by Nick Thomas
No. 126 Squadron’s Spitfires went in action, led by Flight Lieutenant W.J. Johnson (flying BR311) who claimed two Mc 202s (actually Re 2001s) destroyed, with his No. 2, Sergeant N. Marshall, RCAF (flying BP860), destroying an Re 2001:
‘I was Dumbell Yellow Section escorting the [captured] Cant out towards Limosa. Just north of Limosa I saw the enemy approaching. They immediately turned all round and made towards Pantelleria. I gave chase with my No. 2 after telling Yellow 3 and 4 to stay with the Cant. The enemy made no evasive action. I attacked the centre one. They were in line astern. Attacked from quarter and gave it a burst. I saw the hood come off and the pilot bailed out. I saw my No. 2 firing at the first Mc which went straight into the sea. I turned round into the 3rd Mc and gave it a burst, and saw strikes on the wings and fuselage. It then turned away streaming oil and climbing, so I climbed right up underneath him and gave him a burst, and he immediately rolled over and went into the sea. The pilot did not bail out.
(signed) W.J. Johnson F/Lt.’
No. 249 Squadron was back in the air giving cover to the Ohio, making a flight strength patrol between 1550 and 1705 hours. Later, a Squadron scramble was flown at 1825 hours. Three Bf 109s were engaged over Hal Far. Flight Sergeant Hiskens (flying BR706 T-L) damaged a Bf 109. Oberleutnant Michalski of IV./JG 53 bounced Sergeant Hogarth (flying EP207) who was shot down. He bailed out and was picked up by High Speed Launch 128.
Meanwhile, No. 1435 Squadron’s Squadron Leader A.D. Lovell and Sergeant G. Philp shared a Ju 87, while Flight Sergeant I.R. MacLennan destroyed an Mc 202.
Squadron Leader Lovell’s combat report read:
‘I saw one Ju 87 diving and went for it, overtook it rapidly, opened fire at 300 yards and broke away at 30 yards. I saw strikes all over the engine and fuselage. White smoke poured from both sides. He lost height, smoke stopped, and he did a steep turn to port and flew west, losing height. I turned back towards the convoy and saw the Ju 87 crash into the sea. I claim half shared with Philp.’
No. 229 Squadron’s Flight Lieutenant G. W. Swannick claimed a Ju 87. Despite the Spitfire pilot’s valiant efforts, one Stuka did get through and dropped a bomb which exploded alongside the Ohio.
Meanwhile, between 2005 and 2130 hours, four of No. 249 Squadron’s Spitfires made a convoy escort over the Ohio. No enemy aircraft were sighted, despite the Controller giving them a vector.
There was little air activity on 15 August, although during a scramble made at 0925 hours, No. 185 Squadron’s Captain C.J.O. Swales (flying EP313) and Sergeant J. Tarbuck (flying EP410), shared in the destruction of a Bf 109. Tarbuck’s Spitfire was damaged by return fire and he was picked up by High Speed Launch 128.
Beurling spent the 16th and 17th in his quarters suffering from Malta Dog, but was back on duty by the 18th. Meanwhile, there were surprisingly few enemy raids over the island. No. 249 Squadron made five uneventful patrols between 0810 and 2030 hours on the 16th and a further four patrols were made over Grand Harbour on the following day. At noon, Nos. 126 and 185 Squadron were scrambled to intercept a formation of fifteen Bf 109s making a fighter sweep over Kalafrana.
No. 185 Squadron’s Sergeant C. Weaver, RCAF (flying BR374), destroyed two Bf 109s, while Pilot Officer Stenborg (flying EP457) claimed a Bf 109 but was badly shot-up. With his cockpit filling with smoke, he struggled to control the Spitfire, which had lost part of its port wing. The aircraft went into a steep dive, reaching in excess of 400mph. Somehow, Stenborg managed to bail out and was rescued from the sea north-east of Delimara Point by High Speed Launch 128.
A further reinforcement of twenty-eight Spitfires arrived, with Pilot Officer McElroy leading one flight of Spitfires who had launched off the deck of HMS Furious in Operation Baritone. Thirty-one aircraft took off, but three had to be abandoned. One pilot, Sergeant W.J. Fleming6, was lost.
The new pilots posted to the Squadron included Pilot Officer K.C.M. Giddings7, Sergeants A.B. Stead, RNZAF, B.C. Peters and E.F. Croswell.
Meanwhile, tour-expired pilots Flight Lieutenant L.W. Watts8 and Pilot Officers Oscar Mahaffy ‘Ozzie’ Linton9 and J.D. Rae, and Sergeant P.W. Lamont left the Squadron, with Flight Lieutenant F.E. Jones taking over Watts’ flight.
