Date:	Saturday 3 January 1942
Time:	08:20
Type:	Hawker Hurricane
Owner/operator:	208 Squadron, RAF
Registration:	Z4765
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	northeast of Agedabia (now Ajdabiya), Al-What District -   Libya
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Hawker Hurricane Z4765: Ordered to undertake a reconnaissance over the Agedabia-Hasseiat-Chonfus area, 2/Lt James Sterling Iddeson SAAF of 208 Sqn RAF took off at 07:15 hrs, escorted by 10 Kittyhawks of 3 Sqn RAAF. At 08:15 hrs the formation was attacked by Bf 109s and Iddeson's Hurricane was seen to go down in flames and he was killed. He had been shot down by Oblt Gerhard Homuth of 3/JG 27, who claimed a Curtiss P-40 shot down at 08:20 hrs northeast of Agedabia as his 34th victory. The RAAF pilots engaged three Bf 109s but without claims or losses.

NOTE: Several sources list the Hurricane involved as "Z4765", but the file at the PRO in Kew (see link #5) lists the serial number as "Z4769" [sic]

Ajdabiya is a town in and capital of the Al-Wahat District in northeastern Libya. It is some 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Benghazi. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of and capital of the Ajdabiya District. The town is divided into three Basic People's Congresses: North Ajdabiya, West Ajdabiya and East Ajdabiya

1. "A history of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945. Volume One: North Africa June 1940 - January 1942", by Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russel Guest. ISBN 978-1-908117-07-6
2. "Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945, Teil 8/II: Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum November 1941 bis December 1942", by Jochen Prien & co. ISBN 978-3-923457-75-8
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1810315/iddeson,-james-sterling/
4. ORB of 3 Sqn RAAF, available on the Australian National Archives website (https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1158595&isAv=N)
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR81/11376: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C17059105
6. National Archives (PRO Kew): 208 Squadron ORB for the period January 1942-December 1943: File AIR27/1241 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2503881
7. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/awards/details.php?qnum=32766&qname=IDDESON
8. https://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=10641
9' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._208_Squadron_RAF#World_War_II
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajdabiya
11. http://www.maplandia.com/libya/ajdabiya-agedabia/ajdabiya/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jan-2019 12:37	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
26-Jul-2025 16:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Registration, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ]