Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Hi everybody,

Could anybody please tell me the Royal Navy or Fleet Arm Arm squadron plus aircraft carrier if relevant of a Fairey Albacore at Agnone, Sicily during September 1943 when 239 Wing RAF were there.
It may have taken part in the invasion of Sicily.

Albacore has the code '4Z' before the fuselage roundel.

Doug

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Sorry I meant Fleet Air Arm not Fleet Arm Arm.

Doug

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Perhaps an a/c of 828 Sqn:

https://web.archive.org/web/20070804...drons/828.html

Or 820 Sqn, embarked on HMS Formidable; see page 34.

https://pdfcoffee.com/warpaint-serie...-pdf-free.html

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Hi Bruce,

Many thanks for the info. Very helpful indeed.

Doug

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Doug

What you are looking at is the one digit prefix used by many FAA units during the war.
Unfortunately these units are not included in the Air Britain book appendices, BUT they are included under the
units themselves. So I did a list of my own based upon that.

The digit 4 followed by the individual's letter was used by many Albacore units, and by Sep 1943 those who
stick out are 822Sq and possibly 831Sq

822Sq is reported to have dropped their Albacores in Aug 1943 and 831 likewise in June 1943.
Some aircraft may have lingered on for a while.
Unfortunately none of the two units were anywhere near Sicily at the time in question.

If we look at the units listed by Doug
820Sq used the prefix digit 5 plus individual letter
828Sq also used the prefix digit 5

All relevant units mentioned by Harrison in the Albacore book also used the 5 digit prefix.

How written in stone is it that the photo was really taken
a) at Sicily?
b) the date quoted?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

This publication has 815 (det.), 821 and 828 FAA Sqdns in the Orbat for the Sicily campaign: https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisat...e-august-1943/

I believe there also was 817 FAA Sqdn on the HMS Indomitable for Husky.

Regards,
Leendert

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

815Sq used S7A and up codes
821Sq used S5L and up codes
828Sq used 5A and up codes
817Sq used 5A and up codes
Cheers
Stig

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Probably not relevant but the 108 Squadron ORB mentions Albacores dropping flares to illuminate Axis transport during night bombing attacks on convoys in the Tobruk area, July to September 1942….

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Hello,

From A-B's The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm (pp.272-8):

Page 273 has a photograph (incorrectly ascribed to 825 Sqn FAA, it should read 826 Sqn FAA). The photo caption reads: Albacore I N4319, No.825 Squadron, Western Desert 1941. The Albacore is coded "4F". Mentioned on p.272 is the following:

In January 1943 the squadron was reunited for a brief respite at Dekheila before flying to Algeria to carry out local patrols and shipping strikes for several months. In June it moved to Malta to provide anti-submarine support for the invasion of Sicily, following which it disbanded at Hal far on 25 August 1943.

See:
The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.
Sturtivant,Ray
Tonbridge:Air-Britain(Historians),1984.
pp.272-8

Other known examples of the 826 Sqn 4- coding are: Albacores, 4A/N4242; 4B/N4223; 4C/N4323; 4F/N4159; 4G/T9214; 4L/T9172; 4M/X9027; 4M/N4179; 4P/N4229;4Q/L7171, to name a few.

Col.

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Thanks Colin

You nailed it!
For some (now unknown) reason I had put 1941 as the end of Albacore use for 826Sq, so never checked it again....
Very wrong!
Officially they stopped using them in Aug 1943, but that must have been mission wise since the aircraft
themselves must have been around until the unit disbanded at Ta Kali 16 Oct 1943

My apologies....:o

Cheers
Stig

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

An Albacore of 820 Sqn in late 1942, BF759/4L

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205123834

When did 820 Squadron's codes change?

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Bruce

I doubt this photo has anything to do with either 820Sq or the North African landings.
It has been reported as being with 832Sq in late 1941

It is difficult to say precisely when 820Sq changed code prefix from 4 to 5 but I don't think they used the 4 prefix for very long.
By late 1941 they surely had switched to the 5 prefix?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Agreed Stig, not the North African landings given the markings. But where is it reported as an a/c of 832 Sqn?

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Sorry Bruce

I have made no note of that....:o

Cheers
Stig

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

"Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945" has only -
BF759
Deld Worthy Down SS 27.9.42; '4L' once[in ME?].

WARPAINT No.52 has several colour profiles of Albacore's coded "4L", all have different Squadron's and serial numbers. But to please you , on the back page is a colour picture of BF759 in flight.

The Crowood book 'Fairey Swordfish and Albacore ' gives details of Squadron movements and actions.
Alex

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Hi Gentlemen,

Many thanks for your input. Since that, I have done some further investigation into the aircraft.

I was able to find the same photo on the web (see below). From my original photo I was able to scan it and blow the photo up, and can make out three of the last four numbers of the serial 'x923x' under 'Royal Navy'.
Also there appears to be an 'S' before the '4Z'.

The location is Sicily, August-September 1943

My possible guess would be:

Fairey Albacore I, X9230 'S4Z' of 826 Sqn FAA August 1943

Source: 'Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-45' Air Britain by Sturtivant and Burrow. Pages 135,140.
There appears to be a typo for serial X8380 'S4K' of 826 Sqn' on page 135.

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gall...albacore-1942/

Doug

http://https://www.worldwarphotos.in...albacore-1942/

Re: Albacore at Agnone, Sicily
 

Hello Doug,
The photo of S4Z (?) that you gave in the link in post 16 above is perhaps the same Albacore that is in the photo on page 135 of Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945. But the one in the link has later roundel and fin markings than the one on page 135 which has earlier markings, plus I could almost certainly say that the one on page 135 has the serial number X8980, the comment below says it is X8380 (X8380 was one of 150 cancelled Halifax's X8335 - X8384) the S4K is hard to see as it is dark lettering.
Comment on page 137 of Fleet Air Air Aircraft 1939 to 1945 has -
X8980 - Deld 82 MU 7.9.41; Shipped Newport to Alexandria in SS.Silver Willow 24.9.41; 826 Sqn( 4F:S4K)2.42-6.42.

Additional -
The Squadron's of the Fleet Air Arm, (Sturtivant & Ballance) has on page 221 two photos supposedly of the same Aircraft Albacore 4F of 826 Squadron but serial number is given as N4319.
On page 223 Identification markings Albacore L4A + initially, then 4A+, later S4A+. On the same page Aircraft Equipment, Albacore 1 - March 1940 - August 1943, example N4319(4F).

The later 'The Squadron's and Units of the Fleet Air Arm ' (Ballance,Howard & Sturtivant) has the same details pages 181 - 186.
Maybe relevant but picture of a damaged Albacore in the UK date given as 23 June 1940 shows Aircraft L7093 4K, but the 4K is painted on the red/white/blue fin markings, not on the fuselage side.

All the best,
Alex