ETO Italy theatre Missions

[O-1Driver]

Guys,

Here are the key dates we will be working from to develop the mission packs for 1.2. You will see a lot of action and there will be some really great missions flown during June of 1940 involving RAF and Italian aircraft. Missions will feature both Italian and RAF player sides.

.................................................. .................................................

* October 4th 1943 Corsica secured by the Allies. Raids against mainland targets in Italy and Southern France were conducted round the clock from Allied airfields on Corsica.

* May 13th, 1943 the Desert war ended and supply convoys to Rommel ended right before that date. Shipping interdiction missions flown by Royal Navy aircraft in the area were flown up to April, 1943.

* Anzio landings January 22nd, 1944. Land based Allied aircraft were really active in Italy after this date.

* June 1940, RAF aircraft based in Southern France conducted raids against Italian Coastal targets and shipping. Combat with early Italian fighters this date.

[loverboy1]

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaa


like a dog in waiting i am ,,,,, see simmers , like me , who dont have the knack clue or tech -side for developing , pant like dogs when such a great feat is being pondered for the release :



http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Taeg5QA0Dn8

[Led Zeppelin]

* June 1940, RAF aircraft based in Southern France conducted raids against Italian Coastal targets and shipping. Combat with early Italian fighters this date.
really??!! I knew that RAF bombers attacked targets in Italy in june 1940 but Ididn't know that some RAF units were based in souther France at that time, could you give more historical details please? I'm particulary interested by this.

In my night mission pack for MAW, there is a mission based on hostorical facts about the Bomber Command raids on Turin and Genoa in the night of of 11th-12th june.


If you needs some historical informations about biplane fighters actions during WWII, you can have a look at this excellent site:
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/

[O-1Driver]

Loic,

Here are a couple of references, also I found some good stuff relating to Italian raids on French airfields and facilities on Corsica. There were also raids launched from Corsica against Italian shipping and coastal targets.

Apparently one heck of a lot of action occured in 1940 in the triangle between Southern France, Corsica and Northern Italy.

The Whitley attack on Torino was not from Southern France.

Steve

[O-1Driver]

Here is some info on CR-42 aircraft based along the border of France in 1940 that saw combat with RAF and French aircraft.

Steve

[Led Zeppelin]

thanks


The Whitley attack on Torino was not from Southern France.
absolutely, they were Bomber Commands aircrafts based in England and if I remember well, they had to refuel in France on their way back home.


One of the most famous action that occured in this area in 1940 was the fact of Pierre Le Gloan. He was with his squadron, the GC III/6, in the south in order to change from MS406 to D520. On 15th of june, he destroyed 5 italians aircrafts in one mission.

[O-1Driver]

thanks


absolutely, they were Bomber Commands aircrafts based in England and if I remember well, they had to refuel in France on their way back home.


One of the most famous action that occured in this area in 1940 was the fact of Pierre Le Gloan. He was with his squadron, the GC III/6, in the south in order to change from MS406 to D520. On 15th of june, he destroyed 5 italians aircrafts in one mission.

Thanks for that info Loic, I have not started researching the French aircraft sorties in that area starting in June 1940. We are really going to have fun with this 1.2 update. I hope to invlove the French aircraft in a lot of action in 1940 and then later from Corsica in Oct. 1943 with their new clipped wing spits.

Eventually we are planning an Italian Campaign.

Regards,

Steve

[Led Zeppelin]

Don't think French Air force ever had any clipped wing Spits, especially at that time.

In November 1942, after the allies landings in North Africa and the invasion of southern France by German troops, this was the end of the Vichy gouvernement that was collaborating with the Germans. As a consequence, Vichy army in North Africa joined Allies forces. French forces will have to face a very difficult thing for the months to come: joining ex-Vichy units and Free French units in the same Army.

Some French Air Force units were engaged in the Tunisian campaign but this experience highlighted that they sufferd a lack of training because they were not allow to fly enough when under Vichy control. Moreover, they didn't know much about Allies tactics and their English was not good. For this campaign, bombers squadrons used their old LeO451 for night ops, GC 2/5 Lafayette was quickly equipped with P40 and the GC 2/7 arrived at the end of the campaign with it's Spit V trop.

After this, Allies decided that all French units will have to train before being engaged over France or Italy. Training consisted of shipping convoys protection from Algeria. They were equipped with P39 and Spit V trop for these missions. Until 1944, French Air Force only recieved worn second hand aircrafts and Pierre le Gloan died after an engine failure occured on his P39 during a shipping convoy protection. After this terrible loss, brand new engines were recieved by the unit to replace the worn ones.

Once engaged, none of the squadrons will be used for air supperiority missions, they will all be used for air to ground missions. French Air Force was not engaged in 1943, first units started operations from Corsica early 1944. GC 1/3 Corse recieved brand new Spitfire V early january 1944 and then, they provided escort for USAAF B25 over Italy from Corsica. First P47 Razorback arrived in april/may 1944 and were engaged from Corsica.

... but there is an exception in 1943, the invasion of Corsica!

