A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Update from the Stone & Stone site:


Author Chris Shores has passed along this very useful information about A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945:
"We have been able to keep to our September 2018 publication date (just). We had thought at one point to get ahead to the July Duxford Air Show date, but unexpected arrival of a lot of new information thrust us back somewhat. However the book (690 plus pages) is currently at the printers and we hope to launch it at the September air show on 22nd of the coming month—although it will be a little later before the shippers can get copies out to North America.
"In the event we did not have to 'slice' into two volumes but there has been a bit of realignment because the constraints of space meant that we could not get everything into the strict date order we would have liked. So in Vol 4 you will find the main tactical operations over Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and mainland Italy as far as 5 June 1944 (the date of the fall of Rome to the Allies). Therein also are details of such strategic operations as are effectively those of a "long-range tactical" nature. However, strategic operations generally are planned to be dealt with in Vol 6—certainly from October 1943 onwards when the formation of the US 15th Air Force occurred and targets increasingly became increasingly distant.
"What we are now having to carry forward to Vol 5 are the operations in the Balkans and Aegean area during the period May 1943-June 1944 which, of course, were occurring at the same time as those of the tactical units detailed in Vol 4 and need to be brought up in line with them. However this will allow us to incorporate into Vol 5 a considerable amount of additional information (and some corrections) related to earlier volumes in the series. Vol 5 is also planned to include the main tactical operations over Italy until the end of hostilities at the start of May 1945. This will also include the formation and activities of the Balkan Air Force and operations during the invasion of the South of France.
"Readers will note that we have now included Wg Cdr Andy Thomas in our research team. He has become our 'illustrations man', seeking for us the illustrations we are employing generally. Meanwhile Vol 5 is progressing well, but at the same time because age is creeping up on all members of the team, the work is getting harder. So if your question is "When?"—please watch this space!
"As ever, Good Reading all!"

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Great news, can I ask how many volumes more are needed to complete the story?

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Volume 5 will complete the tactical operations in the MTO to the end of the war. It will also include the Aegean operations omitted from Vol 4 for space reasons. Volume 6 will be the strategic operations going back to the Aug 1 1943 Ploesti raid, and a few others briefly mentioned in Vol 4, and then continuing from Nov 1 1943 to some unspecified point, possibly Aug 31, 1944 approximately. Chris thinks it may be possible to complete the strategic operations in one volume; I think that will be a very (too) large volume. But we will have to see once we build the necessary files and start actually writing. I suspect we will get a large volume 6 (500 pages) and a short volume 7 (300 pages), and will then include updates, appendices, etc to flesh out volume 7. For the US units the Group commanders are all known, but the Squadron commanders are much less complete; so for example I would like to build a file of all the Group and Squadron commanders and include it in volume 7.

I have also been building a file of all US aircraft losses, with their entire crews, and all other KIA, POW, MIA personnel, which I will probably end up publishing myself after the series is complete.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Many thanks for this important insight.....

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

OMG!!! Great work guys!! i'm lookin forward to have all the books!!!!

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Hello,

For those amongst you who can make it, a rare opportunity to meet some of the team:

https://www.aviation-bookshop.com/hub.htm

Col.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Expected in October.

http://www.christian-schmidt.com/pro...ducts_id=10282

Usual disclaimer,
Ed

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Available now in the UK.

Ed

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Received my copy yesterday

4 interesting photos:p.377 (impressive!)p.381,p.383 (the Ju.52 in the foreground....a higher wawe...and "splash"!p.567

First observation:good,very good
Claims are particularly "wacky",crazy!!(specially by the Luftwaffe and REGIA AERONAUTICA)....we would believe Japanese claims!

Michel

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

I've just received my copy. Looks majestic. Thank you for all your work, and I'm looking forward to the next volume.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

I have a question about the photo at the bottom of p. 24. Is that guy really Kesselring? He does smile, but he doesn't look much like "the smiling Albert".
Also, I'm pretty sure that on p. 158, where units of Luftflotte 2 are listed, "III./Schl.G 2" should read "II./Schl.G 2". AFAIK, Sch.G 2 didn't have III. Gruppe at all.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

The MAW Team has concluded, after due deliberation, thousands of emails, much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair (neither a good idea at our ages), that the picture on page 24 is not Smiling Albert, but probably Smiling Hans (last name unknown). Further the reference to III./SchlG 2 is in fact a typo. Both corrections (and hopefully a correct picture) will be listed in the final MAW volume with all other corrections from the earlier volumes.

Do please keep informing us of any corrections. It helps to keep us humble. cough, cough.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

I also have a tidbit :) Recently, while reading "Long Range Desert Group. Behind Enemy Lines in North Africa" by W.B. Kennedy Shaw (the unit's intelligence officer), and cross-checking it with the MAW books, I’ve found an interesting piece of info. The MAW says of 17th November 1941 (vol. I, p. 310): “272 Squadron’s Beaufighters were out again during the day, one trio strafing many vehicles”.
Here’s what Kennedy Shaw recorded: “Simms had some excitement, caught in one of those unfortunate incidents which happened two or three times in LRDG’s life. On November 17th he was moving up to position on the Tariq el ‘Abd when three Beaufighters roared over the horizon and opened fire on the patrol. […] The Beaufighters strafed the Y1 patrol till their ammunition was finished and the W/T truck ablaze”. Fortunately, there were no casualties!

