TUNISIA - Chareb El Kantra

[solotk]

Solotk, don't know if this is of any help - found it whilst searching for Desert Air Force info. Does not mention Bir Soltane but you might find something at the location you have identified.
The whole document if an interesting read of recconnaisance for and construction of WW2 DAF airfields and Landing Grounds.
http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/gues...htm#placenames

Mike

Mike, that is an excellent find , thank you I was actually starting my research in Tunisia, but I will get to WDAF and all points East eventually. Especially since that P-40 turned up not a million miles from Wadi Kufra last month!

Best regards

solotk

[Mike L]

Solotk, Glad it is of interest, seems to be a lot of DAF stuff going on at the moment for some strange reason.
Only recently became interested in DAF (through a thread on WW2Talk) specifically 239 Wing (3,5,112, 250, 260 and 450 Sqdns) and 53 RSU, but then found this site with loads of photos from 1 Sqdn (SAAF) which is very good.
http://vivianpenberthy.yolasite.com/...s-tom-meek.php
Site owner Tinus le Roux gave me permission to post the link on WW2Talk and I doubt he would object to it being posted here.

Mike

[solotk]

Solotk, Glad it is of interest, seems to be a lot of DAF stuff going on at the moment for some strange reason.
Only recently became interested in DAF (through a thread on WW2Talk) specifically 239 Wing (3,5,112, 250, 260 and 450 Sqdns) and 53 RSU, but then found this site with loads of photos from 1 Sqdn (SAAF) which is very good.
http://vivianpenberthy.yolasite.com/...s-tom-meek.php
Site owner Tinus le Roux gave me permission to post the link on WW2Talk and I doubt he would object to it being posted here.

Mike

The interest is down to that suspected 260 Sqdn P-40 discovered last month by a Polish oil guy. All of a sudden the world and his wife are combing the Western desert via GE looking for wrecks. I don't see much point, unless it's on a mountainside, it can disappear the same day it appeared.

I was told of someone who found and lost a suspected CR42 in the space of time (3 days) it took him to organise a recovery/inspection team, in the days before geo-tagging and satnav. I once found an oil company oblique photo taken in 1983, on the internet that very clearly showed a Beaufighter in an oil drum revetment , no mistaking that wingform, and it wasn't the Kufra Blenheim, which was actually gas-axed by the RAF in the late 40's , not scrap-dealing Arabs recently as popular lore has it.

Thanks for posting the link Mike, I shall certainly give it a good dose of looking at!

Best regards

Solotk

[Mike L]

Solotk, actually the interest pre-dates the first reports I saw of the P40.
A WW2Talk member was given a load of stuff from a house clearance that seems to relate to 239 Wing HQ and 53 RSU.
There are a lot of sketches done by someone who was at Cutella and Guidonia in Italy in 1944. We are trying to get an idea of who the owner was, hence the DAF research.
Strange that the P40 showed up a few days later. Do you know when it was originally found and if it has now been recovered?
How did you get into searching for WDAF sites?

Mike

[solotk]

Solotk, actually the interest pre-dates the first reports I saw of the P40.
A WW2Talk member was given a load of stuff from a house clearance that seems to relate to 239 Wing HQ and 53 RSU.
There are a lot of sketches done by someone who was at Cutella and Guidonia in Italy in 1944. We are trying to get an idea of who the owner was, hence the DAF research.
Strange that the P40 showed up a few days later. Do you know when it was originally found and if it has now been recovered?
How did you get into searching for WDAF sites?

Mike

Hi Mike,

No I didn't mean YOU only got interested after the WDAF P-40 appeared! The P-40 was only discovered in March. The finder did the responsible thing, and contacted the RAF who in turn contacted the Egyptian authorities, who put a team on site to secure the aircraft and make the ammunition safe. Which they seemed to do in a responsible fashion, contrary to some of the comments I've read elsewhere. As far as I am aware, the aircraft hasn't been recovered, but would be of interest to several WDAF's. I'd like to see it in Hendon, and displayed as found.

The Pilot is reported to be missing , I've a horrible feeling his mummified corpse is not too far from the airframe, if it is the one that researchers believe it to be HS-B of 260 Sqdn? Ironically, I think he was returning it to 53RSU at Ismalia (But I may be wrong) when he went down, cause unknown.I'd certainly like to see 53 RSU diaries or the ORB if it's available, especially their pre Sicily/Italy movements.

I got into WDAF stuff after reading Derek Robinson's "A good clean fight" .It was an amazing forgotten Air War, and just as important as the Battle of Britain when it came to ensuring Britain's survival to my mind.

[Mike L]

I might have something on possible identity of the pilot (if I can remember where I saw it) and circumstances around the loss of aircraft. I too have a horrible feeling his remains might be laying somewhere nearby.
Not found a great deal about 53RSU yet, early days.
I just put your sites Long/Lats into Google maps, didn't realise it was quite that far west.
Here is a link to the WW2Talk thread mentioned.
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/barrack...era-again.html

Found the ref to pilot - F/Sgt Copping?
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air...nd-sahara.html

Mike