After Italy's armistice on 8th Septembre 1943, resistance forces in Corsica decided to launch a major offensive, they managed to capture Ajaccio on 9th september. They asked for help from French Army. Corsica was not in Allies plans, they were focused on Anzio and Salerne. Morover, they juged an action there too risky because of the presence of German troops, they didn't want to divert their own forces. They accepted the French army to be engage but they will not recieve any help. Admiral Cunningham gave ships for the landings.
Bastia was taken by the Germans in the afternoon of 11th september so the landings will be at Ajaccio, it's operation 'Vesuve'.
After the landings, as situation on the island was still very confuse, spitfire V trop from GC I/3 and II/7 were send to support the invasion. They will operate from Campo dell'Oro. At the beginning, it was just a few aircrafts for one day but, from the 27th September, both squadrons were definitely operational in corsica, Allies accepted to divert them from their shipping escort duties. On 23th Septembre, an American LST brought a mobile radar to Corsica.
German tropps have started to retreat from Corsica, they were using Bastia shipyards under Luftwaffe cover, especially FW190F of II./Sch.G.2.
Spits flown strafing missions on Bastia where they suffered losses due to heavy flack and air superiority duties. Operations in Corsica ended on 4th October, both squadrons shot down several aircrafts from many different types: Ju88, FW190, Arado 196, Ju52, Me323 and Do217 armed with HS293 missiles.
After this, they came back to shipping protection duties from Algeria.


After operation Dragoon, all French units followed tropps advance up to Germany, none of them stayed in the MTO except one if I remember well that continued to operate over Italy with it's P39 from southern France.
As they were used for air to ground missions, they didn't scored many victories because ennemy aircrafts were rarely seen, most dangerous ennemy was flack. They encountered ANR only two times: once, it was B26 that were escorted by RAF Spitfire and the other time, it was 10 P47 Razorback that have been intercepted by ANR 109s while dropping their bombs on a bridge.

Situation for bombers squadrons was quite similar. They were all equipped by B26 except GB 2/23 Guyenne and GB 1/25 Tunisie that were send to England from where they flown night bombing ops with Hallifaxes under Bomber Command control.

[O-1Driver]

Loic,

This is the skin that will be in the 1.2 update, #326 squadron after they were equipped with Allied aicraft. It is a real beauty and we will be building missions with it starting from Corsica in late 1943 (Allies secured Corsica Oct. 1943) and then later in France after operation Dragoon as the Allies push inland.

Steve

[Led Zeppelin]

thanks, I didn't know that!

Now, from an historical point of view, I would rather place this aircraft around end 44 - early 45 somewhere for action in the Rhine area. This squadron was based at Luxeuil during winter 44- 45. I'll have to check in my AeroJournal magazines if there is something about this particular aircraft.
Nevermind, this is an excellent news, there is a cruel lack of French Air force skins for this period!

As I said in my previous post, GC 2/7 Nice, n°326 (French) Squadron, was the first to be equipped with Spitfire and saw action at the end of the Tunisian campaign.
After this, it had to do shipping cover from North Africa, the only exception was for the invasion of Corsica. It was send there at the end of September and Corsica was definitely secured on 4th October. Then, it came back to shipping cover from North Africa.
This squadron was equipped with Spit V trop in desert cammo, Nigel made a skin of one of them
http://www.regshanger.com/Regs%20hanger%20main/CFS3%20Skins/nigels%20spits/Regs%20Spitfire%20skins%20.htm#
They also had one or two MkIX but it was only for the leaders.

In 1943, appart shipping protection, the only action the French Air Force took part was Tunisian campaign (GC 2/5 Lafayette and GC 2/7 Nice) and Corsica invasion (GC 2/7 Nice, GC 1/3 Corse).
French Air Force didn't started any operations from Corsica over Southern France or Italy before the beginning of 1944.

The GC 2/7 Nice became n°326 (French) Squadron on 1st december 1943 and started operations from Corsica in january 1944 with brand new Spitfire MkV. They started operations from France in september 1944. It's also in september 1944 that this squadron was finally completely equipped with Spitfire MkIX.

[O-1Driver]

Quote
"Now, from an historical point of view, I would rather place this aircraft around end 44 - early 45 somewhere for action in the Rhine area. This squadron was based at Luxeuil during winter 44- 45. I'll have to check in my AeroJournal magazines if there is something about this particular aircraft.
Nevermind, this is an excellent news, there is a cruel lack of French Air force skins for this period!"
.................................................. .................................................. ...........
Loic you are exactly correct and I have throughly enjoyed reading the information you have posted. I wish I had more time to fully research the various air forces, it is such interseting reading.

We will try and post some more screen shots of some of the other new Italian and French aircraft for 1.2 there are several.

Steve

[Led Zeppelin]

I misenterstood the first article where I found my informations for the 1943 period, there is a more detailed one in AeroJournal n°32 (aug-sept 2003).

So, both GC 1/3 and 2/7 stayed in Corsica, they didn't came back to North Africa.
Their mission was:
- protection of Corsica
- convoy protection in the Thyrrenian Sea
- anti shipping strikes in the sea or straight into Italian harbours

They started escort duties for USAAF in january 1944.

Here, you can find the list of victories for GC 2/7, for the 1943-1945 period, it's at the bottom of the page. It's a French site but easy to read (date, aircraft type, pilot's name, location of victory...)
http://www.cieldegloire.com/gc_2_07.php