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- RAF Blida, North Africa during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

RAF Blida, North Africa



   Blida airfield was a Vichy French airfield on the North Coast of Algeria. It was seized by the Allies without opposition on the first day of Operation Torch, the invasion of Algeria, the 8th November 1942, and became an important base for both fighter and bomber operations until the surrender of Axis forces in North Africa.



 

8th November 1942 Operation Torch

8th November 1942 Airfield handed over

11th November 1942 Back to N Africa

15th November 1942 Operation Torch

2nd December 1942  Relocated

4th December 1942 Risks

19th December 1942 Wellington bomber squadrons relocated

14th January 1943 Storm

15th January 1943 Bomb attacks on aerodromes

19th January 1943 Gunner missing after baling out

27th January 1943 Test flight

27th January 1943 Move to Algeria

7th February 1943 Aircraft and crew detached to the Med

23rd February 1943  Lost over the Med

10th April 1943 Missing over Tunisia

11th April 1943 Shot down

12th April 1943 Crew Bale out

18th April 1943 Shot down off Tunis

21st April 1943 Aircraft and crew return from the Med

30th April 1943 Crash Landing

30th April 1943 Crashed on take off

3rd May 1943 Air crews flown to N Africa

5th May 1943 New airbase

9th May 1943 Failed to Return

15th May 1943 Two Aircraft lost

17th May 1943 Move

7th June 1943 Move to the Mediterranean

15th June 1943 Move to N Africa

30th June 1943 Move into Tunisia

17th July 1943 Collision on the ground at Blida

23rd July 1943 Move to Tunisia

7th September 1943 Detachment returned from N. Africa

4th March 1944 Aircraft Lost

17th May 1944 Tactics

11th July 1944 Aircrew picked up by hospital ship.

Sept 1944 Move to Britain


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Those known to have served at

RAF Blida, North Africa

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List



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Want to know more about RAF Blida, North Africa?


There are:36 items tagged RAF Blida, North Africa available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Sgt. Maurice "Paddy" Hayes 150 Squadron

My dad Maurice Hayes, was a Rear gunner with 150 Squadron and was based in Blida, North Africa. He was involved with the Tunisian, Sicilian and Italian campaigns. I have a picture of him and his crew and also their names. He wouldn't talk much about his activities during the war but retained his log book and flying mask. I do know that most times I went away on holiday to Europe he'd say "I flew over there" or "I dropped a few on there". That was always the only time he'd open up. But he kept the photo I am attaching of his colleagues in his treasure tin, so I am sure he looked at it many times and remembered the camaraderie and good times that I am sure were had in the face of the adversity.

The crew (I believe) are: L - R:

  • Sgt. J. Baxter, Scotland. Bombardier
  • Sgt. F. Doyle, Crosby, Liverpool. Navigator
  • Sgt. M. Hayes, Lismore, Ireland. Rear Gunner
  • Sgt. J. Umbers, Coulsdon, Surrey. Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
  • Flght. Sgt. SSM Tunstall, Boonah, Australia. Pilot

Margaret Craig



P/O. Donald Charles Seymour Atkins 148 Sqdn

My uncle Don Atkins volunteered for the RAF and was trained as a pilot in Pensacola, Florida, before joining 624 (Special Duties) Squadron based at Blida in North Africa in August 1944 as a 21-year-old Flight Sergeant. He flew all of his operations with the same crew, with a change of navigator in March 1945. They flew Short Stirlings, the first of the RAF's four-engine heavy bombers, which by then was considered obsolete in that role but widely used for the dropping of agents and supplies by parachute into occupied Europe. Don and his crew flew one operation on the night of 30/31 August, Operation Caracole, dropping supplies to the French Resistance engaging retreating German forces in southern France. In light of the success of the Allied invasions of June and August 1944, 624 Sqdn was disbanded, and Don and his crew were transferred to another Special Duties squadron, No 148, part of the Balkan Air Force at Brindisi, Italy.

148 Sqdn had sustained terrible casualties in the operations to supply the Warsaw Uprising, and many replacement crews arrived at Brindisi at that time. Don had a circuits-and-bumps conversion to flying the squadron's four-engine Handley Page Halifax aircraft courtesy of a very experienced pilot, Larry Toft. He then flew 36 operations with the squadron until the end of the war. They dropped supplies and agents and on one memorable occasion - in support of Operation Tombola - a jeep, to partisans in the Balkans and southern central Europe.

The life of a Special Duties crew was very different to that of a "typical" i.e. Bomber Command crew - for security's sake there were few communal activities with other crews, even operational briefings were usually individual, and the men lived isolated and fairly uncomfortable lives. In addition they faced danger on each operation: typically at this time, a drop was made in daylight at very low altitude, a few hundred feet, and often entailed several passes over the drop zone to make sure the reception party was there and was from the right side! Small arms and anti-aircraft fire from the ground caused casualties, as did mechanical failure and the weather; on top of this was the danger of low-flying between mountains, etc. The strain was considerable - the chances of bailing out safely at low altitude are low, and this alone must have given those young men considerable pause for thought - and increased as the end of the war in Europe approached. Don and his crew all survived the war, and went their separate ways on demobilisation. Don himself died in Brighton at the age of 42 in 1966.

The original crew (ranks given as of May 1945) were: P/O DC Atkins; P/O EF Lock; P/O WA Belson DFC (an Australian); F/Sgt D Sullivan; Sgt J Allcock; F/Sgt BA Lawler; F/Sgt J Sharples. F/O AS Allen (also an Australian) replaced P/O Belson DFC as navigator from March 1945.

The following aircrew flew with them on one or more occasions: Sgt JR Evans, F/Sgt FW Hubbard, W/O DF Hinsby, F/Sgt HS Milman, F/Sgt EG Ambrose, Sgt RG Heyward, F/Sgt PH Small, F/Sgt CW Bromage, F/Sgt RA Walkden.

Pat Atkins



Roy "Corks" Cornell 624 Squadron

Roy Corks Cornell was with 1575 SD Unit stationed at Desborough in the UK and then at Blida, Algeria in Stirling aircraft.

Roy Cornell



SAC. William Gill 210 Squadron

RAF Blida

Bill Gill was my father, he was Assigned to Coastal Command 210 Squadron, then off to 1PRU and 540 Squadron at Station Benson in the early days of Photo Reconnaissance. He was posted after 1PDC to 156 Maintenance Unit, Northwest Africa Aircraft Repair Unit as a Senior Aircraftsman. I was 14yrs when he passed in May 1969 and I am now tracing his WWII experiences. His War Record states he was a Commercial Photographer in Civilian Life, Glasgow, Scotland.

Kenneth J. Gill







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