Thought this might interest some of you
 

I have just been sorting out some more of my fathers papers and pictures, I came across an evelope with these little gems inside,

One is an Itialian Airforce postcard that shows the Italian sysmbols attacking Gt Britain, and what seems like a flimsey paper note that was to be dropped from allied A/c requesting the Italians to give up and makes comment as to what has happened to Rommel in N Afric.

Perhaps someone could translate it properly for us.
hope they come out clear.
Vfr

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...stcards587.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...stcards589.jpg

very interesting, thanks for posting it for us.
what did your father do during the war (squadron? etc)
I don't pretend to be an expert but my rough translation goes:
"For three years the Fascists have repeated to you that Great Britain was dead. Today without warning they say that the situation for Italians is serious and that the fate of your Native land is in danger.
Who has betrayed your Native land? Mussolini, who without provocation, declared war on Great Britain. Who has made you join the Barbarians? who has sacrificed your sons in Russia? Mussolini, creator of the Rome-Berlin Axis. While not joining Rommel in Alexandria – he prefers the tropical climate and has run to Benghazi.
Six Italian Divisions have been abandoned and captured in the Desert after having been stripped of half its transportation to help the Nazis in their escape. The Anglo-Americans are now in Tunisia. Every Italian city is within the range of Allied aircraft.
The Germans have been caught up in Russia. The Russian winter will take care of them. Hitler wants more Italians in order to make headway in his Russian campaign.
The recent events in African demonstrate to you the value of this anti-historical alliance with the Barbarians. You have been stripped, sold, and sacrificed for the megalomania of Mussolini. For this the self-confident Sibilia of Venice Palace has sold your martyrdom.

Flaps,

Thank you for that translation, My father seemed to have quite a few Sqdns that he flew with as far as I can see he was with 148, 213 or 4 another I have yet to discover the number but seemed to have spent most of his time with 272 Sqdn whilst there he flew in Beaufighters, I, like many of you Ppruners had a great respect for my father, but found he was not good at telling his sons tales of dering do, in fact he was backward at comming forward with any Wartime information, I have been going through his papers for the last three years since he died, and find every folder shows something different, he alwys had a camera with him and I have spent many hours looking at many pictures that sometimes mean nothing, but others dont need any narrative to bring the action to life, I have found many pictures today that show scene's of the aftermath of an attack on their Aerodrome as he calls it, by a enemy aircraft that has set fire to a couple of Wellington bombers, then the aftermath with the Wimpeys all burnt out and then many pictures of what must be his flight in action over the Med, If people are interested I will pick a few and post them when I find some that are good enough, I will try to post a picture of some sort of Xmas greeting that shows the Sqdn crest of 272, it clearly shows that their moral was pretty good at that time. Thank you for your interest.

PeteR-B
Vfr

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...fromPal592.jpg

These are some of the photos I have just unearthed from fathers papers, the Wellingtons are with 148Sqdn? in the Western Desert of N Africa, and are the aftermath of an attack by the Axis aircraft, not known wether they were German or Italian

the Beaus are undated but I feel could be around 42/43
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...mission620.jpg
This very nice looking Brig was supposed to be carrying Jerries(as the writing says) so it was sunk by 272 Sqdn Beaus
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...knownBrigl.jpg
These Wellington l were with 148 Sqdn at a base that looks like Kabrit or Kalrit(the words have faded) WD North Africa they are Merlin Powered Wimpeys
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...kedinshelt.jpg
This Wellington is a little well used rom a wheels up landing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ngNAfrica1.jpg
This picture is called the "Dead Place"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ica1942629.jpg
My old man has suggested this could be a Caproni 133 but endorses that with a ? mark, but whatever it has RAF roundels on it this was in the Western Desert about 1941/2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...1331941632.jpg

Hope thes interest you.

Vfr

Forgive my ignorance [genuinely] - I thought the Wellington was radial powered. I never heard of a Merlin powered version...

Could the photo be of the 'dead place', where a Wellington fuselage is mixed up with wreckage from a Merlin powered aircraft?

FJJP
The Wellington B Mk II had Merlin engines It was identical to the Mk IC with the exception of the powerplant; utilising the 1,145 hp (855 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engine instead—400 were produced at Weybridge. Whether any saw service in North Africa is another matter.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...craft/2621.jpg

Thank you for sharing these with us Vfrpilotpb.
I particularly liked the Italian post card! With a bit of "Photoshop magic" you could replace the torn corner too.
The trimotor in RAF roundles looks a little French to me.

Rgds Dr I

MReyn24050

Thanks for that - I was unaware that the Wellington got past the radials. I assumed (wrongly) that the Wellington's career was short-lived and faded into obscurity as a bomber fairly early in the war, although I know that it was used for a variety of Coastal duties.

