9./JG27 under Fritz Gromotka over Kos Island in 1943

[HarryB]

Nick,

You'd be forgiven for scratching your head at this. So dit the SAAF at the time.

The events of Gallipoli in WWI might give you some clue to the fact that Churchill had an obsession with
1. the Bosphorus and Greece as being the way to get to his enemies in Europe.
2. daring but ill-considered pushes beyond the natural front line against a competent enemy.

So it was again with the Italian armistice.

Churchill then wanted the Greek Islands rapidly occupied. One of these was specifically Kos. My father-in-law's 7 Squadron SAAF was flown in to provide aerial protection. They flew out of Antimachia and then from Lampi right at the northern tip, where a base was hastily put together.

As you can imagine, the effort was a nightmare of liaison with the Italians, on whom they were reliant. The SAAF guys were driven to distraction by comms problems. Naturally the Germans were not going to stand for this deep penetration into their territory and threw some of their best, JG27, at the little collection of SAAF fighters. At that point Germany had air superiority in the area and they really mauled the guys and the airfield. It was quite a bad period for the SAAF after they had done very well in Africa.

Like Galipoli and Dieppe and Market Garden it was probably a daft idea from beginning to end with little regard for logistics. The South Africans were certainly not amused. In the end there was a full scale German invasion with the entire spiel of parachute brigades and stuff and they took the island back. Then they executed the Italian officers.

My father-in-law was one of only 100 guys who managed to finally escape from Kos. They nicked an Italian boat and made their way to the Turkish mainland, where they were relieved of pretty much all they had, but were eventually allowed to get back to their own lines via the island of Castelrosso. It was then that Bassie's father received an incredible telegram. 99% of it expresses regret for his son being lost at the island of Kos, followed by a P.S. right at the bottom saying that he has just been found safe and sound on Castelrosso island.

There is an article on BBC about this escape, but they refuse to allow me access to the gentleman who provided the info. He was obviously in the boat with my father-in-law. I could scream in frustration here. What he describes is exactly what my father-in-law told us....a bunch of airmen, minus planes, and with no clue how to handle a boat. I'd love to be able to talk to him.

Harry
Vancouver
CANADA