Tangmere Pilots North Africa Campaign.
Details, Background and History of the North Africa Campaign.
In Game Map of North Africa.
Introduction. |
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Gentlemen,
Our next campaign will be North Africa . It is to be based around the second battle of El-Alamein. We will be flying as 112 Squadron DAF (Desert Air Force), the Shark Mouthed Squadron from October 23 rd to November 4 th 1942 and our mount for this campaign will be the Kittyhawk Mk III (P40M). We will be using the Kittyhawk as a fighter, fighter-bomber and escort aircraft in a wide variety of missions. Our adversaries will be the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica and we will be up against most of their types. I expect the air combat to be hard, dirty, fast and furious as it was back in 1942. The campaign itself is mainly based on one pilot's war record. “W.O. Wilfred David Brown R 86267 - RAF 112 Squadron 1942/43” His story can be found at this web site:- http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/runway/9601/wdbrown.html I have had great fun researching this campaign and designing the map that we are going to use. I must thank Prangster for his help in designing the skins, without his efforts, this campaign wouldn't have been the same or even possible. The skins will be posted at a later date. So, wash your shorts, get your mossie net serviced and start testing those Kittyhawks! Please read on:- F/Lt Bunny & the Ops Design Team. |
History of No. 112 Squadron. |
On 16 May 1939 , No. 112 reformed aboard the aircraft carrier 'Argus' at Southampton for transportation to the Middle East , arriving in Egypt ten days later.Gladiators were received in June and when Italy joined the war a year later the Squadron flew fighter patrols over the Western Desert.In January 1941 No. 112 moved to Greece to provide air defence and fly offensive patrols over Albania . When the Germans invaded Greece the Squadron provided fighter cover for the Athens area until evacuated first to Crete and then back to Egypt . In July 1941 No. 112 was re-equipped with Tomahawks for fighter sweeps over the desert and then the Squadron received Kittyhawks in December 1941 beginning fighter-bomber missions in May 1942. The Squadron provided support for the 8th Army during their campaign in the Western Desert and after the Allied victory at El Alamein No. 112 was moved to Tunisia . In July 1943 the Squadron was moved to Sicily and on to Italy in September receiving Mustangs in June 1944. No. 112 provided air support for the Allied armies in Italy for the rest of the war and after a period of occupation duties in northern Italy , the Squadron disbanded on 30th December 1946 . On 12 May 1951 , No. 112 reformed at Fassberg as a Vampire fighter-bomber unit, converting to Sabres in January 1954 which were flown until Hunters arrived in May 1956. On 31 May 1957 , the Squadron disbanded but was reformed again on 1 August 1960 at Church Fenton as a Bloodhound ground-to-air missile unit. The Squadron later moved to its operational base of Breighton but was disbanded on 31 March 1964 only to be reformed on the 2 November 1964 with Bloodhound 2s, moving to Cyprus in October 1967 where it disbanded on 1 July 1975. We join the squadron in October 1942 in the Middle East, flying Kittyhawk Mk III's (P40K and/or P40M) based at Amirya.The aircraft was used in a fighter/fighter bomber role. A Nicholas Trudgian drawing depicting Squadron Leader Neville Duke, 112 Squadron Fighter Ace and the Allies top-scoring pilot in the Mediterranean theatre. 
A Nicholas Trudgian print depicting Squadron Leader Neville Duke, 112 Squadron Fighter Ace and the Allies top-scoring pilot in the Mediterranean theatre in action against Eduard Neumann and the Me109's of JG27 i North Africa.
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The Second Battle of El-Alamein. |
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Blue = Allies. Prelude.
By July 1942 the Panzer Army Africa, comprising the German Afrika Korps, Italian and German infantry and mechanized units under General Erwin Rommel, had struck deep into Egypt, threatening the British Commonwealth forces' vital supply line across the Suez Canal. Faced with overextended supply lines and lack of reinforcements and yet well aware of massive Allied reinforcements arriving, Rommel decided to strike at the Allies, while their build-up was still not complete. This attack on 30 August 1942 at Alam Halfa failed; expecting a counter-attack by Montgomery's Eighth Army, the Afrika Korps dug in. After six more weeks of building up forces the Eighth Army was ready to strike. 200,000 men and 1,000 tanks under Montgomery made their move against the 100,000 men and 500 tanks of the Afrika Korps. The Battle. The Battle of El Alamein is usually divided into five phases, consisting of the break-in ( October 23 -24), the crumbling ( October 24 -25), the counter ( October 26 -28), Operation Supercharge ( November 1 -2) and the breakout ( November 3 -7). No name is given to the period from October 29 to the 30th when the battle was at a standstill.