The Merlin powered Wellies are as they sit the places where the burned if you look carefully (bad colour I must admit,) you will see the sand bags of a blast shelter, and the dead place is where the beyond use airframes were pushed or lifted to, I do have another picture of a welling front view after it had landed with U/c up and it is cler to see the Merlin PP, I too am surprised for I thought the Merlin Wimpeys were only for High Altitude use, and on double checking the faded writing of my old Dad on the reverse of the piccs it clearly says WD N Africa, I would say that is Western Desert, and dated 1941, looking at the Diarys that I also have, that puts Dad in Libiya, and by Feb 1942 he was at a drome( as he puts it)near a place called Aboukir,

I will post the other pictures when the net has gone quiet its much faster that way.

Vfr

A few nanoseconds on 'Google' shows that the trimotor is probably indeed a Caproni 133.

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/b/1/32/0/3

http://wmilitary.neurok.ru/caproni.ca133.html

Thanks for posting, vfrpilotpb. Fascinating stuff.

Not to happy Merlin Powered Wellie
 

Found it at last this was taken in the Western Desert N Africa about the end of 1941

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...missionNAf.jpg

I have quiet few more to post when time allows,hope non of you are bored by this!

Vfr

Vfrpioltpb
Many thanks for sharing your photographs with us, I find them fascinating. In a search I have found that 148 Squadron RAF operated Wellington Mk IIs in the Western Desert from October 1941 until April 1942. The Squadron History states "Following the entry of Italy into the war on 10 June 1940, detachments of UK bomber squadrons had been sent to Malta to carry out attacks against targets in North Africa. Three of these detachments (from No 38, 99 and 115 Squadrons) were amalgamated into a new No 148 Squadron on 14 December 1940 at Luqa. It continued its attacks against targets in Libya, Sicily and also the Italian mainland, from Malta, until March 1941 when it moved to a new home at Kabrit in Egypt. From here it supported the 8th Army during its battles for control of the North African Desert, operating from a number of desert landing grounds."
Mel

VFR,
fascinating stuff, I'd love to see more.:ok:

Thank you Mel for the info, I rather gathered that my old Dad was a little like a Gypsey, for I have locations on hundreds of photos that stretch from Libya to Alexandria, Port Said, Northern Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, and finally Italy, but also could not understand why one Sqdn finished and seemed to disappear, I must admit to being a novice at searching and probably am doing all the wrong things, but seem to come up with nought most times, so a big thank you for that info on 148Sqdn, somewhere in all these terribly small prints (some not much bigger than a postage stamp) I have seen the 148 Crest , I will post it as I have found it.

Gainsey thank you also, I was very unsure whether anyone would be interested in what after all are the views of just one Raf man looking through his old Kodak, I can remeber seeing the camera that Dad used it sort of unfolded and a sort of bellows affair came out then the lens was on the end of the bellows, Dad seemed to be a prolific photographer of what sometimes seem to be mundane subjects, they played a lot of cricket and football, and seemed always to be grouping for a picture to be taken, seems bizare to be playing cricket in the Western Desert when at anytime you could be under attack from the enemy.

a view of the team with my father in it, I really didnt think Beaus were as big as they seem in this picture!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...arright619.jpg

"King Farouks Yacht" under arrest in some Egyptian harbour near to Alexandria

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ria1942631.jpg

Many regards

Vfr

Vfrpilotpb: It certainly does interest some of us.

I would also like to see more so please keep them coming.

i could look at these sort of pics all day long.

Well here we are again, I hope Pprune will not bother if I have not resized correctly,

Bit ancient Hawker Hart with my pop holding the prop, I think this was during is training at Cranwell about 1937/8
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rtC1938590.jpg

Hampden Bomber again about 1938 Pater is one nearest camera uner wing, but I do not know where this was,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...esttoAchan.jpg

148 Sqdn Crest
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rCrestl593.jpg

4000lb bomb waiting to go into a Wimpey
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...1941or2635.jpg

Similar bomb being winched into a 148 Wellington at Kabrit 1941/2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...toWellingt.jpg

This Hurrican force landed into the Western Desert 1941 with some sort of fire problem in engine compartment, if you look at the rear of the exhaust stubs you can see some scorching(the picture is a little blurred)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...gWD1941637.jpg

Similar Huricane with Broken back Western Desert 1941
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ing1941638.jpg

This is a captured Italian Tri motor on Sicily about 1943, seems intact but nothing else is written on back of photo
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...JobIthinki.jpg

