Once the East African Campaign was concluded, some of the SAAF Fighter
Squadrons, operating in Ethiopia and Sudan, moved north to Egypt to
partake in the campaign in Palestine and the Desert War. 1 Squadron
operated Hawker Hurricanes, while 2 Squadron operated the American built
P-40 Tomahawks. 4 Squadron also transitioned to Egypt and soon joined 2
Squadron, flying the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk. These two units were also
joined by 5 Squadron, which had been formed and trained in the Union of
South Africa. All three these units would eventually fly different marks
of the P-40 Kittyhawk towards the end of the campaign. The ferocity of
the aerial campaign over the North African desert and coastal plains can
be illustrated by facts such as the numbers of fighter aircraft
involved. The three SAAF Squadrons alone operated at least around 275
Tomahawks, that the author had been able to identify. This was followed
by a similar number of Kittyhawk Mk. I and Kittyhawk Mk. II aircraft.
The SAAF would also operate more than 160 Kittyhawk Mk. II and Mk. IV
fighters in the late stages of this campaign and the follow-up campaign
in Italy. The different SAAF squadrons that eventually operated
Hurricanes, also operated well in excess of 200 Hurricanes of different
models during their time in North Africa.
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, Pilot Logbooks, Personal
Diaries, Aircraft Movement Cards, Medical and Incident Reports, Combat
Reports and Supplementary reports, were used in the preparation of the
text contained herein. This volume contains 88 pages, 20 full-color
plates and 95 b&w photos, indicating the people and aircraft operated by
these squadrons.
This volume will be followed by a third volume, tracing the onwards
history of these squadrons as well as additional SAAF Fighter Squadrons
during the final months of the campaign in North Africa. More volumes
will follow, detailing the SAAF Fighter Squadron operations in Malta and
the campaign in Sicily, Italy and the Balkans.
