Ju 88 Bombardment Biskra (Algeria) aerodrome 10 Jan 1943

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I found an extract of the diary of Lt Col Clyde W Gabler in the book "Voices of My Comrades: America's Reserve Officers Remember World War II", page 102.
"At night or dusk, the German Ju-88 bombers would attack the airfield at Biskra - a suitable target since B-17s and P-38s were there in considerable numbers." "On 10 January 1943, we were attacked at dusk. You could hear and see them coming in at a very low altitude - even see the bombs being released from under the wings, as we dove for our foxholes. We lost, destroyed on the ground, three P-38s from the 71st Squadron. Also, the Bomb Group lost some B-17s...
Just after this Ju 88 raid, the base received an anto-aircraft battalion with 90mm guns. There was no radar at Biskra but the anti-aircraft outfit was equipped with searchlights for night-spotting of enemy aircraft. The visists by the Ju-88s ceased."

And another diary, the one of 1st Lt Will Seaton Arnett USAAF, I believe from extracts of the diary that he belonged to 419th BS, 301st BG and that his aircraft '67' was the 41-24367 damaged beyond repair in the raid:
"January 10, 1943
A mission was planned this morning and I was supposed to go along with the new crew (Calvert) that just arrived, but a big sand storm came up and brother it was plenty RUGGED. I'm still digging sand out of my ears and spitting mud.
A JU-88 came over tonight and dropped some bombs on the field. I watched it from the hotel roof but didn't know how much damage was done. One pretty big fire was started. Sure hope he didn't hit ole "67".


January 11, 1943
I under estimated the raid last night tremendously because when I went out there this morning I learned that there was at least five planes making dive bombing attacks. Three planes were completely demolished, one B-17 burned, one C-47 got a direct hit and one P-38 got hit by bomb fragments and set on fire. My plane is in the so called "bone yard" for repairs and the two of the above were within 20 yards of it. One bomb hit in front and two at the rear making a triangle and it got hit from all angles. It is repairable but will take about two weeks to do it.
One man was killed and several injured. One kid that I run around with a lot, Calcote, got a bomb crater about ten yards from his tent. He came in and slept with me the rest of the night.


January 14, 1943
Our plane was made Tech supply this morning much to my joy, because I didn't ever want to fly it again after the plastering it got the other night by the bombing.
It happened again last night about 8 o'clock. It sounded like they were blowing the whole field off the map but discovered this morning that they missed it entirely. They bombed a decoy light about two miles away which was lit after they dropped their first load. They aren't so smart after all.
There is one hell of a sand storm in progress today. You can hardly breathe out at the field."


Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peo...a4647765.shtml