Pilot Officer J.F. Booth and Sergeant D.R. Ritchie were posted to No. 126 Squadron, while Sergeant Stanley Joseph ‘Scarlet’ Shewell came to No. 249 Squadron from No. 126 Squadron. Pilot Officer R. Seed and Flying Officer Newman were posted to No. 229 Squadron, also based at Takali.
A list of the other pilots and their postings reads:
Flight Lieutenant J.R.S. Halford (flight leader)
No. 1435 Squadron
Flying Officer J.F. McElroy, RCAF (flight leader)
No. 249 Squadron
Pilot Officer K.W.S. Evans10 (flight leader)
No. 126 Squadron
Pilot Officer J.J. Scott, RCAF
No. 229 Squadron
Pilot Officer C. Taylor, RCAF
No. 126 Squadron
Pilot Officer J.D, Stevenson, RCAF
No. 126 Squadron
Pilot Officer H.T. Nash, RCAF (USA)
No. 229 Squadron
Pilot Officer I.F. Preston, RCAF (USA)
No. 126 Squadron
Flight Sergeant M.W. Frith
No. 229 Squadron
Flight Sergeant C.H. Parkinson, RAAF (flight leader)
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant P.M. Charron, RCAF
No. 126 Squadron
Sergeant P.A. Dixon
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant D.C. Eva
No. 1435 Squadron
Sergeant L.J. Farrell, RCAF (USA)
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant D.G. Fuller
No.1435 Squadron
Sergeant R.B. Hendry, RNZAF
No.126 Squadron
Sergeant J.S. Jarrett
No. 1435 Squadron
Sergeant J.M.W. Lloyd
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant D.D. MacLean, RNZAF
No. 126 Squadron
Sergeant A.O. MacLeod, RCAF
No. 185 Squadron
Sergeant R. Miller
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant R.H. Saunders
No. 185 Squadron
Sergeant F.W. Sharp
No. 1435 Squadron
Sergeant F.G. Stewart
No. 229 Squadron
Sergeant J.C. Sullivan, RNAF
No. 1435 Squadron
Sergeant T. Wallace
No. 229 Squadron
With Beurling reporting back for duty on 18 August, his first sortie came at 0800 hours, when he took off in Spitfire EP136 T-P as part of a section strength scramble against five-plus enemy aircraft heading for the harbour. They arrived, ‘in time to help turn back a fighter sweep of Macchis, Reggianes, and Me’s.’
The Spitfires were still in a battle-climb trying to get the advantage of height over the enemy, when two Re 2001s bounced MacLean, catching him off-guard. His aircraft was hit in the engine and its 100 octane fuel ignited. MacLean was trapped in his burning aircraft for over thirty seconds.
Sergeant N.G. Bryden pulled out of formation and circled the Spitfire as it dived earthwards on fire.
MacLean somehow managed to roll his Spitfire and bailed out. His burnt hands meant he found difficulty in pulling the ripcord and he had fallen 6,000ft before his parachute deployed.
Bryden gave a May-Day, radioing MacLean’s position for the High Speed Launch, which was on the scene within a quarter of an hour.
Beurling explained that:
‘Mac landed in the sea and managed to get rid of his parachute, but was so weak and so badly burned he couldn’t get his dinghy out.’
The emergency dinghy was about 5ft in length and was an integral part of the parachute pack. Just before a pilot hit the water, he released the parachute itself, but the dinghy stayed with him, dangling by a ring from the Mae West. Having removed the cover off the dinghy, the pilot had to pull a pin which deployed the CO2 bottle, slowl
y inflating the dinghy. Two loops allowed the pilot to pull himself aboard.
MacLean suffered from burns to the upper body and it was a full month before he was strong enough to be moved out of his hospital bed.
Meanwhile, three patrols were flown between 1300 and 1730 hours. Red Section sighted six Bf 109s over Rabat during the latter, but the enemy made good their escape.
Two uneventful patrols were flown during the late morning of 19 August on what proved to be a quiet day for the Squadron.
At 1010 hours on 20 August, a combined force of eighteen of Nos. 249 and 229 Squadron’s Spitfires flew on Rodeo 1. This marked the beginning of the RAF’s offensive campaign against targets in southern Sicily. Group Captain Walter M. Churchill, DSO, DFC, led the sweep. Sergeant Beurling (flying EP706 T-L) reported sighting two Bf 109s, but they had too much of a head-start and could not be overhauled:
‘For the first time since my coming to Malta [sic], the RAF’s Spitfires went on the offensive – and couldn’t even get a Hun or an Eyetie to come up.’