Beaufighter Sardinia 1944 flown By Sergeant Pilot Alan Powell(still with us) and Navigator my pop (not with us) they had flown out that morning to the troopship the "Rex" with orders to sink it, a full flight(dont know how many in a flight) ws despatched and said Rex as sunk, this is one thing I did hear from my father, who said the AP projectiles fired at the liner went straight through and out the other side, after one pass by the planes from 272 Sqdn the liner started to list and slowy settled in the water finally rolling over, on there way back the used ther cannons on anything they could find,this Beau found a target but they didnt see a flak ship moored alongside(unsighted to them) they attacked the ship and flew over its funnels only to feel and hear hard things hitting their Beau, with they wings full of holes and no air in their tyres they attempted to land and this is the result, apparently the Beaufighter was immensly strong and protected the crew with the big Hercules radials sticking out in fornt to batter anything out of the way
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...nia1944558.jpg
The Finger Inn was their mess, and the crashed Beaufighter Pilot Alan powell can be seen at the front with the black top, my old man is the short one with his hands in his pockets, this pictuure was taken in Cyprus about mid 1943
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rus1941634.jpg

Ill post more tommorow night,

Many regards

PeterR-B
Vfr

Sorry Pprune I cocked up with my resize

Fasinating stuff Vfrpilotpb, keep it up. Everytime some one dies a library burns down, unless some one keeps that history alive. Every one, no matter what their station, has a story to tell.

Vfrpilotpb: You mention "AP projectiles fired at the liner went straight through and out the other side".
That must have been before the unexpected underwater characteristics of the AP head were discovered.

Quite by accident I believe, it was found that if the old 3inch rocket was fired into the water a certain distance short of a target it would describe a parabola underwater and come up through the bottom of the ship.

Small Prints
 

My late Uncle (R.A. A-A) used a similar camera in Ceylon and India and onto Rangoon via Chittagong & Mandalay. He had a mask which was inserted in the camera and the film ran over it. The old standard 120 film took 8 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" the common format (or 12 2 1/4") exposures. I think (I was only 7 or 8 when this was explained to me) with mask inserted you took 16 exposures down one side of the film. You then rewound the film rotated the mask and took another 16 exposures down the other side. This meant you had 32 pictures instead of 8 from one film. With film in very limited supply my Uncle became unit photographer and had all their allocation of film. This in itself ecked out the film supply as duplication was avoided and then with group pictures also got everyone in one picture further conservation. He spent about 2 years after the war distributing print to the rest of the unit.

Peter,

I've had my Dad looking at your photos, he was 272 around El Alamein time (late 1942) then went on to 603 in 1943. He says :D

Needless to say, we're both awaiting any more photos that you may be able to post :ok:

To all of you, thank you for the comments, I will carry on posting what I find, and hope your interest will continue, one thing I came across when I was about 12 years old (about 1957, whilst moving house),it was a neatly folded Red handkerchief with white lines around its border, it had a ragged hole in it so that when you opened it it had a hole in each quarter, I asked Dad what it was, .. after a great deal of difficlty and tearful eyes Dad explained to me that it was in one of his friend pockets when they found him and his a/c, the hole it seems was from some sort of projectile amongst a few more that had done for the poor flyer, it took me a further 10 years before I realised what that scrap of useless material meant to him, many years later when we parted for the last time, it went with him.

The six years of that conflict did a lot more damage than just altering the landscape!

Vfr

Vfr
As said before many thanks for sharing your Father's photographs with us they really are fascinating. You mentioned your Father's camera being a Kodak, perhaps it was one of these?
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...aft/41_1_b.jpg

Mel

MR, yes it was very similar to that one, with the exception that it had a sort of prisim that you looked down through and saw what the lens would also be seeing.

PeterR-B
Vfr

The pictures I am attempting to post tonight should have been posted before the earlier one's showing the burnt Wellington, for these are the actual raid in progress and show some remarkable sights,

this picture is of the first part of the attack on 148 Sqdn at Kalbrit,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...fterGerman.jpg

Wellingtons burning well, note the 4000 lb bombs at the ear of the wellington in the forground, I suppose thats why everybody hid behid things
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...lablaze643.jpg

This shows two Wellies burnng well, the white puffs are the bombs going off inside the Wimpeys note the chaps lurking behind the blast walls!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...puffsofsmo.jpg

This shows one of the Wimpeysburnt out and still burning, with more that were mssed over the top of the blastwall,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...stillburni.jpg

next to the buning A/c is the petrol dump, missed by the attackers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...roldumpand.jpg

This Airfield is at" Edku" which I think was Egypt about 20 miles from Alexandria, the buildings are the dispersal area and above the solitary tree you might be able to make out the profile of a Blenheim about to "Beat Up" the drome,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...tUpEdku639.jpg

A trio of Toppish looking Bass in front of one of 272 Sqdns Beaus, not sure where though, perhaps Johns father might recognise these people.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...272Sqdn640.jpg

A pair of 213 Sqdn NCO's in Cyprus at their office meeting!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rus1941641.jpg

I hope as before these are of interest to you, and hope that I have got the size right now!

