rafmapnapoli4014

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.

This is a 130% scan just to the right of the Lwr LH corner that has Naples. I have added notes on this one. I will send you the same without my notes. I thought the previous scans were 130%. I wanted to match it so maybe you could splice it together. The grid doesn't seem to match.

Note one thing right off. The RAF grid coordinates in RED are not only off-set but they are rotated from the black grid coordinates. That will make it more difficult to transfer from one system to another. (I wish I had a program that can convert coordinates from one map to another and to GPS.)

I drew a thin vertical RED line along the East edge of Grid Block N. I pointed to one of the grid cross-hair on the original map and labeled it N0050. Actually it should be O0050 or N99.99,50. You get the drift. Then I tried to find the mark off the 0.1 increments and drew a line for latitude 54.

For example the river. I misspelled the river: Ofanto not Olfanto. If you follow it thru Lioni and west, it turns to the north on the other map. A branch of it splits off and follows the secondary road that eventually leads to Montella and this river is T' Acaua Bianea. Just trying to find details that might be mentioned in your report.

Oh, BTW, the US 5th Army reached Avellino on 30 September, 1943 by efforts of the 3rd Division and 133rd Regiment of the 34th Division and the 100th Battalion Japanese Americans. So, I'm sure that area was in Allied hands by that date. I looked for a map of troops movements thru that area but have not found one yet.

I have heard about this Brown flyer. I may have found it on the UK website in Italy that was teaching English. They had people post articles about WW2 in English. Someone wrote me about a flyer getting shot down early in the war, but I'm almost sure it was a light attack bomber pilot that went down over Northern Italy---that is the only one I can recall.

All the Sqdn 540 states for this day is "The Sqdn had a bad day in that W/O Brown W.D. one of the oldest pilots failed to return from operations. It is feared he has been killed.

Mission 1 - 11 Aircraft lead by G/Capt J Darwin (Flying FR868 coded JD), - "Armed Recce. Bombed and strafed dump in SPINAZZOLA area (map ref O.7766). Two fires started and one large black explosion. The area was also strafed, one gun position was destroyed, visibility good. No e/a or A/A.

FR839 GA-J Fl Lt Bluett A.P.C., FR825 GA-B F Sgt Brown D.B., FR803 GA-F F/O L..H.Gherry , FR132 GA-T F Sgt Swinton N.E., FR806 GA-Q F Sgt Nordstrand G.S , FR860 GA-D WO Brown W.D . FR350 GA-V PO .Rutherford G.W. , FR452 GA-C FO Burcham J.A. (Scroll down for more information on John). FR494 GA-W FO. Ahern L. Neville RAAF (photo page 2)

Aircraft took off at 14:30 hours on armed Recce on the roads Potenza-Vallata-Grottaminarda-Lioni-Avigiano. Bombs were dropped on 12 plus MT at N.9754, no claims. Strafing from Pt N.9854 to Avigiano resulted in 3MT flamers, 7 MT damaged. Visibility good. AA light intense and MG fire from PT N.9854 all along the road to Avigiano. No e/a. Height 8,000ft to 1,500ft. W/O Brown failed to return from this operation, he was seen to spin in from 1,500ft and hit ground, aircraft bursting into flames at pt.O.0852. Time of incident 15:20hrs, the rest of the formation landed at 16:00hrs.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): The 328th, 329th, 330th and 409th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy), based at Hardwick, England begin operating from Oudna, Tunisia with B-24's.

ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE (First Air Force): The 1st Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy), 480th Antisubmarine Group, ceases operating from Protville, Tunisia and returns to it's base at Port Lyautey, French Morocco with B-24's.

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force): B-24's hit the marshalling yard at Pescara, Italy.

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-17's of the XII Bomber Command hit Viterbo airfield and Salerno-Avellino road, while B-25's and B-26's bomb the airfields at Ciampino and Pratica di Mare; B-25's fire 75mm shells at small vessels and a lighthouse near Capraia and between Pianosa and Corsica; P-38's on detached service with the NATAF strafe 4 satellite airfields at Foggia and bomb roads, railroads, bridges, and towns in the battle area. On the ground in Italy, US Seventh Army forces take Altavilla, Persano, and Battipaglia without opposition. HQ 27th Fighter-Bomber Group transfers from Sicily to Capaccio, Italy. The detachments of the 27th, 71st and 94th Fighter Squadrons, 1st Fighter Group, operating from Dittaino, Gerbini, and Dittaino, Sicily respectively with P-38's return to their base at Mateur, Tunisia. The 65th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, transfers from Sicily to Rocco Bernardo, Italy with P-40's. The 522d, 523d and 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, 27th Fighter-Bomber Group, transfer from Barcelona, Sicily to Capaccio, Italy with A-36's.

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force): The 66th, 67th, 68th and 506th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based at Shipdham, England begin operating from Tunis, Tunisia with B-24's. The 564th, 566th and 567th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based at Hethel, England begin operating from Massicault, Tunisia with B-24's.

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, fighter-bombers of the XII Air Support Command and planes of other NATAF elements [US and RAF] concentrate on attacking roads and vehicles in the Benevento-Montesarchio- Contursi-Potenza-Avellino areas, and a railway station at Castelnuovo. On the ground in Italy, the US Fifth Army gains firm control of the Salerno plain, while the British Eighth Army troops take Potenza and Auletta.

I write you back for a little thing. the 26 July 1945 five Mustangs of 112 Sqn crashed against Italian mountains, in your web site it's wrote" ...between Trento and Lake Iseo!" exactly the five Mustangs crashed in the mountain called Carè Alto.....very tall: 3462m