On a calm, clear evening under the bright sky of a full moon, Operation Lightfoot began with 882 field and medium guns firing a barrage that continued for five and a half hours, at the end of which each gun had fired about 600 rounds. During that period of time, 125 tons of shells fell on the enemy gun positions. Legend has it that the noise was so great that the ears of the gunners bled. There was a reason for the name Operation Lightfoot. The infantry had to attack first. Many of the anti-tank mines would not be tripped by soldiers running over them since they were too light (hence the code-name). As the infantry attacked, engineers had to clear a path for the tanks coming up in the rear. Each stretch of land cleared of mines was to be 24 feet wide, which was just enough to get tanks through in single file. The engineers had to clear a five-mile route through the ‘Devil’s Garden’. It was a difficult task and one that essentially failed because of the depth of the Axis minefields. The Allied plan called for the XIII Corps to make a feint attack to the south, engaging the German 21st Panzer Division and Italian Ariete Armoured Division which were both tank divisions, while XXX Corps in the north attempted to forge a narrow pathway through the German minefield for the armoured divisions of X Corps. At 10 p.m., the infantry of XXX Corps began to move. The objective was an imaginary line in the desert where the strongest enemy defenses were situated. Once the infantry reached the first minefields, the mine sweepers (sappers) moved in to create a passage for the tanks. At 2 a.m., the first of the 500 tanks crawled forward. By 4 a.m. the lead tanks were in the minefields, where they stirred up so much dust that there was no visibility at all, and traffic jams developed as the tanks got bogged down.
 Gains made by the British & Commonwealth Forces after their Initial Attack.
The morning of Saturday 24 October brought disaster for the German headquarters. The accuracy of the barrage destroyed German communications and Georg Stumme, who commanded the Axis forces while Rommel was in Germany, died of a heart attack. Temporary command was given to General Ritter von Thoma. Meanwhile, XXX Corps had only dented the first minefields. Not enough of the minefields had been cleared to enable X Corps to pass through, so all day long the Allied Desert Air Force attacked Axis positions, making over 1,000 sorties. Panzer units attacked the British 51st (Highland) Division just after sunrise, only to be stopped in their tracks. By 4:00 p.m. there was little progress. At dusk, with the sun at their backs, Axis tanks from the German 15th Panzer Division and Italian Littorio Division swung out from Kidney Ridge to engage the Australians, and the first major tank battle of El Alamein was joined. Over 100 tanks were involved in this battle and by dark, half were destroyed while neither position was altered. While the Australians were fighting the 15th Panzer, the Highlanders, on their left, were engaging in the first tank versus infantry battle at El Alamein. It was to last for two days with many casualties, but when it was over the Allies held Kidney Ridge. D Plus 2: Sunday, October 25, 1942. The initial thrust had ended by Sunday. Both armies had been fighting non-stop for two days. The Allies had advanced through the minefields in the west to make a six mile wide and five mile deep inroad. They now sat atop Miteriya Ridge in the southeast, but at the same time the Axis forces were firmly entrenched in most of their original battle positions and the battle was at a standstill. Hence, General Bernard Montgomery ordered an end to conflict in the south, the evacuation of Miteriya Ridge, and a swing north toward the sea. The battlefield would be concentrated at the Kidney and Tel al-Eissa until a breakthrough occurred. It was to be a gruesome seven days.
By early morning, the Axis forces launched a series of attacks using the 15th Panzer and Littorio divisions. The Afrika Korps was probing for a weakness, but they found none. When the sun set, the Allied infantry went on the attack. Around midnight, the 51st Division launched three attacks, but no one knew exactly where they were. Pandemonium and carnage ensued, resulting in the loss of over 500 Allied troops, and leaving only one officer among the attacking forces.
