Supermarine Spitfire. African Users. Part Three. South Africa.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire equipped various squadrons of the South African Air Force (SAAF) during World War 2 and some time after. The following units employed it at some point in their service:

• No.1 Squadron SAAF replaced their Hawker Hurricanes for the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V in November 1942 after the Battle of El Alamein. They saw action during April 1943 when the Luftwaffe was trying to supply their troops in Tunisia by ferrying supplies with the enormous Messerschmitt Me.323. 
  In an action that took place on 22nd April, the No.1 Squadron SAAF, together with other squadrons of the SAAF, claimed 16 Me.323 downed and two Italian fighters. 
  They served through the Sicilian campaign, southern Italy and Anzio. They were present at the Battle of Rome too, claiming 16 enemy aircraft.  
  They remained in Italy for the rest of the war, operating as a fighter squadron but also flying occasional ground attack sorties. In June 1945 they were intended to transition to the North American P-51 Mustang, however by that time most of the squadron's personnel was returning home and eventually, very few P-51 were delivered.
  After the war the squadron was put under No.7 Wing SAAF and was based at AFB Waterkloof, where they flew a mixture of North American Harvard and some Spitfire Mk.IX featuring a bubble canopy. 
  By 1954 the Spitfires were retired and replaced by the Canadair Sabre Mk.6. 
  
  
• No. 2 Squadron SAAF: From July 1943 until March 1944, this unit operated the Spitfire Mk.Vc during the Italian campaign. From February 1944 until July 1945 they also operated the Spitfire Mk.IXc and served through both Italian and Balkan aerial campaigns. After the war, in December 1948, it was reformed at Waterkloof by being equipped with the bubble-canopy variant of the Spitfire Mk.IX, in order to move over to the North American P-51D Mustang. 
  
  
• No.4 Squadron SAAF: Just like the previous unit, this one replaced their Kittyhawks with Spitfires in July 1943. In august it was rebased to Sicily and then, in September, to the Italian southern mainland, where it performed mainly aerial and ground attack roles, changing their base various times until the end of the conflict. The unit was disbanded in October 1945 while still in Italy. 
  It was reformed again in 1951 as part of the Active Citizen Force, when it flew a blend of Harvards and Spitfire Mk.IX, until it was disbanded again in October 1958.
  It's worth pointing out that this unit employed a special two-seater ad-hoc variant of    the Spitfire intended to be used as a squadron hack during the Italian campaign. 
  
  
• No.3 Squadron SAAF: This squadron received the Spitfire Mk.V while based at Aden, where they also performed coastal patrols over North African shores. In August 1944 it was re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IX and was sent to Italy, where it remained until the end of the war, providing ground support. Shortly after the war, it was disbanded.

• No.40 Squadron SAAF: This unit replaced their Curtiss Kittyhawk with Spitfires Vb at the end of February 1943. This variant was equipped with various photographic cameras for tactical reconnaissance duties. 
  Operating from Malta in June 1943 they took part in various recon flights over Sicily in preparation for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, after which, they served through the Italian campaign, before being re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IXc. For the remaining of the year 'A' Flight operated in the Italian Adriatic area, while the remaining of the squadron remained in Egypt, where they were rebased in order to be re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IX. In mid January 1944 the whole was reunited again, albeit not for a long time.
  'A' Flight took part on the Allied advance over Rome during June-July 1944, as they were attached to the US 5th Army. One detachment was sent to Corsica to take part in the invasion of the Italian island of Elba, an important objective in preparation of Operation Anvil, the invasion of southern France. On 25th August the squadron was re-attached to the British 8th Army and they took part on the assault on the Gothic Line suffering heavy casualties at the Battles of Gemmano and Rimini. I autumn they were rebased to Forli. 
  A detachment of this unit, flying Spitfire Mk.Vbs saw action against Greek ELAs forces during the early days of the Greek Civil War.
  After the war the unit was disbanded.
  
  
• No. 60 Squadron SAAF: Apparently one detachment of this unit employed some reconnaissance Spitfires after the war, based at Swartkop. 
  
  
• Air Operations School: Employed some bubble-canopied Spitfire Mk.IXs as advanced trainers.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Air_Force

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Squadron_SAAF

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Squadron_SAAF

4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_Squadron_SAAF

5th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Squadron_SAAF

6th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Squadron_SAAF

7th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Squadron_SAAF

8th https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/1/2-squadron

9th https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/21/4-squadron

10th https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/20/3-squadron

11th https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/12/60-squadron

12th https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/91/air-force-command-and-control-school

Avro Anson, part one, South African users

The Avro Anson was a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft built by Avro. More than 11.000 aircraft were manufactured and served with many air forces around the world, the South African Air Force among them.
In the South African Air Force (SAAF) the Ansons were used for operational duties, after the first deliveries in 1939.  Some few Ansons, four of them, served with the No.32 Squadron SAAF in the anti-submarine role, patrolling South African coastal territorial waters until January 1940 when the squadron was reduced to just one flight. However, as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan opened seven flying training groups, four air observers and gunnery schools and five navigation training establishments, the Anson quickly became one of the main trainer aircraft serving with the SAAF. Up to 12 Air Schools in South Africa used the Avro Anson. These were:

