Spitfire/Seafire loss 11 November 1942

[Brian]

Hi guys

Reading Robert Hughes' book Flagship to Murmansk one finds a chapter or two dealing with HMS Scylla's foray into the Med during Operation Torch landings in North Africa circa November 1942.

Hughes suggests that a Seafire/Spitfire accounted for a Ju88 on 11 November, both aircraft crashing into the sea, the victim's of each others gunfire.

I can't find any reference to this action in Chris Shores' Fighters over Tunisia. Any ideas?

Cheers
Brian

[Bruce Lander]

Hi Brian,

4 Seafire IIc's of 884 Sq Damaged a Ju.88 on 10/11/42 with 1 Seafire flown by Sub.Lt. D.G.Parker (MB122) being damaged by return fire

Source "Seafire" by David Brown pp 173 Appendix 3

Bruce Lander

[John Beaman]

Brian, there are at least 4 Ju-88 damaged or loss listing in the Med on that date due to Luftkampf's. Do you have further details to narrow things down?

[Brian]

Thanks Bruce & John

However, the passage reads:

".... I saw smoke begin to pour from the little silver toy [the Ju88]. It grew in intensity, and the plane began to spiral downwards. Faster it dived, leaving a comet-like trail of smoke, finally hitting the sea almost on the horizon .... Coming at us at fantastic speed from ahead was a slim silver shape with unmistakable silhouette. It's a Spitfire or a Seafire. Down came the plane almost vertically .... the plane dived inexorably downward and struck the sea fine on the starboard bow with hardly a splash, but no figure bobbed to the surface ... that was the plane that shot down the Ju88..."

So, it would seem that the date was wrong (Hughes implies that the incident occurred the day after the destroyer Ibis was sunk (10 November) but I expect he could have been a day or so out in his narrative?

Do we have a Ju88/Seafire/Spitfire loss that might fit the bill?

Cheers
Brian