While the 51st was operating around the Kidney, the Australians were attacking Point 29, a 20 foot high Axis artillery observation post southwest of Tel al-Essa. This was the new northern thrust Montgomery had devised earlier in the day, and it was to be the scene of heated battle for days to come. The 26th Australian Brigade attacked at midnight. The air force dropped 115 tons of bombs and the Allies took the position and 240 prisoners. Fighting continued in this area for the next week, as the Axis tried to recover the small hill that was so vital to their defence. D Plus 3: Monday, October 26, 1942. Rommel returned to North Africa on the evening of the 25th, and immediately assessed the battle. He found that the Italian Trento Division had lost half of its infantry, the 164 Light Division had lost two battalions, most other groups were under strength, all men were on half rations, a large number were sick, and the entire Axis army had only enough fuel for three days. The offensive was stalled. Churchill railed, "Is it really impossible to find a general who can win a battle?" A counterattack began at 3 p.m. against Point 29 near Tel al-Eissa. Rommel was determined to retake the position and moved all the tanks from around Kidney to the battle site. Air and ground power poured into the area as Rommel moved the 21st Panzer and Ariete Armoured Division up from the south along the Rahman Track. That turned out to be a mistake. The British held the position and Rommel's troops could not retire for lack of fuel, and were therefore stuck on open ground at the mercy of air attacks. However, back at Kidney, the British failed to take advantage of the missing tanks. Each time they tried to move forward they were stopped by anti-tank guns. On a brighter note for the British, Beaufort torpedo bombers of No.42/47 Squadron Royal Air Force sank the tanker Proserpina at Tobruk, which was the last hope for resupplying Rommel's thirsty machines. D Plus 4: Tuesday, October 27, 1942. By now, the main battle was concentrated around Tel al-Aqaqir and Kidney Ridge. The 2nd Battalion of The Rifle Brigade, belonging to the British 1st Armoured Division, was at a position codenamed Snipe, to the southwest of the Kidney. The stand at Snipe is one of the legends of the Battle of al-Alamein. Phillips, in his Alamein records that: "The desert was quivering with heat. The gun detachments and the platoons squatted in their pits and trenches, the sweat running in rivers down their dust-caked faces. There was a terrible stench. The flies swarmed in black clouds upon the dead bodies and excreta and tormented the wounded. The place was strewn with burning tanks and carriers, wrecked guns and vehicles, and over all drifted the smoke and the dust from bursting high explosives and from the blasts of guns." Mortar and shell fire was constant all day long. Around 4 p.m., British tanks accidentally opened fire against their own position, killing many. At 5 p.m., Rommel launched his major attack. German and Italian tanks moved onward. With only four guns in operation, the Rifle Brigade was able to score continual broad-side hits against forty tanks of the 21st Panzer Division, knocking out thirty-seven of them. The remaining three withdrew and a new assault was launched. All but nine tanks in this assault were also destroyed. The Rifle Brigade was down to three guns with three rounds each, but the Germans had given up on this assault.