• 41 Air School: Was formed at Collondale, East London on 30th December 1940 under the category of Type A School, which was the category assigned to the service flying. In July 1941 they were equipped with Ansons which employed them until they were disbanded on 18th May 1945.
• 42 Air School: Was formed on 27th March 1941 as Type A. By August it was equipped with Fairey Battles, Airspeed Oxford and Avro Ansons at South End, Port Elizabeth. The unit was disbanded on 18th March 1945.
• 43 Air School: It was formed on 12th January 1942 at The Kowie, in Port Alfred, and some years later, in July 1945 it was moved to Grahamstown. It started its career as an Air Gunnery School but changed its role in January 1945 to include navigation and air bombing. It was equipped with both Fairey Battles and Avro Ansons and was disbanded on 15th September 1946.
• 44 Air School: It was formed on 12th January 1942 at Grahamstown as a mixed Type A School for observer, navigator, air gunnery and bombing, using exclusively Ansons throughout all its career. It was disbanded on 14th June 1945.
• 45 Air School: Formed in England at Weston-super-Mare, South-West England, under the name of No.5 Air Observer and Navigator School. In September 1940, as the airfields in the United Kingdom were reserved for operational units (fighters and bombers), they were relocated to Oudtshoorn, in South Africa where it became an Air Observer school, or Type B school. The school was disbanded on 20th August 1945.
• 47 Air School: Originally named No.1 Air Observer and Navigator School at Prestwick, Scotland, the unit was shipped to South Africa in January 1941 where it became No.7 Air Observation and Navigation School at Queenstown, in Cape Province. It was of the Type B and was equipped exclusively with Ansons until it was disbanded on 7th April 1945.
• 61 Air School: On 30th September 1940 an element of the School of General Reconnaissance left Squires Gate, in Lancashire, for South Africa where it became the No.1 School of General Reconnaissance at George, in Cape Province, South Africa. On 30th April 1941 it was renamed as 61 Air School and was equipped with Ansons. It was disbanded on 14th June 1945.
• 62 Air School: It was formed in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State on 11th November 1940. It became the Central Flying School of the SAAF. It was disbanded on 24th February 1945 and had an unspecified number of Ansons in their rows.
• 64 Air School: This unit was formed at Tempe, a suburb of Bloemfontein, in February 1941 with the purpose of signals and wireless training with a number of Ansons in their ranks. It was disbanded on 20th December 1945.
• 65 Air School: Formed at Youngs Field, in Cape Town, this unit was established in August 1940 as an Armourers school sharing a number of Ansons with the 66 Air School. Both of them were combined in April 1944 to form 68 Air School.
• 66 Air School: This unit was formed at Youngs Field too and was later combined with 65 Air School.
• 67 Air School: It was formed at Zwartkop, in Transvaal, in November 1940. Originally an Air Photography School with a few Ansons on strength. Nowadays, it's still one of active SAAF units.

The Anson was also used by non-training, frontline units of the SAAF:

• No.31 Coastal Flight: This flight was formed in September 1940 from A Flight No.32 Squadron at Cape Town. Moved to Maputa, in Natal Provice, and later to Port Elizabeth in Cape Province. It was used in the patrol role and was upgraded to No.22 Squadron in 1942.
• No.32 Coastal Flight: It was also formed in September 1940 split from No.32 Squadron at Durban, in Natal. The unit was rebased to East Africa in 1942 and later formed the basis of No.20 and No.23 Squadrons.
• No.33 Coastal Flight: Formed in September 1940 from elements of the B Flight No.31 Squadron, at Wingfield airfield in Cape Town. It moved to Port Elizabeth and then to Durban in 1942. It was eventually upgraded and renamed to No.25 Squadron.
• No.34 Coastal Flight: Although this unit was formed in South Africa, it operated from Mombasa, Kenya. It was disbanded in 1943 with their aircraft (Ansons most of them) going to No.28 Squadron.
• No.36 Coastal Flight: Like the previous one this unit was formed in South Africa but it operated from East Africa. It was disbanded in 1942 and its aircraft were sent to No.20 and No.23 Squadrons.
• No.37 Coastal Flight: This unit operated in East Africa until 1942 when it was disbanded and their aircraft were sent to No.20 Squadron.
• No.12 (Bomber) Squadron: When this unit was based at Waterkloof, in Transvaal province, in 1940, it was equipped with Ansons.
• No.28 (Transport) Squadron: This unit was based in REAF Almaza, Cairo, Egypt. It was equipped with Ansons from 1943-1944 and again from 1945-1951.
• No.32 Squadron: As we said previously, this unit was formed in 1939 but was reduced to No.32 flight in January 1940.
• No.35 Squadron: This was a Sunderland unit but had an unique Anson sub-variant equipped with floaters for training crews on floating operations. It was based at Congella, in Durban.
• No.60 (Photographic) Squadron: Formed from elements of the No.62 Squadron, in Nairobi, Kenya in 1940. Was equipped with Ansons until 1941 and again, when rebased to Western Desert, in 1942-1943.
• No.61 (Communications) Squadron: This unit was formed in 1940 at Zwartkoop. They used Ansons until 1945, some of them fitted for ambulance role.
• No.62 (Survey) Squadron: This unit was formed in November 1940 by upgrading No.1 Survey Flight in Nairobi. Merged with No.60 Squadron in December 1940.

Apart from them some reserve squadrons, Nos. 141, to 145, 147 and 161 were formed using Ansons. Most of them were part of the Air Schools and used Ansons for reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols. Additionally, No.1 Navigation Flight, based at Grahamstown, together with a Gunnery Flight. Bombing Gunnery and Navigation School employed Ansons based at Longboorweg from 1945 to 1947.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan_facilities_in_South_Africa