‘we swept into Sicily over Cap Scaramia and took a look at each of the main enemy airfields at Comiso, Biscari and Gela.’
At 1355 hours on 21 August, one section each from Nos. 249 and 229 Squadrons took part in a second offensive sweep over Sicily. In total, a force of twenty-three Spitfires, drawn from four Squadrons, was deployed. Despite aerial reconnaissance reporting about 100 Ju 88s, fifty Cants and other Italian bombers, along with 175 fighters, not a single aircraft took to the air, nor were the airfields strafed. Meanwhile, two uneventful scrambles were flown on the following day.
A Squadron scramble was flown at 0855 hours on 23 August, when two Bf 109s were sighted but turned for home. Later, at 1535 hours, Group Captain Churchill led eight of No. 249 Squadron’s Spitfires, along with four from No. 229 Squadron on an escort to three Hurri-bombers of the FAA (carrying two 250lb bombs) targeting Gela airstrip. No. 249 Squadron’s Red Section saw two Bf 109s, but was unable to engage. Meanwhile, Beurling (flying EP706 T-L) sighted an enemy formation flying high above and in a position to make an attack, but they did not come down.
At 0940 hours on 24 August, Pilot Officers Beurling (flying EP706 T-L) and J.G.W. Farmer took off on a practice flight. Once airborne, however, the pair were vectored onto a plot by the Controller. This turned out to be a damaged Beaufort returning from a mission against enemy shipping in the Gulf of Taranto. Streaming black smoke, the Beaufort was escorted safely back to Luqa, where it made a successful wheels-up landing.
A flight strength scramble was flown at 1340 hours, but no enemy aircraft were sighted. Meanwhile, between 1550 and 1710 hours, a section of No. 229 Squadron’s Spitfires was scrambled from Takali, intercepting an Sm 82 with Italian markings. Flight Lieutenant E.P.F.L.T. Magruder, Pilot Officer H.T. Nash, and Sergeants J.H. Ballantyne and E.T. Brough, all fired bursts into the enemy bomber, which dived into the sea pouring out flames and thick smoke. They were able to claim the enemy aircraft as shared.
At 1130 hours on 25 August, ten of No. 249 Squadron’s Spitfires were scrambled and vectored onto thirty-plus Messerschmitt 109s heading for Grand Harbour. The Bf 109s were first spotted at 21,000ft, before they turned into sun and dived on the Spitfires. A dogfight ensued, during which Flight Lieutenant F.E. Jones (flying EP448 T-F) saw a Bf 109 attacking Pilot Officer R.P. Round11 (flying BP976 T-C) from astern. The Messerschmitt fired a fatal burst and Round’s Spitfire dived into the sea 500 yards from the coast. There was no parachute.
One of No. 126 Squadron’s pilots witnessed the events from the ground:
‘He was hit high up and slowly glided down in swooping circles, throttling back or [his] engine quit, [and he crashed] into the sea off St Julian’s Bay where our mess was, and where we were swimming. I guess he was killed high up, poor chap.’
Meanwhile, No. 185 Squadron had eight of its Spitfires airborne, Red Section taking on nine Bf 109s, with Sergeant C. Weaver (flying BR374) claiming one probably destroyed over Luqa.
Malta’s fighters were again on the offensive, when, at 1745 hours, ten of No. 249 Squadron’s and eleven of No. 229 Squadron’s Spitfires took off on a fighter sweep over southern Sicily. Their mission was to escort three Hurri-bombers on a raid to Biscari. Two Spitfires collided on take-off; the pilots were shaken but unhurt. Meanwhile, although the Hurricanes were recalled due to bad weather, the Spitfires, under Wing Commander A. Donaldson, continued their mission.
Sergeant Beurling (flying EP706 T-L) sighted two Bf 109s but was unable to close in for combat. Warrant Officer Basil ‘Micky’ Butler12 (flying EN 695) reported that his hydromatic propeller was U/S and that he was going to bail-out, but before he could act, his Spitfire suddenly dived straight-in.
Beurling recalled:
‘his ship seemed to be completely under control. Then the same came again: “I gotta bail out!” Butler’s Spitfire shoved its nose down and went into a vertical dive. It never came out.’
During the day there were changes in the Squadron’s personnel. Flight Lieutenant E.N. Woods was posted to command, taking over from Acting Squadron Leader R.A. Mitchell13. Beurling noted that Woods was a seasoned combat pilot, having previously served with Jones in No. 72 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Meanwhile, Flying Officer Roscoe and Flight Sergeant C.H. Parkinson were posted to No. 229 Squadron, with Beurling’s friend, Pilot Officer R. Seed14, transferring the other way. Flying Officer E.A.G.C. Bruce was posted from No. 185 Squadron.
