[bearoutwest]

This thread has peaked my curiousity, so I did some digging in my local library, where a couple of books on the Italian-Ethiopian War 1935-36 can be found about John Robinson, the American Negro volunteer pilot nicknamed the “Brown Condor”.

(a) Father of the Tuskegee Airmen - John C. Robinson (Phillip Thomas Tucker), and

(b) The Man Called Brown Condor (Thomas E. Simmons) – this second book has descriptive passages that are more literary than literal, so perhaps although the incidents recorded are correct, the details may require a pinch of salt.

I’ve summarised some pertinent details from the two books below:

Armed Ethiopian aircraft:
- (a) records on p.109: “…Robinson and his aviation technicians and mechanics continued to arm as many aircraft as possible. After much effort and technical innovation, all four French Potez aircraft were mounted with machine guns. ….”
- (b) notes – descriptively – a conversation between Robinson and his pilots on p.180 regarding no installing guns on the Potez’s to keep the weight down. (Who to believe?)
- both books note that the Potez were generally flown with only the pilot, to keep the weight down, so it is unlikely that the gunner’s position was equipped with a machine gun, and the forward armament seems limited to a single synchronised machine-gun – if/when carried.

Aerial combat (4 Oct 1935):
- (a) records on p.130-131 on October 4, the day after the first bombing raid on Adowa, “….Robinson now encountered aerial combat for the first time in his life: “The day after [the bombing of Adowa] I started back to Addis Ababa with some important papers and was attacked by two Italian airplanes….” “…Despite being outnumbered by the swarming Italian aircraft, Robinson gamely fired back at his combat-trained opponents and “got off several rounds” that hit his target when they were close….. Robinson’s ammunition was soon exhausted in quick bursts of fire from the machine gun mounted on the Potez. He was forced to break off the engagement and attempt to escape……”
- New York Times records this incident on its 5-Oct publication (referenced in (a))

Ethiopian aerial claims (Dec 1935):
- (a) notes on p.161 “….second week of December (1935)…..on a flight north from Addis Ababa to Dessie…” Robinson surprised and attacked a Caproni bomber without escort. He made several firing passes and inflicted extensive damage before running out of ammunition, and having to escape from Italian fighters (Ro37?) coming to the Caproni’s aid. Robinson’s aircraft [I assume it’s a Potez 25] is hit by machine gun fire but he escapes without injury.

Potez(?) destroyed in bombing raid – southern front (12 Jan 1936)
- (b) notes on p.196 – Ethiopian pilot “Mulu Asha” lands his courier aircraft (I assume a Po25) on the southern front – in the area leading to the Battle & Massacre of Ganale Doria. The Ethiopian aircraft is destroyed by a bombing raid featuring a “…first wave of Marchetti SM 81 tri-motor bombers…..tops of their wings were painted in large red sunburst patterns…..” The bombing included high-explosives and gas. Mulu Asha is injured in the raid, and subsequently killed in the retreat on foot.

Aerial combat resulting in damage to Ethiopian aircraft without damage to Italians (Jan 1936?):
- (a) notes on p.163 “…Robinson’s most serious injury resulted from….” When his Potez (armed for self-defence) is caught by surpise by “…two Italian fighter-reconnaissance aircraft, Imam biplanes….” The Potez is damaged in the tail section, and Robinson sustains a flesh wound in the left arm, but escapes into nearby cloud.
- (b) records this with more poetic description on p.187. The timeline given is after the battle of Tembien, and the Italian biplanes are recoded as IMAM RO37bis of the 103 Squadron.
- Wiki notes the First Battle of Tembien on 20 January 1936.

Tally of aerial combat incidents:
- (a) records on p179-180 that Robinson was “….cited several times for bravery. He was in twelve actual flying battles and in one he narrowly missed shooting down the plane of Mussolini’s son (Vitorio)….”

Unfortunately, there are few (if any) corresponding tie-ins with the Italian details in the previous thread, linked above?!?!

It's a starting point anyway.
...geoff