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Re: Some different fate's of Hurricane losses
Dear fireship,
According with Brian Cull and Christopher Shores, on 13 July 1940, Hurricane P2653, flown by Pilot Officer Dick Sugden of Malta Fighter Flight was attacked twice during an engagement against Fiat CR 42s of 23° Gruppo. The Hurricane was badly damaged during the last engagement but Sugden -although with the engine of his kite smoking and spluttering- was able to land on its undercarriage at base.
The Italians that day claimed two victories. One shared among four pilots of 75a Squadriglia and another individual for Capitano Guido Bobba (CO of 74a Squadriglia). It seems that they all attacked the same Hurricane in different moments and from the report of Sugden it seems that it was this last pilot (Bobba) that was responsible for the heavy damage suffered by his plane. The Hurricane however was not lost.
P3722 instead was indeed shot down and forced to land in the desert South of Derna in the afternoon of 26 January 1941. At the controls was no less than “Imshi” Mason who surprised, together with Flying Officer Patterson, a mixed formation from 151° Gruppo C.T. strafing Australian troops. Mason boldly enter dogfight against the whole Italian formation –composed by seven CR 42s of 368a Squadriglia and three of 366a Squadriglia and succeeded in shooting down two of them –those piloted by Maresciallo Guido Paparatti and Sottotenente Alfonso Nuti- killing both the pilots, before the rest of the now five strong 368a Squadriglia’s formation was able to react and damage the engine of his Hurricane that necessitated a force landing that became a crash landing when the Hawker tipped onto its nose in rocky ground near the Aussie troops. From the Italian report it seems that neither Nuti nor Paparatti (an expert and brave pilot who had recently won a silver medal for bravery), probably too intent in the strafing attack, were able to see who hit them while an individual victory was claimed by Sergente Maggiore Annibale Ricotti and a probable one was claimed by Tenente Giuseppe Zuffi .
Mason on his part, after the successful combat and the crash landing didn't admit being shot down but reported only that the engine of his fighter cut immediately after the combat (reason unspecified ).
It is however possible that this plane was later recovered by the highly efficient salvage units of the RAF.
Now firship, if you can be so kind to tell me the source of Your infos regarding the shooting down of P2653 and P3722.
Kind regards
Ludovico.
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