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Re: ju88 off Derna/Tobruk NOV 1942 Help.
Dear Nick,
just some pieces of info, hoping you are finding them interesting.
The small convoy composed by the freighter Zara (sometimes identified as "auxiliary cruiser" but I don't know why considering that it was simply a 1976 t merchant ship built in 1931 and owned by "Società Anonima Navigazione Adriatica of Venice) and the small liner Brioni (1987 t, built in 1931 for the same S.A.N.A. of Venice) had sailed from Brindisi to Suda without any escort, fianally receiving the attentions of the torpedo boat San Martino only when off the North African Coast of Tobruk. AA defences of this convoy presumably where not so heavy.
At 9.20 on the morning of 2 November 1942 when at 33°10'N, 23°50'E Zara was hit by a torpedo launched by British torpedo bomber. Taken in tow it arrived close to Tobruk but at 22.30 of the same day when at 32°37'N, 23°50'E it sank.
Italian fighters of 2° Stormo were active over the convoy that morning and reported many actions. They came from the veteran 13° Gruppo, a unit that had fought in North Africa since 1940.
Don't have the hours of the engagements but, in the morning Tenente Giorgio Savoia attacked a formation of reportedly Bristol Beaufighters claiming one shot down in flames and a second damaged. Later in the morning, Capitano Guglielmo Arrabito and Sergente Maggiore Filippo Baldin of 82a Squadriglia intercepted (reportedly) two formations of Bristol Beaufighters that were attacking the convoy. Arrabito claimed to have damaged one of them while Baldin claimed one shot down in flames and another damaged. Arrabito and Baldin were flying on Macchi C200, don't know which kind of fighter was flying Savoia because 13° Gruppo -still mainly equipped with C200- had just started to obtain some examples of C202 and Savoia -one of the best pilots of the unit- was possibly flying one of these machines but I don't know for sure.
Brioni arrived in Tobruk undamaged but while it was unloading, from 15.55 to 16.10 a formation of reportedly american four engined bombers attacked Tobruk and, hit by many bombs the Italian liner exploded and sank at 16.30. Maresciallo Agostini of 13° Gruppo intercepted these bombers expending all his ammunitions on them but without avail.
Brioni was subsequently recovered by the British when Tobruk was captured.
Ciao
Ludovico
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