In the early stages of World War Two, the Italian Forces in Abyssinia,
East Africa, consisting of 200,000 troops and nearly 400 aircraft
constituted a grave threat to Kenya and the Sudan. To meet this threat
three South African Air Force (SAAF) fighter squadrons were deployed to
East Africa to counter the attacking Italian Air Force. The three
squadrons operated mostly old and antiquated bi-planes in the form of
Hawker Furies, Gloster Gauntlets and Gloster Gladiators. Between then
they did also operate a number of Hawker Hurricane Mk. Is, of which some
still had fabric wing surfaces and two-bladed wooden propellers. These
aircraft were also passed along between the various units, depending on
the area that had the highest requirement. Among the three squadrons, 1
Squadron primarily used Gloster Gladiators, while 2 Squadron used Furies
and Gladiators, with 3 Squadron being the primary users of the
Hurricanes. These units were joined by 4 Squadron, training on Furies
and Curtiss Mohawks, before moving to Egypt for operations in the
Desert. 3 Squadron later converted to these Curtiss Mohawks, and
eventually ended up with a mix of Mohawks, again supplemented by
Gladiators. 41 Squadron, an Army-Cooperation unit, also converted to a
fighter squadron after the major campaign was completed and served as a
holding unit in East Africa, flying Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIs. One
Detached Flight, operating Mohawks during the final part of the
campaign, was renumbered as B-Flight of 3 Squadron and joined the
primary unit for the last major operations in East Africa. The squadrons
operated on all fronts in Somaliland and Abyssinia, and made a
considerable contribution towards the victory that was achieved in that
campaign. Commenting on the part, that the SAAF Fighter Squadrons played
in the campaign, Sir Archibald Sinclair said: "When the Italian come to
draw up a list of the factors that caused them to lose the East African
Empire, they will place the South African Air Force somewhere near the
top of the list".
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 and Pilot Logbooks. were
used in the preparation of the text contained herein. This volume
contains 23 full-color plates and 112 b&w photos, indicating the people
and aircraft operated by these squadrons.
This volume will be followed by two further volumes, tracing the onwards
history of these squadrons as well as additional SAAF Fighter Squadrons
during the campaign in North Africa and Malta, and the campaign in
Sicily, Italy and the Balkans.
The authors have already written eight books covering the colors and
markings of the SAAF and SA Army equipment in a series of booklets
entitled South African Colours and Markings, numbers 1 to 8.
