Air operations in Italy 1943-1945

[hedurham@lincoln.ac.uk]

Does anybody know if there is an operational reference book, similar to Middlebrook's, that lists all of the RAF operations that took place in Italy.
Would be really happy to find one. Thanks.

[Chris Goss]

You might like to PM Nick Beale who is a stalwart of this Board

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello,

Chris Goss is talking of that book, writen by Nick Beale and D'Amico:
https://www.amazon.com/Air-War-Italy.../dp/1853102520

Perhaps if you put your question openly, some of the members may be able to help you. For example, a friend of mine do quite a lot about the 1st Brazilian Fighter Group in Italy. There are some 256 and 600 Squadrons experts here too, etc...so, if you try to narrow what you are looking for, perhaps a 100% hit will be obtained.

A.

[Nick Beale]

Your basic problem is that there was no single RAF in Italy. What you had was Desert Air Force (the RAF part of Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force), No. 205 Group (the RAF part of Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force) plus units serving with Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force. Balkan Air Force was based in Italy but operated over ... guess where? All these were part of MAAF (Mediterranean Allied Air Forces). Oh, and MAAF had some units (mainly photo-reconnaissance) directly attached to HQ as well.

About as close as I ever found were the MATAF Daily Intelligence/Operations summaries for 1944 and 1945 which are in the National Archives. Each summary includes a section on what the other components of MAAF were doing during the day in question. File references are:

AIR23/6509: MATAF Intops Summaries, February-September 1944
AIR23/6510: MATAF Intops Summaries, 30 April-31 July 1944
AIR23/6511: MATAF Intops Summaries, October-December 1944
AIR23/6512: MATAF Intops Summaries, January-March 1945
AIR23/6513: MATAF Int/Ops Summaries, April 1945
AIR23/6514: MATAF Int/Ops Summaries, Nos. 749-757 (final issue)

(There is no overlap between 6509 and 6510; the former does not include what's in the latter).

If any such summaries still exist for January 1944, they aren't filed under the same title as the others. I known practically nothing about 1943 as I've never seriously researched that part of the campaign beyond isolated incidents. There are of course Operations Record Books for the various RAF higher commands and units in Italy, throughout the campaign.

Are you after something specific?

[vathra]

Nick Beale,
do you know something on RAF evaders in Yugoslavia?
I did research on American evaders based on MACRs and Escape statements.
During this research I found 40 RAF Escape statements and some 100 PoW escapees statements. Since I estimate that some 150 airmen evaded, I am still missing a lot.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Have you tried
Conscript heroes.com
Click on information exchange at bottom of page to go to names list.

Alex

[Nick Beale]

Adriano: that book is mainly about the Luftwaffe and ANR so it really only talks about the RAF when it meets enemy aircraft. Chris Shores and his team's history of the Mediterranean Air War hasn't reached the mainland Italian campaign yet but I'm sure that it will offer a much better picture of the Allied side.

Vathra: Sorry, this is not an area I know anything about.