Many regards

Peter R-B
Vfr

Keep 'em coming Peter :ok: :ok:

Tempus Fugit, sadly I seem to run out of time all to easily in order to sort through these files of my fathers, a lot of the pictures now comming out are of people and odd pictures of equipment and convoys in the Desert, when any more of an aircraft type of interest come out I will post them straight away,

Interestingly though I found a website put up by the son of a Pilot from 272 Sqdn, in which he has several links to other people who had connections with 272, amazingly I have found a reference to my father whilst he was acting as Navigator for a Pilot called Group Captain JRD "Bob" Braham, and on the same site a good well written account of the attack and subsequent sinking of the Italian Liner, REX by no more than a handfull of 272 Beaufighters.

Its quiet amazing what can be found on the internet.


My regards

Peter R-B
Vfr:ok:

Peter,

This photo of yours,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...mission620.jpg

are you able to tell from the original whether the nearest Beau has "H" as the Squadron letter? "H" for Humdinger was a 603 cab flown by Reub Giles in 1943, the squadron ID letters would be 'XT' for 603, 272 was 'BJ'. Dad is obviously interested, since if it is 603, he'd be flying one of the other two aircraft!

Peter,
Great photos! These really are rare treats.
Brick

Check your PMs, please.

Absolutely fascinating.

This is what the Internet was designed for.

It really is amazing what the people of these times went through. These stories need re-telling however mundane they may seem. I too have experienced the reluctance of this generation to relay the exact events, emotions and feelings of this time but have slowly learnt how dramatic and traumatic these times were.

If only we could learn!

Whatever else you have Peter or anybody else has, I'm sure it would be appreciated here. Thanks for taking the time out to post.

Peter,

I have only just noticed a name you mentioned in your post a couple up from here. That of Bob Braham. He became the subject of a conversation at my GatBash when I invited 15 former BoB pilots in 2000. It seems that Paul Farnes, one of the pilots, was with BB during the battle, quite how I cannot remember, when he flew Blenheim's. I was amazed to hear that BB had at war's end had received 2 DFC's 2 DSO's and later gained more when he flew Beaus. His rank of GC would suggest it is the same one. Whoever heard of Bob Braham, I hadn't, but he was a true hero.

Anyone got any info on BB? And Peter, please keep the photos coming. They are some of the best I have seen since starting the forum.

When I served on 29 the squadron had a Jerry Killers tankard.
Bob Braham's name featured regularly on it.

I don't know if it still available but I have his memoirs titled "Scramble" by W/Cdr J.R.D. Braham. DSO, DFC, AFC, CD, Belgian Order of the Crown, and Croix de Guerre.

PPRuNe Pop: The book I mentioned above is available from that well know South American river.

Re Bob Braham
 

Really excellent book "Pursuit through Darkened Skies" by Michael Allen (Airlife) which I have just finished reading. Mike Allen was the Nav/Rad crewed with Harry White on Night Fighter Ops in 44/45. They flew Beaufighters initially, then Mosquitos. Mike's hero was clearly Bob Braham who was his CO on a couple of Squadrons and receives a lot of mention in the book. I think he was the most highly decorated fighter pilot in WW2 with 2 DSOs, 2 DFCs and an AFC.

Henry, thank you it is now on order. I have written to Paul Farnes to get a little more background.

PPP

Italian Trimotors
 

Great Photos Vfrpilotpb,
The high wing trimotor with the RAF roundels,is indeed a Caproni Ca-133,powered by 3, 460 hp Piaggio P VII engines.The civilian trimotor is a SIAI-MACCHETTI SM 82/83 of Alalittoria.Powered by 3, 860 hp Alfa Romeo 128 engines.


Hope this helps.

These are all great photos, thanks for sharing them! The photo of the three officers, note that the one on the right has a lighter shaded uniform. The other two could be Australians, as their uniforms were of a darker blue shade. Cant see any 'Australia' nationality flashes on the shoulders though.

I second the recommendation about "Pursuit Through Darkened Skies. Great read!

'Bob' Braham flew Blenheims, then Beaus as a nightfighter, then went on to night intruder ops with Beaus and Mosquitos. Shot down after going against two FW-10s (in daylight!) after taking one fighter out. The other got him. Post war he flew with the RCAF, sadly died at a relatively young age. (Cancer?) RCAF CF-100 crews I've interviewed had great things to say about him as well.