3 Squadron at War
Carlingford, New South Wales: D.A.F. Squadron Association, 1959. Octavo, dark blue cloth with gilt spine lettering, illustrated endpapers, xviii, 244pp., 8 double-sided plates. A beautiful copy in dust-jacket. First edition. Scarce. Foreword by Air Vice-Marshal H. N. Wrigley, C.B.E, D.F.C., A.F.C.
When World War Two broke out, No. 3 Squadron was deployed in the Middle-East to support the 6th Division of the Australian Army in a co-operation role. The squadron undertook missions around the Mediterranean throughout the war and integrated the Allies' Desert Force providing manpower to the 8th Army
For close air support, the No. 3 Squadron flew the Gloster Gauntlet and Gladiator. For reconnaissance sorties, they used the Westland Lysander especially when they confronted the Italian forces in Egypt and Libya. In 1941, they converted to the Curtiss P-40B/C Tomahawk in the Syria-Lebanon campaign. It was, however, with the use of the Kittyhawk P-40D and P-40N that the No. 3 Squadron intensified air battles against the Reggia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe. Evidence proved that the No. 3 Squadron was the DAF Kittyhawk squadron that targeted German forces at Mezzouna in Tunisia in Spring 1943 injuring Claus Von Stauffenberg. During the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy, the No. 3 Squadron re-equipped and flew a P-51 Mustang.
No. 3 Squadron had the greatest score of enemy aircraft shot down in the D.A.F. with 217 aircraft confirmed destroyed. The most notable pilots from the squadron were: Peter Turnbull, Pete Jeffrey, Al Rawlinson, Bobby Gibbes, Nicky Barr, Lou Spence and Brian Eaton. Item #3301
Price (AUD): $400.00