Albacore in Egypt, 1942

[sergey]

Colleagues.
Please tell me where I can find information about the combat operations of the Albacore of 821 and 826 Squadrons from July to November 1942?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Albacores based in unit were used for night illumation of targets in the desert, so maybe you can find details about these missions in RAF bomber wings and squadrons documents.

I don't remember antshipping operations by Albacores from Egypt, all attacks I have read about were involving RAF or USAAF aircraft in this time period.

[sergey]

The Admiralty War Diaries for August 1942 mention almost nightly Albacore bombing attacks on German and Italian landing craft at sea and in harbors, but provide no details. The destruction of several barges and other ships is confirmed by enemy reports. The Albacores operated from Dekhela Airfield, Alexandria.

[Orwell1984]

Unfortunately not available online.

Object description
British officer commanded 821 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm account of operations in Egypt, 1942
Content description
REEL 1 Account of operations commanding 821 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm in Egypt, 1942: move into Western Desert for anti-submarine and flare dropping duties; technique of flare dropping; attempts to locate advancing Africa Korps columns prior to Battle of El Alamein; role illuminating targets behind Axis lines; sight of artillery barrage during first night of Battle of El Alamein, 23/10/1942; hazards of flare dropping.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80002486

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by sergey

The Admiralty War Diaries for August 1942 mention almost nightly Albacore bombing attacks on German and Italian landing craft at sea and in harbors, but provide no details. The destruction of several barges and other ships is confirmed by enemy reports. The Albacores operated from Dekhela Airfield, Alexandria.

The following link https://www.historisches-marinearchi...here_value=797 show that two German barges, F 347 and F 356, were sunk in the early hours of 2nd August 1942 by an air attack at Bardia, and includes an extract of the Royal Navy Admiralty War Diary showing 4 Albacores did this bombing.

Link below is the part is this war diary summarizing RAF and FAA ops against Axis shipping in Med between 1 and 5 August: https://www.fold3.com/image/30212092...ries-1941-1945
Albacores flew on at least 3 nights during this period.

And the link below is a daily chronic of German landing barges activity (and by extension Italian barges of the German type). Filter on August 1942 and Meidterranean and you will see many air attacks and losses:
https://www.historisches-marinearchi...fz_chronik.php

[Nick Beale]

I can suggest a couple of National Archives files but they are not online. AIR 23/1788 and 1789 contain Advanced Air HQ, Western Desert Daily Intelligence Summaries.

I only have images of a couple of them but No. 264 ('For Period ending dusk 26th October' 1942) includes this:

Night 25/26 Oct:Wellingtons and Bostons attacked L.G. 13 with successful results as counter-measure to prevent enemy night bombing of our forces in the battle area. Wellingtons also attacked enemy concentrations Northern Sector. Fires and explosions in both areas, which were illuminated by Albacores.

… 4 Albacores 826 Sqdn dropped flares and also bombed in Sq. 8259. Bombs fell among dispersed a/c. 10 Albacores 815 Sqdn attacked M/T and tents 861297 and in Sq. 8529. Several direct hits on tanks and MT scored, 2 fires started.

[sergey]

Originally Posted by Laurent Rizzotti

The following link https://www.historisches-marinearchi...here_value=797 show that two German barges, F 347 and F 356, were sunk in the early hours of 2nd August 1942 by an air attack at Bardia, and includes an extract of the Royal Navy Admiralty War Diary showing 4 Albacores did this bombing.

Link below is the part is this war diary summarizing RAF and FAA ops against Axis shipping in Med between 1 and 5 August: https://www.fold3.com/image/30212092...ries-1941-1945
Albacores flew on at least 3 nights during this period.

And the link below is a daily chronic of German landing barges activity (and by extension Italian barges of the German type). Filter on August 1942 and Meidterranean and you will see many air attacks and losses:
https://www.historisches-marinearchi...fz_chronik.php

I found the data for this forum's publications on the Albacore attacks on barges. I'd like more complete information. I found the Beaufighters of 252 and 272 Squadrons in The National Archives.

[Tim O.]

Hi Sergey

I have the log books of Donald Judd, who flew Albacores in Egypt with 826 Squadron in 1941 and 1942. Missions included flare dropping and dive-bombing. Helpfully, Judd wrote an autobiography, which includes this period, and is available on eBay UK at very low cost - ‘Avenger from the Sky’ by Donald Judd was published in 1985.

I have found little else to help my research in this period, although I have log books to a pilot with 108 Squadron. The 108 Squadron ORB for 1942 refers to illumination by Albacores on a few occasions but does not mention which squadron(s) they were from.

[Juha]

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa (30 August – 5 September 1942) Wellington bombers and flare-dropping Albacores made very effective night bombing strikes against Rommel's forces hitting e.x. the HQ of the D.A.K.woundng its Commanding General von Nehring. See e.g. Bombers over Sand and Snow. 205 Group RAF in World War II (2011) by Alun Granfield pp. 115 - 120.

[sergey]

The problem is that 821, 826 (and 815) are fleet squadrons, even though they were part of 201 Group. Information on the other squadrons in this Group is available at the National Archives, Kew.