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Remembered Today:

Air raids in Mesopotamia Dec 1917


stevenbecker

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Mates,

 

A Turkish report states this -  What can you find on these operations;

"

but air operations between the parties continued.

    British air troops were trying to provide air superiority over the frontline by attacking Turkish airports in fleets. One of these air raids was held on December 17, 1917. Eight enemy planes joined the raid. The first four planes arrived in Bunyan and the Turkish fleet under Klauss attacked the enemy fleet. During the air battle, two of the enemy planes hit and left in the direction of Samarra. During these battles, the Turkish plane also received a few hits and the pilot Klauss had injured his leg, but with great courage and calmness he had removed enemy planes from the battlefield.

    An hour after the return of the first four planes, four more enemy planes arrived and threw 30 bombs around the airport facilities, headquarters and Shirkot, but they could not do any major damage.

    It was decided that the pilot Klauss, who was engaged in air combat with enemy aircraft with courage and dexterity, would be rewarded with 50 pounds of reward and silver merit medal. 

    Against the influx of enemy planes, Turkish planes returned to their bases by bombing the enemy airport in Samarra with three bombers under the auspices of a fighter, and identified the important targets they saw in and around the enemy area during the bombing.

    On December 19, 1917, three British planes attacked the Turkish airport in Hurmaata. Two Turkish planes that took off during this attack had fought against the enemy, but the machine guns of the Halberstadt-type Turkish plane had been hit and made a compulsory landing.

 

On December 28, eight enemy planes arrived in Bunyan and threw 40 bombs into the 2nd Airplane Company hangars, headquarters and 15th Mobile Hospital, and two planes in the hangar were damaged and three soldiers were wounded. During the bombing, two Turkish aircrafts took off in order to fight with enemy aircraft, but there was no result in the air combat.

Edited by stevebecker
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sb

A couple of things:

1) Nat Archives WO32/5210 - Despatches relating to Ops in Mespot 1917-1918. Not a lot of good to you as it is not digitised, but you may know of someone who could see if it covers air ops.

2) For general interest on Mespot flying, a Journal covering a several page summary of Mespot air groups on both sides, here:

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/Research/RAF-Historical-Society-Journals/Journal_48_seminar_the_ME_Mespot_Iraq_NW_Frontier_4_FTS.pdf

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Perhaps there may be something in the following online books

Cheers

Maureen

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Mates,

 

Thank you for your kind help.

 

I notice the book by Tennant is very interesting here, and the raids mentioned around pages 244-45 by 63 Sqn.

 

The book also throws up a number of actions by those British Sqn's there to check on.

 

Cheers

 

S.B

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11 hours ago, stevebecker said:

Mates,

 

Thank you for your kind help.

 

I notice the book by Tennant is very interesting here, and the raids mentioned around pages 244-45 by 63 Sqn.

 

The book also throws up a number of actions by those British Sqn's there to check on.

 

Cheers

 

S.B

Great to have a digital link to this book as I've had an interest in the episode where Tennant was rescued by the L.A.M.B armoured cars. My grandfather was with 8th L.A.M.B who carried out this action. The CO David Tod was awarded the DSO and a couple of the ASC drivers MM. Not sure if my grandfather was actually there as it was only one section that went. There were a number of cars from 8th and 14th at Anah  at this time. Also from family history I know my grandfather flew as an observer/gunner with Royal Flying corps for a little while "in RE8s".

I've established this must have been in Mesopotamia rather than France as he was already there before RE8s became operational. He kept this newspaper cutting photograph of RE8s in the desert which I know now are 63 Squadron, so probably he was with them. He apparently did some "bombing" dropping either small bombs or grenades from a wicker basket between his feet. I get the feeling he was just on loan to them for a short while (though probably later in 1918) probably assisting reconnaissance / spotting for the armoured cars. I also have a picture of him wearing an RFC maternity jacket which he likely blagged from them.

DSC00255.JPG

63 Sq..jpg

large mmc - Copy.jpg

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