A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 Volume 4

[Frank Olynyk]

The MAW Team has concluded, after due deliberation, thousands of emails, much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair (neither a good idea at our ages), that the picture on page 24 is not Smiling Albert, but probably Smiling Hans (last name unknown). Further the reference to III./SchlG 2 is in fact a typo. Both corrections (and hopefully a correct picture) will be listed in the final MAW volume with all other corrections from the earlier volumes.

Do please keep informing us of any corrections. It helps to keep us humble. cough, cough.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Lagarto]

I also have a tidbit Recently, while reading "Long Range Desert Group. Behind Enemy Lines in North Africa" by W.B. Kennedy Shaw (the unit's intelligence officer), and cross-checking it with the MAW books, I’ve found an interesting piece of info. The MAW says of 17th November 1941 (vol. I, p. 310): “272 Squadron’s Beaufighters were out again during the day, one trio strafing many vehicles”.
Here’s what Kennedy Shaw recorded: “Simms had some excitement, caught in one of those unfortunate incidents which happened two or three times in LRDG’s life. On November 17th he was moving up to position on the Tariq el ‘Abd when three Beaufighters roared over the horizon and opened fire on the patrol. […] The Beaufighters strafed the Y1 patrol till their ammunition was finished and the W/T truck ablaze”. Fortunately, there were no casualties!

Regards, Tom