Regards, Tom

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Tom

Nice pick up, thanks for that.

Russell

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

I don't know if this account appears in volume 4 but I hope so.

WWII Diary of Capt. Samuel T. Moore, MD - 81st Fighter Group

Thursday, August 5, 1943, Bizerte [Tunisia]

"Also I had a nice chat with a P-40 pilot, Richard E. Cone by name, of Columbus, Ohio. He was shot down by an ME-109 over Sicily and miraculously lived to tell his tale. Cone was flying escort for a formation of bombers at 13,000 feet when he spotted a ME-109 closing on on his element leader's plane. He turned to meet the ME, and as he did so he saw the ME's guns blinking at him. He watched helplessly as a row of bullet holes ran up one wing and shattered his windshield. Then a 20-mm shell exploded on the canopy adjacent to his head.

In the split second before darkness came he saw blood splatter the glass and instrument panel, and he released his safety harness. He regained consciousness momentarily and found himself falling free in the air. He pulled the rip cord but passed out again before the chute opened. The next time he awoke he was in the Mediterranean with a burning pain in his jaw. Somehow he managed to inflate his dingy and pull himself into it.

But his troubles were not over. His lower jaw was falling apart. He repositioned it and held it in place by pressing his chin against his chest. Again he lapsed into darkness. This time he awoke in an Italian operating room at the business end of a large drill going through his mandible. Without anesthetic or analgesics, he was in excruciating pain. The Italian surgeons finished their drilling and sewed the mandible together. For three days he had no sleep or surcease from the pain, as they would give him no sedative.

Sixteen days later the Americans captured the town and Cone walked out in his borrowed silk pajamas to flag down an American ambulance. The ambulance was on its way to the front and he had to ride with them for almost 20 hours before getting to a hospital.

Cone's mandibular fragments were in very poor position; two teeth with the bone were removed, and his remaining teeth wired. Tomorrow he leaves for a base hospital and then to the States for plastic surgery. He asked me if he'll ever fly again. Poor chap, I think not. But he has a wife and child to return to." p. 144

Flight Surgeon: With the 81st Fighter Group in WWII
(Macedon Publishing Co., Oklahoma 1999)
by Samuel T. Moore, MD with James Edwin Alexander

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Edward,
Thanks for the note. Cone's loss is noted on page 145 of MAW4, but with no further details. We may be able to include a reference to the book you quoted in the errata in the final volume. MAW4 was just under 700 pages long, and we have to limit the number of personal anecdotes included (although I don't believe I knew of the book you quoted).

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

HI Frank,

Glad to pass that along. You really helped me out the last time I was doing research at College Park.

Another published diary which might be of use is:
The War Diaries of Sgt. Robert L. Covington: November 1942 - February 1945
(Pocahontas Press 1998)
Covington served as an aviation mechanic with the 60th Fighter Squadron / 33rd Fighter Group where he primarily worked on P-40's.

Edward

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

If you are looking for errata, in Vol. 2 there's a typo in the entry for 27 August 1942:

The reference to "He 111 GH+JH" should read "GJ+JH", see the attached extract from TNA HW 5/129 — ULTRA CX/MSS/1370 para. 21.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Thanks Nick. I have passed this on to our "collection agency".

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

The identification of the Bf-109G on Pg22 is clearly an error. This is not a machine of II/JG-53 but of III/JG-77 . Note the Wanderzirkus Ubben emblem.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Also, on page 46, the narrative does not match the loss details: "[T]wo of the latter were actually lost by the 14th FG. A third P-38 from the 1st FG was reported shot down by flak while dive-bombing Boccadifalco airfield."
The loss detail correctly identifies the single casualty of the 14th FG flown by Lt. John C. Henry but the 1st FG citation incorrectly notes the loss of Lt. Donald Lowe as:"P-38 lost 1300 on diversionary sweep to Castelvetrano , shot down by fighters 2m S of Trapani at 1515."
This is incorrect as the correct cause of his loss was flak at Boccadifalco A/F as evidenced by "An Escort of P-38s:The Story of the 1st Fighter Group" by Mullins

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Hi guys, really enjoying the latest entry in your epic but I have a query about the following loss which does not appear to be recorded in your book: (quote is from a separate thread here about the loss)

The flieger was Lt Carl-Heinz Friedrich and I have his fascinating Flugbuch in my collection. Any thoughts why this loss is not recorded (at all) in your otherwise wonderful tome. Not being picky, just surprised not to see it and appreciate any feedback.

Re: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4
 

Hello Siko54,

The Luftwaffe researcher Michael Balss records this loss as having taken place on 18, not 28 June. The other details are the same as cited in the forum post. It is indeed an interesting case - I have checked MAW volume 4 and this aircraft is not listed as lost on or around 18 June, either.

Kind regards,

Dan