Category: 1941/05
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May 31st 1941
The pilot was captured, an Italian who had flown from Rhodes only the day before. He said the Wops had relieved the Germans in this country, so that’s why no Messerschmidts (JDW: spelled Messersmiths by my father) had been about lately. Yesterday went and bombed Washash Camp, across the Iron Bridge and near the King’s […]
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May 29th 1941
Yesterday “Kingcol” advanced on Baghdad. A canal had been dug across the road at Khan Nuqta, and the road flooded further down beyond that. We stand by all day to support them, but only one flight required, to attack some 1500-3000 tribesmen massing south of Falluja Plain. These turned out to be sheep. Today Arthur, […]
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May 27th 1941
I go and bomb empty palm groves at Ramadi on the evening of the 25th and go off for a second trip. But the plane splutters during take off, so I throttle back, and long flames shoot out of the exhaust. I had opened the mixture control by mistake, according to Flt/Sgt Rhodes. Then up […]
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May 25th 1941
Two doses of ME110s yesterday and the first finds us all in the tent and we all get hurt jumping into the same trench. Today a lackadaisical blitz on Ramadi, but I don’t go up and haven’t done so for two days now. Then some bombing by a lone Heinkel and three 110s sweep by […]
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May 23rd 1941
I do two more trips over Falluja. One to bomb lorries at Khan Nukta police post, where I put a stick bang on the road, and the other to attack 100-200 troops who had come up to Falluja by the canal road south of the town. They had left their lorries and were sitting out […]
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May 22nd 1941
No flying yesterday. Two ME110s come over and shoot up a Douglas on the ground belonging to Dudley Withers and Dickie Bird, who are here. I take them to the Club last night, and I find Dudley is engaged. This morning woken up at 5am, as Falluja is being atatcked, and Haig, Figgis and self […]
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May 20th 1941
Rachid is blasted at dawn this morning. Cremin arrives late and we take off in the dark and get lost. I never find the squadron so go straight there myself, reckoning on being safe as there are Gladiators about. Bombing not much good. A Heinkel, or Savoia, does a photography run this morning and on […]
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May 19th 1941
Another ME110 damaged at Rachid. A new AOC arrives, Air Vice Marshal D’Albiac, who evacuated from Greece and so knows his stuff. Old Smart had a slight car crash and packed it in with shock. (JDW: the original AOC, AVM Smart, had had a ‘road accident’ on 3rd May – some maintained a nervous breakdown […]
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May 17th 1941
Saw Reggie Wall, who has alot of “superficial” holes in him. He was testing a plane and doing a wide circuit when six ME110s caught him over Dhibban. He did a crash landing somewhere, got out and ran for shelter and they dropped a bomb near him. The ambulance, which had been collecting the body […]
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May 16th 1941
I have just taken off on a recco. with Tiny and look back to see smoke over the camp, and three Heinkels high in the air. One is lagging behind, with a Gladiator on its tail. The Gladiator is then shot down and we see the pilot bail out. The parachute fails to open properly […]
A Story of War 