Australia’s War Diary

Britain. Tragedy over Kenley for 452 Squadron when Sgts Jim Hanigan from Sydney and Ken Williams, a new replacement, are killed in a mid-air collision while practising dogfights.

September 718 – Britain. On the anniversary of the first German mass raid on London, the RAF poundsBerlin for two hours. From 303 sorties, 197 to the German capital, 18 bombers are lost. September 10 – Britain. F/Lt ”Attie” Wearne and crew in Sunderland L2163/RB-P of 10 Squadron RAAF attack a U-boat in the Bay of Biscay. Despite some apparent direct hits with depth charges set to explode at 150 feet (45m), the submarine escapes. September 11-North Africa. A Tac. A Hurricane of 451 Squadron RAAF reports concentrations of enemy tanks and armoured vehicles near Acroma. A new German thrust seems imminent. September 12- Eastern Front. In besieged Leningrad people are beginning to die of cold and starvation but under General Zhukov the defences are fortified. Meanwhile, the first snowfall is reported. September 12/13 – Britain. S/Ldr Dereck French DFC of 455 Squadron flies a solo mission to Frankfurt. His Hampden is struck by flak on the way to the target but he continues on. Over Frankfurt, to avoid being located by German AA sound detectors, he cuts engines and glides from 19,000 feet (5,800m) to 9,000 feet (2,750m) before bombing. The total RAF attacking force is 130 aircraft out of which 2 are lost.

September 13-North Africa. Now operating from airfield LG 102, the pilots of 3 Squadron RAAF begin practising a new “fluid pairs” formation contrived to counter the diving attacks of Bf 109s.

Tac. A Hurricanes from 451 Squadron RAAF continue to monitor the German build-up near Acroma. One aircraft flown by F/Lt Byers is shot down by the German ace Lt Hans-Joachim Marseille. Byers is captured.

Since the beginning of August, 451 Squadron has been carrying out highly successful photographic reconnaissance sorties of the enemy’s positions around Tobruk. On each occasion the film has been rushed back to HQ Desforce atBagush, developed and then immediately flown back to Tobruk. There, after making a slow wheels-down approach from the sea, the Hurricane pilot would drop his valuable cargo on the landing ground and return to base. Now, a proposal is made to base two of the squadron’s aircraft at Tobruk itself for this sole purpose until such time as the siege can be raised. The scheme will be carried out. For several months F/O R M Achilles and another pilot will operate from the fortress without ever being discovered by the enemy, despite almost daily raids. T hese are often attracted by dummy aircraft dispersed around the area while the two precious Hurricanes are hidden in underground shelters.

September 14 – North Africa. The German forces which have concentrated near Acroma move eastward in two strong columns. Lighter British forces on the Libyan front avoid contact and withdraw, acting upon information from 451 Squadron’s Hurricanes which continue to fly sortie after sortie watching the enemy’s progress. By nightfall, the Germans reach Rabia, seemingly in a position to threaten Sidi Barrani, but then unexpectedly they withdraw and return to their starting point. If the plan has been for a surprise attack, it has been frustrated by the vigilance of 451 Squadron, the only army co-op unit in the forward area, which has made 50 covering reconnaissance flights since the 11th.

During the day, two Hurricanes of 451 Squadron are bounced by six Bf 109s of JG 27. F/O W D Hutley force lands and is afterwards rescued by an armoured patrol. Sgt H R . Rowlands is involved in a high-speed, low-level chase almost all the way home. Despite being severely wounded in the legs, he lands his shot up aircraft safely at Bir el T holata.

3 Squadron RAAF suffers too when five Tomahawks on a strafing mission to Gambut are intercepted by four Bf 109s and a Bf 110. F/O Burbury and P/O Lees are shot down. Lees force lands 30 miles (48km) east of Gambut and walks until he meets a patrol near Sollum. He returns to 3 Squadron on the 18th. Meanwhile, Luftwaffe records show that a Ju 87 of Stab/St. G 3 is shot down by an unidentified fighter while landing at Gambut. It may have been Burbury’s victim.

September 15/16 – Britain. By now 455 Squadron at last has a third Hampden on strength. All are dispatched to Hamburg as part of a 169 bomber force bombing the city. Eight fail to return including a 455 Squadron aircraft flown by an all-English crew captained by P/O A Hibell. Hibell and his crew are not 455’s first casualties however. For some time now various aircrew have been hitching rides in 50 Squadron aircraft on operations to gain experience. Back on August 29/30 another Englishman from 455 Sqdn. Sgt Urpeth had been lost.

