SM 79 Tobruk Decemeber 1941

[rrroberto]

Tobruk theatre
Looking for any information on 30th or 32nd Bomber Group Benina.
Anybody know where the airfield Benina is?
Would anybody know if there is a record of the sorties undertaken, and a record of any hits on allied naval merchant vessels, especially for SM79 torpedo bombers , active off the coast Tobruk in the evening of 5 December 1941.
Regards
Robert

[david]

Benina is an airstrip about 10Km East of Benghasi.

Can't help with anything else at the moment.

[rrroberto]

Grazie David
Will await further posts. There are a group of us intersted in a particular ship, generally sons of survivors, but also a crewman.
Robert

[david]

Pinched this.....


Lybia Air Command - East (Bengasi)

2nd Sahara Recon Squadron (Ca.309 - El Adem)

127th Recon Flight (Ro.37bis - El Adem)

137th Recon Flight (Ro.37bis - El Adem)

13th Bomber Division "PEGASO" (Pegasus - Mytological winged-horse) (Bengasi)

14th Bomber Wing, with:
44th Bomber Squadron (SM.81 - El Adem)
45th Bomber Squadron (SM.81 - El Adem)

10th Bomber Wing, with:
30th Bomber Squadron (SM.79 - Benina)
32nd Bomber Squadron (SM.79 - Benina)

14th Fighter Brigade "REX" (King, in Latin) (Tobruk)

8th Fighter Squadron (CR.32 - Tobruk)
10th Fighter Squadron (CR.42 - Tobruk)

from here....http://www.feldgrau.com/iafoob.html

[david]

My Italian is none too good, but perhaps there is some info here?

http://www.de1939a1945.bravepages.com/c ... rein01.htm

[rrroberto]

You dont need good Italian to read that site, its Spanish. Similar, but easier to read than Italian. It deals with the 1940 events, could not find anywhere on there to look further, will sniff around. They had a link back to commando supremo, plus a link to the regia aeronautica, which would be great if it worked, seems like a dead link.
http://www.regiaaeronautica.it/home.htm
I found the order of battle like you, thats why I have got my eyes set on the 30th and 32nd Bomber squadrons operating the SM 79's, as there are enough eyewitnesses to put this aircraft into the frame.
If you have no seen thes eplans fly and atack a convoy, have you seen an old Italian propaganda film? Have a look at this, turn it to full screen, and preferably find an Italian speaking senorita to translate, not that it needs much in the way of translation.
Robert

[david]

You dont need good Italian to read that site, its Spanish. Similar, but easier to read than Italian.

It's very late here, and I'm off to bed. (At least that's my excuse!)

[rrroberto]

Deleted duplicate post.

David.

[david]

These guys here seem pretty knowledgable..............

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/index.php


Why not try them?

David.

[inhocsignovinces]

From this Forum
http://www.aereimilitari.org/forum/inde ... topic=5379

Infine, il 5 dicembre, il tenente Guglielmo Ranieri (279° squadriglia) attaccò presso Marsa Luck il convoglio TA 1, e determinò il rapido affondamento del piroscafo ausiliario Chakdina, che trasportava 300 soldati britannici e 100 e prigionieri italiani evacuati da Tobruck, tra cui il generale tedesco von Ravenstein. Poco prima di essere colpita la Chakdina aveva evitato il siluro sganciato dal capitano Massimiliano Erasi, comandante della 284^ Squadriglia A.S. – da poco tempo dislocata in Libia – mentre un suo gregario, il tenente Alfredo Pulzetti, dopo aver visto nella stessa zona una nave semisommersa, che era certamente la Chakdina, lanciò il siluro contro un presunto incrociatore, mancando il bersaglio.

GOOGLE Translation:

Finally, on December 5, Lieutenant William Ranieri (279 ° squadron) at Marsa Luck attacked the convoy TA 1, and determined the rapid sinking of the ship auxiliary Chakdina, carrying 300 soldiers and 100 British and Italian prisoners evacuated from Tobruck, including German General von Ravenstein. Shortly before being struck Chakdina had avoided the torpedo uncoupled from captain Massimiliano Erasi, commander of Squadron 284 ^ AS -- Recently deployed in Libya - while his gregario, Lieutenant Alfredo Pulzetti, after seeing in the same area semisommersa a ship, which was certainly the Chakdina, launched torpedoes against an alleged cruiser, missing the target.

