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| THE ALLIED air forces had the upper hand over the Regia Aeronautica in North Africa, particularly after the arrival of the British Hurricane. However, the arrival of the German Fliegerkorps X to the Mediterranean during December 1940 and January 1941 changed the balance of power in favour of the Axis. One of the first actions of Fliegerkorps X in the Mediterranean was to strike the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Illustrious was singled out because, on 10 December 1940, she had launched Swordfish torpedo planes against the Italian fleet anchored in Taranto Harbour resulting in the sinking of three Italian battleships. Illustrious had an armoured flight deck which helped prevent her complete destruction at the hands of Fliegerkorps X, but extensive lengthy repairs were still required in America. By the end of January 1941, Me 110s of ZG26 were based at Castel Benito, Sirte and "Marble Arch"; what was to become FliegerFührer Afrika. They were followed by Ju87 from StG3, Ju88 from KLG1 and He111 from KG26. The Allied air forces played a key role during the Benghazi Handicap by bombing and strafing Axis pursuit. As the Allied airbases were captured by the Axis advance, Allied planes, aircrew and support crews moved to airbases further in the east. Tobruk had four airfields. 6 and 73 Squadron RAF (Hurricane) found a temporary home inside the Tobruk perimeter. This balance was further tilted in the Axis favour when the Me BF109E (E for Emily) fighter arrived in North Africa on the 15 April 1941. They first saw action over Tobruk on 19 April. The Me BF109E was superior to the Hurricane Mk I, particularly in speed and rate-of-climb. Furthermore, the German pilots were veterans. The RAF withdrew from Tobruk fairly early in the siege (25 April). However, their courageous attacks against overwhelming odds over Tobruk helped the garrison survive the critical early days of the siege and earned the admiration of the defenders on the ground.
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ACROMA, LIBYA. 1941-12. A GERMAN JU 87 STUKA DIVE BOMBER WHICH HAD BEEN BROUGHT DOWN.
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-23. THE ENGINE OF A HURRICANE AIRCRAFT BEING WARMED UP OUTSIDE ONE OF THE SECRET HANGARS BUILT BY 9TH DIVISION ENGINEERS AT EL GUBBI AERODROME.
1941-08. TOBRUK. DIVINE SERVICE FOR ANTI AIRCRAFT GUNNERS HELD NEAR ONE OF THE BATTERIES WHICH WAS SUCCESSFULLY KEEPING ENEMY "PLANES" FROM REACHING THEIR OBJECTIVES.
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-15. AN UNUSUAL NIGHT PHOTOGRAPH OF A 3.7 ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN FIRING AT ENEMY AIRCRAFT.
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-06. A GUN CREW OF THE 3RD LIGHT ANTI-AIRCRAFT REGIMENT IN ACTION WITH AN ITALIAN BREDA MODEL 35 20MM CANNON, MOUNTED ON A CHEVROLET 2 TON TRUCK. |