September 18-Britain, Circus 99, Target Rouen. In a confused battle. 452 Squadron RAAF claims four Bf 109s destroyed but suffers the loss of four pilots including two of the original squadron members, P/O Don Willis of Melbourne and Sgt Arch Stuart from Grafton. The ranks of the founder members of 452 Squadron are thinning. Scorers are P/O Bluey Truscott, P/O Ray Thor- old-Smith, Sgt Keith Chisholm and F/Lt Graham Douglas. Truscott also claims a probable.

September 19-Eastern Front. The Germans occupy Kiev, the third largest city in Russia.

Australia. First flight of the prototype multirole CA-4 Wackett Bomber, A23-1001, flown by F/Lt H Boss-Walker.

September 20-Britain. Circus 100B. The Kenley Wing, led by 452’s CO, S/Ldr Bob Bungey, is detailed to be high cover for an attack by five Hampdens on Abbeville marshalling yards. About fifty Bf 109s are encountered and F/Lt Paddy Finucane claims three, Bluey Truscott two, Keith Chisholm one and a new pilot, Sgt B “Pyfo” (Pull Your Finger Out) Dunstan one. Sgt lan Milne has to bail out of his crippled Spitfire.

September 21-Britain. Circus 101 to Gosnay escorting twelve Blenheims. 452 Squadron has its most successful day by shooting down five Bf 109s without loss. Finucane destroys two while Truscott, Chisholm and Sgt “Bardy” Wawn claim one each. September 22-Malta. After a 41⁄2 hour flight from England, F/Lt NHE Messervy lands his PRU Spitfire at Takali. He has been. attached to 69 Squadron RAF in preparation for Operation “Halberd”, the dispatch of a major convoy of 9 ships, laden with 50,800 tonnes of much needed supplies for the besieged island. from Gibraltar. His particular task is surveillance of the home bases of the Italian fleet but, unfortunately, badly wom tyres on the Spitfire render it unsafe to operate. This situation will last for three weeks until replacements are at last specially flown out from England.

September 23-Eastern Front. Stuka pilot Lt Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who is destined to become the Luftwaffe’s most highly decorated airman, sinks the Russian battleship Marat in Konstadthar- bour. It is the first time a battleship has been sunk by dive bombers.

September 24 – North Africa. F/Lt J Saunders of 3 Squadron RAAF shoots a lone Ju 88 down in flames but is bounced immediately afterwards by six Bf 109s. He has to force land and his Tomahawk is strafed and destroyed. Saunders is slightly wounded. September 27-North Africa. F/O Graeme-Evans of 451 Squadron is shot down over Bardia by six Bf 109s. An escorting Hurricane from 33 Squadron is also lost for one Messerschmitt.

Tomahawks from 3 Squadron and 250 Squadron escort Mary- lands of 21 Squadron SAAF to Bardia. South of Bug Bug the force is attacked by Bf 109s. A Maryland and a Tomahawk of 250 Squadron are lost while three Messerschmitts are claimed destroyed, one by P/O Clive “Killer” Caldwell.

September 28-North Africa. Bardia is attacked again by Mary- lands escorted by a mixed escort of Hurricanes, Tomahawks and RN Grumman Martlets. “Killer” Caldwell claims a Bf 109 probable and an Italian G. 50 falls to a naval pilot.

Malta. The Operation “Halberd” convoy reaches the island almost intact. The 50,800 tonnes of provisions to be unloaded will be enough to last until May 1942.

September 30-Singapore. 21 Squadron RAAF is in the process of exchanging its Wirraways for Buffalo fighters and now has eleven on strength. One has already been lost when it caught fire while performing aerobatics. F/OR Wallace had bailed out safely. Malta. Operating temporarily from the island, Wellingtons of 37 Squadron RAF carry out numerous mining operations on Tripoli Harbour. During the month Sgt L Mellor of Brisbane flies four and Sgt J Barnes of Highgate Hill, Queensland, five. On this night, heavy flak strikes Barnes’ aircraft, wrecking the hydraulics and one engine and blowing away the starboard fuel tank. Barnes manages to nurse the crippled machine across the sea to a safe landing.

Britain. With 18 victories, 452 Squadron RAAF is the highest scoring Fighter Command squadron for the second month in a row. For his leadership, Bob Bungey has been awarded the DFC, Bluey Truscott has been promoted to flight lieutenant and given command of “B” flight and Paddy Finucane has won a second Bar to his DFC as well as accumulating a personal score of 20. Over the Bay of Biscay, F/Lt Geoff Havyatt and crew in Sunderland W3979/RB-Q of 10 Squadron bomb and strafe two enemy tramp-steamers.

At sea, the Allies have lost 84 ships (53 to U-boats) totalling 290,500 tonnes. Axis merchant shipping losses since the beginning of June have reached 274,300 tonnes.