ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 204044
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Thursday 8 August 1940 |
| Time: | 06:00 |
| Type: | Gloster Gladiator Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 94 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | N5778 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Berbera Airfield, British Somaliland -
 Somalia
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
At 06:00 on 8 August Berbera airfield was attacked by two CR.32s and one CR.42 from 410a Squadriglia, based at Hargeisa, led by Capitano Corrado Ricci flying in one of the CR.32s. The Italian aircraft had taken off from Diredawa at 05:00. Ricci later told:
"I was the first to take off, with Tellurio at my wing; soon after started Cacciavillani and Komienz, but the first skipped on ground, and then stood with tail up: what could have happened to him? Komienz joined us. I checked my compass with a pocket light to keep the course. After half an hour of flight the light is coming, but we could not yet see Berbera; five minutes more: nothing again... I again checked the chart; the course is right, but I have no reference point on the ground because it is so flat; I know that the wind is strong, and its direction change as the sun rise, but I can’t evaluate it. I continue a little bit on chance. At the end I decide to turn 90-degrees left; after a few minutes a sparkling ahead makes me happy: it’s the sea! I start a light dive, and I increase it as we are approaching, so we find us to fly grazing to the yellowish sand: it’s the only way to come unseen! I can see the town, it’s small, whitish; there’s a ship in the harbour. Here is the airfield: two dark aircraft, side by side, stand out. They are Gladiators. My wingmen close at me, and this bothers me; slowly, I gain speed and I put them away from me. We are skimming the ground and some small hills cover us to enemy’s sight; just a little bit... Here we are! With a steep climb I gain 500 m height, then I dive on the fighter at left; while I’m aiming a man leaves it and falls headlong... what a long-legged he is! I shoot: a strong wind disturbs my shoot, my rounds are on ground, but some hit the target. I pull hard, quite skimming the wing of the enemy aircraft; I hear behind my shoulders that Tellurio and Komienz are firing too. The anti-aircraft weapons awake; bluish tracer shells, shrapnel explosions; the ships fires like a volcano, the machine-guns in their nest at the airfield’s edge are shooting: the air is hot! A big turn: the other Gloster is burning, mine is not, but with a second burst I get it burning too. We can go! I take a snapshot with my old camera that I bring with me at every flight: I have to prove the results of the action. We go away, with a grazing flight. A sand column rise just in front of me; here another and other around: they are the British grenades. I climb to 200 m altitude: black burst around us, some other sand gush here and there, then all is over."
Two Gladiators of 94 Squadron RAF were on the ground and the standby pilot had got into the cockpit of N5778, but had not got the engine started when the attack began, and as Ricci opened fire, he leapt out and ran to shelter. Failing to inflict telling damage in the first pass, Ricci returned for a second attack, and this time he set the Gladiator alight and it burned fiercely, being totally destroyed. The second Gladiator was also set on fire by the attacks of Sergente Maggiore Tellurio and Sottotenente Komienz, the rear fuselage and tail being burnt off. Next day the second Gladiator was dismantled and shipped back to Aden.
Sources:
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_ricci.htm
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/gladiator_raf.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbera
http://www.maplandia.com/somalia/w-galbeed/berbera/berbera/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jan-2018 21:04 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation