Albacore at Agnone, Sicily

[Doug Norrie]

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

[Doug Norrie]

Sorry I meant Fleet Air Arm not Fleet Arm Arm.

Doug

[BruceMk11]

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

[Doug Norrie]

Hi Bruce,

Many thanks for the info. Very helpful indeed.

Doug

[Stig Jarlevik]

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

[Leendert]

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

[Stig Jarlevik]

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

[Tim O.]

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….

[Col Bruggy]

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.

[Stig Jarlevik]

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....

Cheers
Stig