FROM HERE:
http://storia.cyberspazio.org/view.phpi ... a_militare

Other Datas:
L'elenco dei danneggiamenti (D) e affondamenti (A) conseguiti
da aerosiluranti italiani nella II GM e' il seguente (fonte
"Le operazioni degli aerosiluranti italiani e tedeschi nel
Mediterraneo", di P. Hervieux, Storia Militare n. 42):

The list of damage (D) and Sinkings (A) achieved
Aerosiluranti by Italians in GM and II 'as follows (source
"The operations of aerosiluranti Italian and German
Mediterranean ", by P. Hervieux, Military History No 42):

17/09/1940 incr.pesante Kent D
14/10/1940 incr.leggero Liverpool D
03/12/1940 incr.leggero Glasgow D
18/04/1941 petroliera British Science A
21/04/1941 petroliera British Lord D
12/05/1941 p.fo Rawnsley A
23/07/1941 et. Fearless A
23/07/1941 incr.leggero Manchester D
24/07/1941 petroliera Hoegh Hood D
11/08/1941 posareti Protector D
20/08/1941 petroliera Turbo D
27/08/1941 incr.leggero Phoebe D
27/09/1941 corazzata Nelson D
27/09/1941 p.fo Imperial Star A
24/10/1941 p.fo Empire GuillemotA
14/11/1941 p.fo Empire Pelican A
15/11/1941 p.fo Empire Defender A
23/11/1941 p.fo Glenearn D
05/12/1941 p.fo Chakdina A
11/12/1941 et. Jackal D
09/06/1942 p.fo Stureborg A
14/06/1942 inc.leggero Liverpool D
14/06/1942 p.fo Tanimbar A
15/06/1942 ct. Bedouin A
30/06/1942 p.fo Aircrest A
22/07/1942 nave salv. Malines D
12/08/1942 ct Foresight A
10/11/1942 sloop Ibis A
23/11/1942 p.fo Scythia D
28/11/1942 p.fo Selbo A
09/12/1942 corvetta Marigold A
09/12/1942 p.fo Mascot A
29/01/1943 nave a.a. Pozarica D
27/03/1943 p.fo Empire Rowan A
16/07/1943 portaerei Indomitable D
15/08/1943 nave da sbarco LST414 A
16/08/1943 p.fo Empire Kestrel A
16/08/1943 p.fo Benjamin Contee D
07/09/1943 nave da sbarco LST417 D
08/04/1944 p.fo Samsylarna D

Da notare il Samsylarna, l'unico successo degli aerosiluranti
della RSI. Notare anche la "sfiga" del Liverpool, silurato
per ben due volte.

>
> Da "Courage Alone" traggo invece un elenco dettagliato di 30 attacchi
> riusciti (sunk/damaged) durante l'anno. Gli affondati sono come segue:
>
> 1) 02/04/41 Homefield (mercantile Uk) 56° Gr
> 2) 04/04/41 Susanna ( " greco) 34° Gr
> 3) 06/04/41 Viking ( " ") 34° Gr
> 4) 18/04/41 British Sccience ( " Uk) 281a Sq
> 5) 08/05/41 Rawnsley ( " " ) 281a Sq
> 6) 21/05/41 Juno ( DD " ) 50° Gr
> 7) 23/07/41 Fearless ( " " )
> 280a/283a Sq
> 03/08/41 Escaut (mercantile belga) 281a Sq
> 9) 27/09/41 Imperial Star ( " Uk) 36° St
> 10) 24/10/41 Empire Guillemot ( " " ) 280a/283a Sq
> 11) 14/11/41 Empire Pelican ( " " ) 130° Gr
> 11) 14/11/41 Empire Defender ( " " ) 256a Sq
> 12) 05/12/41 Chakdina ( 'Auxiliary' ) 284a Sq
> 13) 28/12/41 Volo (mercantile Uk) 281a Sq
>