not only about the frontline combat, it is also a brutal war between Italians and Ethiopian partisans. We also present issues such as the economic situation of Italian East Africa, the fate of the Italians inhabiting it, the history of the countries that constituted it after the campaign ended, and the Italian underground resistance, whose flame was smouldering up to the very armistice between Italy and the Allies.The book is illustrated with 81 photos and 17 maps. Table of contents: IntroductionI. Italian East AfricaII. Empire Under SiegeIII. Unrest Inside Italian East AfricaIV. Italian Troops in East AfricaV. Battle of Kassala and Other Italian Operations On the Border with SudanVI. Italian Activity On The Kenya Border, Capture Of Fort MoyaleVII. The Fall Of British SomalilandVIII. Battle of Gallabat - The First Allied CounteroffensiveIX. End of the Year in the Kenyan SectorX. Mission 101 Moves To GojjamXI. Battle of AgordatXII. Battle Of KerenXIII. End Of The Campaign In The NorthXIV. The British Invasion On Italian SomaliXV. The Fall Of Addis Ababa.XVI. The Allies Enter EthiopiaXVII. Emperor Selassie Returns To Addis AbabaXVIII. Battle Of Amba AlagiXIX. Campaign In The Province Of Galla And SidamaXX. The Last Stand: GondarXXI. New Orders In The Horn Of AfricaConclusionAppendix 1Italian Ranks and Appointments Used Throughout The Book And Their British EquivalentsAppendix 2Traditional Ethiopian AppointmentsAppendix 3Biographies Of The High-Ranking Italian Commanders In East AfricaAppendix 4From "The First Cruiser Tanks" by Peter BrownBibliograph

Author : Anthony Tucker-Jones
Publisher : Pen & Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 9781526711083
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Desert Air War 1940-1943 written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The war in air over North Africa and the Mediterranean during the Second World War has long been overshadowed by the battle on the ground. Between 1940 and 1943 Italy's Regia Aeronautica and then Germany's Luftwaffe waged a concerted aerial campaign against the British, yet apart from the bitter fight for Malta, this aspect of the conflict is rarely given the attention it deserves. Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this vivid photographic history, provides a fascinating introduction to it. The wartime photographs, and the concise text, cover the entire course of the struggle in the air. The Regia Aeronautica at first met weak British opposition when Mussolini launched his ill-advised offensive against British-controlled Egypt, but the obsolete Italian aircraft proved to be no match for the Allied fighters once the strength of the Royal Air Force built up. Then, when Hitler stepped in to help his hapless ally, the aerial struggle intensified, and the air forces of both sides were locked in deadly combat in the skies over Egypt, Libya, the Mediterranean and Tunisia. The wide range of Italian, British, German and American aircraft involved, the air and ground crews from all sides, and the conditions in which they operated and fought are all shown in this varied selection of photographs.

Author : Christopher Shores
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
ISBN 13 : 190980875X
Total Pages : 962 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945 written by Christopher Shores and published by Grub Street Publishers. This book was released on 2012-06-19 with total page 962 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first volume in the seminal series on World War II aerial combat, pilots, and tactics that “reads like an encyclopedia on the subject” (Portland Book Review). In the early days of World War II, both Allied and Axis powers extended the theater of war to North Africa, where hard-fought battles were conducted in the harsh desert. But before anyone could claim victory on the ground, they had to hold dominion in the air. Here, historian Christopher Shores has combined his books Fighters over the Desert and Fighters over Tunisia into one volume, as well as adding updated information about the deadly fighter aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and maritime units active in the Mediterranean. Full of in-depth research and featuring essential maps, this is “an intimate introspection by these men of their experiences and the respect that they shared not only for each other but also their adversaries” (The Military Reviewer).

Author : Christopher Shores
Publisher : Grub Street Publishing
ISBN 13 : 191069097X
Total Pages : 736 pages
Book Rating : 4.70/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945. Volume 2 written by Christopher Shores and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2014-07-19 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second volume in the seminal series on aerial combat, pilots, and tactics in Libya and Egypt in the middle of World War II. In volume two of this series, historian Christopher Shores begins by exploring the 8th Army’s movements after Operation Crusader when they were forced back to the Gazala area in northeastern Libya, as well as their defeat in June, 1942, the loss of Tobruk, and the efforts of Allied air forces to protect their retreating troops. Shores continues with the heavy fighting that followed in the El Alamein region. This features the Western Desert Air Force and the arrival of the first Spitfires. The buildup of both army and air forces and the addition of new commanders on the ground aided the defeat of Rommel’s Deutsche Afrika Korps at Alam el Halfa, after which came the Second Battle of El Alamein. With the arrival of the United States Army Air Force, the Allied air forces gained dominance over the Axis. Shores recounts the lengthy pursuit of the Italo-German forces right across Libya, including the capture of Tripoli and the breakthrough into Southern Tunisia. This allowed a linkup with other Allied forces in Tunisia (whose story appears in Volume 3). Included with the action are stories of some of the great fighter aces of the Desert campaign such as Jochen Marseille and Otto Schulz of the Luftwaffe, Franco Bordoni-Bisleri of the Regia Aeronautica and Neville Duke, Billy Drake, and “Eddie” Edwards of the Commonwealth air forces. Finally, Shores touches on the Allied and Axis night bombing offensives and the activities of the squadrons cooperating with the naval forces in the Mediterranean.