At 0900 hours on 26 August, seven of No. 249 Squadron’s Spitfires were scrambled, Beurling flying EP706 T-L. Once airborne they sighted five Bf 109s, which they chased for 20 miles out to sea, but could not catch.
During the early afternoon, No. 249 Squadron was scrambled to intercept two Bf 109s, which had shot down No. 229 Squadron’s Sergeant Cornish15 (flying BR496), who had misjudged his altitude during combat. Flying Officer Newman16 (flying EP190) reported Cornish’s loss and circled the spot, but was shot down by Leutnant Schiess of Stab/JG 53.
Beurling was struck down by a reoccurrence of Malta Dog and, much to his annoyance, missed out on the next few days’ combats.
During the morning of 27 August, No. 126 Squadron scrambled eight Spitfires to intercept nine Bf 109s. Both Flying Officer T. Wallace (flying EP332) and Flight Sergeant G.H.T. Farquharson (flying BP992) damaged a Bf 109.
With Malta’s Spitfires back on the offensive, Group Captain Churchill led a fighter sweep over Sicily. At a little before 1000 hours, a formation of ten Spitfires from No. 185 Squadron headed for Comiso, followed five minutes later by eight of No. 229 Squadron’s Spitfires making for Biscari. Another five minutes later and Squadron Leader E.N. Woods took off at the head of eight Spitfires from No. 249 Squadron, targeting Gela.
Arriving over the airfield, Red and Blue Sections screamed down and strafed the dispersal pens to the west and east respectively. Turning over the barracks positioned to the north-west, they re-crossed the coast at 300ft.
Squadron Leader E.N. Woods destroyed an Mc 202 on the ground, killing or wounding three airmen working on the fighter, while Pilot Officer R. Seed claimed a Ju 88 during his pass. Pilot Officer J.W. Williams destroyed one of 102° Gruppo’s Ju 87s. Other claims were made by Sergeant N.G. Brydon who probably destroyed a Ju 88, and by Sergeant Shewell who got a Bf 109, as did Flight Lieutenant E.L. Hetherington.
Squadron Leader Woods wrote:
‘We approached the aerodrome from the south-east corner and attacked four Macchi 202s parked on the perimeter. I saw strikes all along the fuselage and cockpit, then an explosion. I turned left at 0ft and attacked a group of soldiers or airmen, killing or wounding them. There were no more suitable targets, so I set a course for base. After crossing the Sicilian coast on our return, a very large column of black smoke was seen coming from the aerodrome.’
Pilot Officer Robin Seed’s (Red 3) combat report read:
‘I saw a Ju 88 parked outside a hangar on the north-west corner of the field. I opened fire at about 400 yards and gave a fou
r-second burst. I saw many strikes and the aircraft caught fire. Several mechanics, who were working on the port engine on a ladder, fell to the ground. I turned to port and followed Red Leader out to sea over Gela town. About three miles out to sea I attacked a two-masted, motor-driven cutter of about 80ft. I saw cannon and machine gun strikes from the water line to the bridge, Tiger Blue 4, who was a distance behind, reported smoke coming from it.’
While leading No. 229 Squadron against Biscari, Group Captain W.M. Churchill (flying EP339) led a section down to damage buildings in Vittorio on the way to their target. Group Captain Churchill fired at a Ju 88 on the ground, but was shot down by flak and crashed in flames.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Dix damaged three unidentified aircraft on the ground at Gela, while Flight Sergeant C.H. Parkinson and Sergeant Francis destroyed two Ju 88s during their strafe. Flight Sergeant Parkinson encountered three Bf 109s on the return flight, shooting one down into the sea.
Group Captain Churchill17 had been posted to the island in the non-flying role as Deputy to the AOC. However, Churchill had chosen to take an active lead in taking the fight to the enemy and had paid the ultimate price.
Arthur Hay Donaldson, leading a section of No. 229 Squadron, recorded details of the operation:
‘Intelligence got word that there was a huge build-up of enemy bombers on three airfields in Sicily, at Gela, Biscari and Comiso. Keith Park decided he would send my Wing [Nos. 185, 229 and 249 Squadrons] to attack these three aerodromes just as the bombers were due to take off.
‘I was to lead and it was to be a low-level attack. I took my No. 2, Group Captain Walter Spencer Churchill, DSO, DFC.
