I encourage anyone that  has more information (Flight Log Book entries) or photos on 112 Squadron please send an e-mail to   raf_112_sqdn@yahoo.com before the history is lost.

RAF 112 Bases 1939-1946

1 16 May 1939 Formed aboard HMS Argus, Portsmouth, Hampshire
2 25 May 1939 Disembarked at Alexander to Egypt
3 26 May 1939 Helwan "B" Flt detached to Sudan 2 June 1940, sub - flts at Port Sudan, working with 14 Sqdn,  Khartoum, Gedarf, (finally detached from 112 Sqdn 31 August 1940 to form 250 Sqdn)
4 17 July 1940 Maaten Gerawla, by 25 July the move of "A" and "C" flights was completed. Jackson of 3 Sqdn RAAF, arrived at Gerawala on 5 December 1940 and found 3 Sqdn RAAF,   located on a flat patch of desert with aircraft dispersed hundreds of yards apart and members well entrenched in dugouts in the sides of wadis. He complained that although the area was mostly sand there was a bit of rock and that it was “no joke digging dugouts”. However the effort must have been worth it because he comments, “Moved into a dugout on the side of a wadi, and it’s a beaut – a home away from home. We have earth and corrugated iron walls but it’s just paradise after the tent.”
  3 August 1940 "A" detached to Sidi Barrani
  17 August 1940 "A" Flt at "Z" LG  (LG 08) Matruh West
    C Flt at "Y" LG,  (LG 06) about 18 kilometres (6 miles) further west.
  30 August 1940 "C" Flt at Sidi Barrani ( E and W satalites)
5 3 September 1940 Sidi Barrani LG 30
6 7 September 1940 Sidi Haneish
  14 September 1940 "C" Flt at "Z" LG
7 1 January 1941 Amiriya
8 23 Jan 1941 Eleusis (Greece)
9 1 Feb 1941 Yannina Greece
  7 March 1941 "A" Flt to Paramythia Greece (Paramythia means "the valley of the fairy tales")
10 16 April 1941 Sqdn was in retreat from German advances,  arrived at Agrinion
11 17 April 1941 Hassani (Athens)
12 22 April 1941 Aircraft left for Heraklion (Crete) Chania Town also called CANEA, city and capital of Crete (together with Iraklion, since 1841). It lies along the east corner of the Gulf of Chania and occupies the neck of a low, bulbous peninsula between the gulf and Soudhas Bay on the site of ancient Kydonia. The city was occupied in 1252 by Venetians, who held it, except for a brief period under the Genoese (1267-90), until 1645, when it fell to the Turks. In 1878, after numerous revolts against Turkish rule, various privileges were granted to the Cretans. Chania joined the kingdom of Greece in 1912. It was severely damaged in 1941 during the German aerial invasion of Crete. After World War II improvements to Soudhas Bay strengthened the city’s position as a major port of Crete. Chania exports most of the island’s citrus fruit as well as olive oil and wine. The population of the city is about 50000 souls.
    Ground personnel left for Argos
13 24 April 1941 Ground personnel moved to Naphlion
  25 April 1941 Ground personnel arrived Suda Bay, Crete
14 29 April 1941 "A" Flt to Aboukir, then Lydda, Palestine
15 31 May 1941 Fayid,
  11 August 1941 sub Flt to Haifa detachment from "A" Flt to Mariyut
16 12 Sept 1941 Sidi Haneish, LG 102, inland from Maaten Bagush at Sidi Haneish (via LG 92, south of Alexandria)
17 14 Nov 1941 Sidi Bahraini LG 110
18 19 Nov 1941 Fort Maddelena, LG 122
19 19 Dec 1941 EL Adem
20 21 Dec 1941 Msus
21 13 Jan 1942 Antelet (satellite)
22 21 Jan 1942 Msus
23 24 Jan 1942 Mechili
24 28 Jan 1942 Gazala
25 2 Feb 1942 El Adem
26  5 Feb 1942 Gambut main
27 16 Feb 1942 El Adem
28  17 Feb 1942 Gambut main
  22 Feb 1942 112 ran a satellite air strip at Gambut
  9 Mar 1942 Gambut satellite No 2, , was located about 20 miles from the Mediterranean coast and between Tobruk and the Egyptian border
29 17 June 1942 Sidi Azeiz
30 18 June 1942 Sidi Baranni LG 75
31 24 June 1942 Sidi Haneish LG 102
32 27 June 1942 El Daba LG 106
33 28 June 1942 Amiriya LG 91,According to "RAF Squadrons" by Jefford: Between 28 June and 6 Nov they were based at LG 91, which is approx 40 miles east Alamein and 15/20 miles south of Alexandria.Co-ordinates (and names where known) for the LGs are listed on pp132-135 of 'Jeff' Jefford's 'RAF Squadrons' (2nd ed, 2001, pub by Airlife).
34  25 August 1942 Amiriya LG 175, According to "RAF Squadrons" by Jefford: They also had a detachment at LG 175 which is approx 5 miles NNE of LG 91.Jefford definitely states that the squadron was operating Kittyhawk IIIs from October 1942 (just converting from P-40Es, or Kittyhawk IAs), but the USAAF variant would have been the rather ugly P-40K-1 rather than the P-40M (which was not even in production at this stage of proceedings). P-40E-1s were produced up to July 1942, and P-40K-1s commenced deliveries (acceptance by USAAF) in August, with P-40Ms following from November 1942. The RAF designations for Kittyhawks were rather a mess when compared to the original USAAF designations, with all the K and M variants designated as Mk.IIIs and all Fs and Ls as Mk.IIs, which is probably why the RNZAF and RAAF preferred to use the rather more useful American designations. When one considers that all P-40s for the RAF had to be broken down after test flying in the USA, then shipped out of New York or other East coast ports, unloaded in North Africa (Takoradi?) and ferried up to Egypt for the squadrons, it would take probably 6 to 8 weeks for any particular P-40 to reach an operational squadron in Egypt.
