大象传媒

I enlisted in the RAF before WW2. Three months basic training and a one year course at RAF Farnborough school of photography. After a year at RAF Suttonbridge went onto Desert Air Force 1940-45. 680 Squadron were formed from No.2 Recce Unit in March 鈥�41. The latter unit had operated from RAF Heliopolis from the outset of WW2 although there was a photo section there during WW1 and onwards til Italy entered WW2.
The 680 Squadron/Photo Recce Unit were the 鈥淓yes of the 8th Army.鈥�

I was posted overseas December 1940 and sailed from Liverpool January 4th 1940. It was nine weeks to Aden, calling at Freetown, West Africa, and Durban- South Africa. Photo Recce Unit operated for three months at Aden. Complete photo mosaics of Abyssinia, Eritrea, British Italian and French Somalia and all three in one.
Troop ship to Suez, a train to Cairo, metro to Heliopolis (now Cairo airport). Transport involved two photo trailers, two generators, caravan, film drying van, four photo interpreters van, aircraft maintenance vehicles. A full convoy of twelve vehicles to Mersah, Matrush: the main base for the first campaign against the Italians in Libya and Tripoli. Approximately 500,000 army and navy and air force.

The first photo recce was of the Italian army advance to Sidibarrani where they constructed defensive positions. Then further recce鈥檚 of Sollun, Bardia, Fort Capuzzo, Tobruk (the main naval base where the cruiser San Georgia was on fire after an attack by Wellington bombers). Onto Derna- a picturesque oasis by the sea. Benghazi next- an important port for supplying Italian forces. Onto Tripoli- very important port for supplying Italian forces. We supplied the desert army, air force and Med fleet with all the photo information they requested including ports in Sicily and Italy and also main air bases.
The desert army attacked and captured all the Italian army positions at Sidi Barrani. Thousands of prisoners were transported to cages in the canal zone. The same story throughout the complete campaign which ended at the salt marshes at El Agheila. All the above Italian bases fell with up to four hundred thousand prisoners. We operated from Adgedbia- an Italian air base to defend Tripoli. We recce鈥檇 El Agheila to the Tunisian frontier each day. Tripoli harbour and the local airfields were the main targets along with the Sicilian and Southern Italy ports. Our beaufighters had six hours endurance so no problem- extra wing tanks in place of the usual guns. The salt marshes at El Aghelia are similar to Quattara Depression, which of course were impassable to all vehicles and armour. The last phase of the campaign was the Benghazi garrison intercepted on the way to Tripoli. All vehicles etc and army were taken prisoner.
Activity in the port at Tripoli in all our sorties. Orders to withdraw to El Aden airfield. Italian airbase to guard Tobruk. Aussies withdraw from Benghazi. German Panzers cross the desert from Tripoli via Acromi to surround Tobruk (the same route as we鈥檇 taken to Ayeddabia with desert army). Half the army were now on the way to the hopeless campaign in Greece and Crete. General Morshead, the Aussie commander, had soon everyone working and all the defences were ready for nine months of Rommel鈥檚 assaults until the army force joined with Tobruk defenders 12th December after nine months of siege. Our 680 squadron proceeded to Haifa and completed a photo mosaic of Turkey for GHQ Cairo, which took nine weeks. We broke our journey at a Palestine police post- Uaja Haifa and we slept in the cells. We met some of the Arab Legion (Jordan) on patrol of the Egypt/ Palestine frontier, mainly checking travellers for drugs (Hashish mainly (cannabis)). A huge Ottoman fort from that empire dominated the area, built on a desert plateau. We experienced a terrible sand storm in Sinai and arrived at our base RAF Heliopolis worst for wear. Revived after nine days leave in Alexandria, vehicles overhauled, photo films printing supplies stowed in photo trailers and back up the 鈥渂lue.鈥�

To read part two of this story please go to A8016013

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