D Plus 5-6: Wednesday, Thursday, October 28-29, 1942. The Australian 9th Division was to continue pushing northwest beyond Tel al-Eissa to an enemy-held location south of the railway known as Thompson's Post and force a breakthrough along the coast road. By the end of the day, the British had 800 tanks still in operation, while the Axis had 148 German and 187 Italian tanks. With the tanker Luisiano sunk outside Tobruk harbor, Rommel told his commanders, "It will be quite impossible for us to disengage from the enemy. There is no gasoline for such a maneuver. We have only one choice and that is to fight to the end at Alamein." D Plus 7-9: Friday-Sunday, October 30 - November 1, 1942. The night of October 30 saw a continuation of previous plans, with the 9th Australian attacking. This was their third attempt to reach the paved road, which they took on this night. On the 31st, Rommel launched four retaliatory attacks against Thompson's Post. The fighting was intense and often hand to hand, but no ground was gained by the Axis forces. On Sunday, November 1, Rommel tried to dislodge the Australians once again, but the brutal, desperate fighting resulted in nothing but lost men and equipment. By now, it had become obvious to Rommel that the battle was lost. He began to plan the retreat and anticipated retiring to Fuka, a few miles west. Ironically, 1,200 tons of fuel arrived, but it was too late and had to be blown up. Phase 4: Operation Supercharge
Montgomery Regroups his Forces. The infantry gained their objectives, but as with Operation Lightfoot on the first day of the battle, lanes could not be cleared through the minefields until night was almost over. 9th Armoured brigade was forced to make its attack silhouetted by the early daylight. As dawn came on November 2, tank after tank was hit by the German 88 mm guns that kept firing through seven air attacks. The 9th never made it to their objective. In fact, they took 75 percent casualties and lost 102 of their 128 tanks. Nevertheless, they breached the gun line and the British 1st Armoured Division of X Corps, under the command of Raymond Briggs, was now able to engage. In the heat of the noon day sun, 120 Italian and German tanks advanced for the biggest, most critical and, to all intents and purposes, the final tank battle of El Alamein, the Battle of Aqaqir Ridge. This battle continued all day. "The desert, quivering in the heat haze, became a scene that defies sober description. It can be discerned only as a confused arena clouded by the bursts of high explosives, darkened by the smoke of scores of burning tanks and trucks, lit by the flashes of innumerable guns, shot through by red, green and white tracers, shaken by heavy bombing from the air and deafened by the artillery of both sides." The resulting day's fighting was later termed, the "Hammering of the Panzers". Although tank losses were approximately equal, this represented only a portion of the total British armour, but most of Rommel's tanks.
British & Commonwealth Forces break through the Axis Lines. Rommel called up Ariete from the south to join the defense around Tel al-Aqaqir in the last stand of the German army. By nightfall, the Axis had only thirty-two tanks operating along the entire front. While the Afrika Korps was fighting for its life at Aqaqir, Rommel began the withdrawal to Fuka. Phase 5: The Break Out. Erwin Rommel sent a message to Hitler explaining his untenable position and seeking permission to withdraw, but Rommel was told to stand fast. Von Thoma told him, "I've just been around the battlefield. 15th Panzer's got ten tanks left, 21st Panzer only fourteen and Littorio seventeen." Rommel read him Hitler's message, so he left to take command at the head of the Afrika Korps. When 150 British tanks came after the remaining members of the nearly vanquished 15th and 21st Panzers, Von Thoma stood with his men. He was in the command tank at the spot where the two panzer units joined, and there he remained until the last tank was destroyed. At the end, when all was lost, Von Thoma stood alone beside his burning tank at the spot that was to become known as the "panzer graveyard". Despite the desperate situation, Rommel's men stood their ground. Entire units were destroyed, but the remnants continued to fight. A 12 mile wide hole had been cut in the Axis line. "If we stay put here, the army won't last three days... If I do obey the Fuhrer's order, then there's the danger that my own troops won't obey me... My men come first!" Rommel ordered the massive retreat against Hitler's orders. D plus 12 - November 4th 1942.
British & Commonwealth Forces Breakthrough and the End of the Battle. On November 4, the final assaults were underway. The British 1st , 7th and 10th armoured divisions passed through the German lines and were operating in the open desert. The Allies had won the battle. The Axis were in retreat. This day saw the liquidation of the Ariete Division, the Littorio Division and the Trieste Motorised Division.
So far, Rommel had lost nearly 12,000 men and 350 tanks, and had only 80 working tanks left. The Allies also suffered heavy losses: 23,500 men were killed, missing or wounded, amounting to nearly a quarter of the 8th Army's infantry strength. John Currie of the 9th Armoured Brigade pointed to twelve tanks when asked where his regiments were. "There are my armoured regiments". Major-General Douglas Wimberley swore, "Never again."
A collection of photos and pictures from 112 Squadron and the North Africa Campaign:- Please note that most of the photographs and information has been taken with kind permission from “RAF 112 Squadron Tribute Website”. Follow this link for more information:- http://www.geocities.com/raf_112_sqdn/?200717 You may also find this excellent book an interesting read:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shark-Squadron-History-112-1917-1975/dp/0947554335
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