35 6 Nov 1942 El Daba LG 106,  We are on the move again for a place named Sidi Haneish. I have never seen so much transport on the road before.
36 8 Nov 1942 Sidi Haneish LG 115
37  9 Nov 1942 LG 76 (South west of Maaten Bagush) It seems as if all the lorries in the MEF are moving. We have just been told to carry on to 074 LG or West Barrans that is 190 miles from El Rata. We had no breakfast this morning that was because we would make better progress and miss the bulk of the transport. Our lorry/defense lorry left the convoy to find the LG as two of the lorries had got flats. We were expecting our kites in this morning and the remaining part of the squadron tonight. Gerry has put oil and petrol in the water wells. We are having to have our water flown to us by Lockheed Hudson? We are not allowed to wash or shave. We are moving to Gambut(?) tomorrow which is forty miles from Tobruck.. It is 04.45 in the morning and we are all ready for moving. The whole wing is moving and there are about 500 lorries all moving breast wise off. We passed a British Cemetery with about 35 graves in, miles from anywhere. We stopped the night at Lide agiz just over the Egypt-Libya Border.  
The 11th of November marked an exception, when the Allied air forces collided with the GAF based at Gambut and El Adem. 
The score reported that day: eleven Stukas, six Ju-52's, and five Me-109's, against six Kittyhawks and a P-40. 
The 57th Fighter Group caught and destroyed three Stukas about to land at Gambut. 
The 57th's 66th Squadron had gone forward with the advance, under the operational control of No. 239 Wing, RAF. 
Upon reaching Gazala it received orders to join the 64th and 65th Squadrons at Martuba.
38 15 Nov 1942 Gazala No 2, We left today for Gazala from there we had to move on to Martuba. We had to wait an hour before we could get on the airfield out of the rain while our Army rounded up the Gerries that were loose. There was a great assortment of kites on it even to Gliders. I should guess about 200 kites altogether at  Sidi Haneish  there were 500.We shall have to stay here longer than expected owing to the rain.
39 19 Nov 1942 Martuba, Gerry just paid us a visit and dropped a few bombs. The CO went after him so I guess their kite won’t get back. Xxxx xxxx got my A/C through from Sept. We had a Gerry again this morning the CO went after him got on his tail and found there was no response from his guns. The reason was we were on 48 hrs inspection and they had taken his guns out. The Squadron has just joined a Yankee Group (57 Fighter ?).  
By 20 November, therefore, in company with the RAF's 112 Squadron, the 57th Fighter Group, USAAF,  was in action for the first time 
as a tactical unit; between 6 November and the end of the month it carried out the impressive total of 477 sorties
40 6 Dec 1942 Belandah No 2 (Alam-el-Gzina), 15 miles from Agedabia. W have not far to go for I can see a village ahead of us that must be Agedabia. Just a moment here comes trouble I am riding in a lorry that has 12, 500lb bombs and a trailer with 900 gallons of aviation juice and Jerry has to pick this time to start strafing and bombing us. A 109 was diving on a Yankee bowser that had 2,000 gallons of juice when an army truck deliberately drove in front of it and forced it off the road and took all the cannon shells and therefore saved the bowser from going up. The driver and mate were wounded badly in the legs. We are stopping for the night only 15 miles from the drome . We just got settled down and then we had to move to a drome 5 miles away. We had a xxxx (censored)of Black Watch here today on the way back from fighting. We took them a few packets of fags and bars of chocolate as they had no fags for 3 weeks. We did not tell them that it was the first lot that we’d had. The Stuka we captured xxxx brought xxx them up. Gerry was over at breakfast time and killed 14 of our boys just a little way from us. Our kites have just taken off. Lets hope they shake Gerry up. Our pilots had orders to get any Gerry recce kite at all cost. Rumour of  a big show on the 15th of this month. Just to give you an idea of what solitude means out here, A chap here Alf Wilks has been out here over two years and on the desert all the time (married) he is playing crib with a non-existing partner every time he scores points he gives out a bloodcurdling laugh, Our boys have just put up a big artillery barrage. Pilots have just taken off to bomb Marble Arch. The CO got shot down in flames but landed on our side of the lines (Sqn/Ldr Billy Drake, 11 Dec 42). He has just come in flying a Hurricane
41 9 Jan 1943

Hammraiet, 31/12/1942, We moved this morning. We had not been on the road long when when of the yank lorries hit a mine. The MO gave us a tot of RUM – New Years Eve you know.  We took the desert track and shortly alright but when we got it (the rum), it was like mud. But we drank it. You get like that out here. We’re waiting for the drome to be finished. We are three miles from it.Someone was getting a bashing from Jerry it seems to be Agheida. It’s a good job Jerry didn’t come after us as both sides of the road were mined.

5/1/43  We moved up to the drome then Jerry came. The guns were clogged with sand and wouldn’t fire.

9/1/43 The Sharks (P-40 Kittyhawks of RAF 112 Sqdn) arrived today also Gerry was over today otherwise nothing happened. The lorries of the other party have just pulled in. Our fighters met Gerry before he could get to us.
42 19 Jan 1943

Bir Dufan, 18/1/43, We have just passed a place where there was a tank battle there was 9 of ours knocked out..

19/1/43, We are passing through some fascinating country the kind you see on the screen in a Foreign Legion picture. Well we’re there the place is 100 miles from Tripoli. But right out in the blue. [Ben Dufur?]

20/1/43, Our kites came in this morning. This is the day when we said we would be in Tripoli. On this drome there is something like 300 aircraft, bombers and fighters and still more coming. The bombers operate at night from here and away to some other dromes then come back here at dusk to start again.

23/1/43, Tripoli has definitely fallen. The bombers were operating from here again last night. The squadron got their 200th kite down today
43 25 Jan 1943

Castel Benito, 26/1/43, We started off at 5 o’clock this morning by the light of the moon for our destination which is 15 miles from Triploi. Well we’re here it sure is a xxxxxxxxxx (censored) place. Gerry left about 150 aircraft some damaged and some okay. Our squadron has taken over a three engine kite a Lorry. It ‘s been raining all day our clothes are all wet. When we woke up this morning we found our shoes floating (we always dig in) and the water was very near up to our beds. Two boys had drowned in their sleep.

 3/2/43, Churchill and Montgomery arrived at 4 o’clock in a Liberator. This morning I went into Tripoli and there was a big parade in aid of Churchill and his sidekick. There were hundreds of tanks and guns and troops lined up for him.
44 15 Feb 1943 El Assa, 12/2/43 (Advance Ground Party) We have just arrived at Alassa (sic) and from here we can look into Tunisia. The kites are on shuttle service.
45 8 Mar 1943 Neffatia (Tunisia)
46 21 Mar 1943 Medenine
47 3 April 1943 El Hamma
48 14 April 1943 El Djem
49 18 April 1943 Kairouan
50 21 May 1943 Zuara
51 9 July 1943 Advance detachment to Safi (Malta)
52 18 July 1943 Pachino (Sicily) RAF Servicing Commandos, On the 19th Kittyhawks of No. 239 Wing were looked after as they landed and the same thing was done on the following day for aircraft of the 57th Pursuit Group, United States Air Force. In both cases the aircraft were followed on the same evening by the advanced parties of their own ground crews. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A7713443
53 2 August 1943 Agnone
54 15 Sept 1943 Grottagilie (Italy) On arrival they where at first totally supplied only by Dakota planes.  After the invasion of Italy on 3 September 1943, No 239 Wing was based at Grottaglie in Southern Italy between the 17th and 19th to support the Allied attacks on the island. By October the Wing was established first at Reggio and then Foggia in southern Italy. From the two airstrips, the Wing answered a stream of calls from the Allied armies (US 5th and British 8th) for close air support missions, as well as bombing and strafing enemy supply lines.
55 20 Sept 1943 Brindisi
56 23 Sept 1943 Bari, Italy
57 3 Oct 1943 Foggia Main (Football field at Gino Lisa, Italy)
58 26 Oct 1943 Mileni
59 30 Jan 1944 Cutella, 239 Wing is situated on the beach at Cutella. The squadrons are dispersed in a line along the beach. All squadrons are under canvas.
60 21 May 1944 LG San Angelo situated in a valley on the banks of the Volturno River, The whole area is surrounded by mountains which in no way interfere with flying, There is a permanent haze in the valley,
61 13 June 1944  LG Guidonia was a peacetime airdrome situated about 14 miles from Rome. The concrete runway was unserviceable and the buildings uninhabitable.
62 24 June 1944 LG Falarium is an earth strip located about 2 miles from Fabrica and situated very close to LG Fabrica
63 9 July 1944 LG Crete by road
  12 August 1944 LG Crete to LG Rosignano detached for four days (16 August 1944) to cover the Landing on Southern France
64 28 August 1944 From LG Crete to LG Iesi situated about one mile east of the village of Iesi 
65 18 Nov 1944 Fano
66 25 Feb 1945 Cervia
67 19 May 1945 Lavariano
68 1 March 1946 Tissano
69 4 May 1946 Lavariano
70 23 Sept 1946 Treviso
    detachment to Lavariano 11 Nov to 18 Nov 1946
71 31 Dec 1946 Disbanded at Treviso
 

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