No. 7 (South African) Wing

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No. 7 Wing SAAF
7 SAAF Wing.jpg
Lt.Col. A C Bosman, 'sweep leader' (Wing Commander Flying) of No. 7 SAAF Wing, signals by Aldis lamp to pilot coming in to land at Trigno landing ground, Italy.
Active1942 to 1945
CountryFlag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa
Branch South African Air Force
RoleFighter Bomber Wing

No. 7 Wing (SAAF) was a South African Airforce fighter-bomber air wing during World War II. The Wing served in the Western Desert and Italian campaigns. By the end of the North African campaign in May 1943, SAAF No 7 Wing, comprising 2, 4 & 5 Squadrons, was considered the best dive bomber formation in the world. [1]

Contents

Organisation and squadrons

7 Wing was initially a RAF Wing. In December 1942, 2, 4 and 5 Squadrons SAAF were placed in reserve and on 6 December 1942 they were assigned to 7 Wing SAAF under the command of Lt.Col. D.H. Loftus. It was the first time South African squadrons had operated together as a unified wing. [2] The wing badge was a leaping Sprignbok on a green and yellow shield and was painted on the rudder of wing aircraft. In 1943 and 1944, the wing supported partisan operations in Yugoslavia. By Christmas 1944, the Wing was based at Forli near Bologna where it remained until the end of the war. [3] It comprised the below squadrons during its existence:

No. 7 Wing SAAF organisation: 1941 - 1945
DateAssigned SquadronsWing CommanderHigher formation
October 1942
(Initially 7 Wing RAF)		Lt. Col. D.H. Loftus [7] No. 212 Group RAF [4]
February 1943Lt. Col. D.H. Loftus [7]
Lt. Col. J.D. Human [7] 		No. 212 Group RAF [4]
July 1944Lt. Col. Johnny D. Human [3]
Col. D.D. Moodie [3] 		Desert Airforce [9]
May 1945 Lt. Col. A C Bosman [11] Mediterranean Allied Tactical Airforce [10]

Citations

  1. ↑ "SAAF Squadrons – present and past" (PDF).
  2. ↑ Brown 1974, pp. 306.
  3. 1 2 3 Fortune Favours the Bold: An African Aviation Odyssey. Xlibris Corporation. 28 January 2009. ISBN   9781462813902.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shores 1972, pp. 74.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Shores & Ring 1969, pp. 248.
  6. ↑ "No. 274 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War".
  7. 1 2 3 Brown 1974, pp. 401.
  8. 1 2 3 Brown 1974, pp. 331.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Shores 1973, pp. 18.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Shores 1973, pp. 108.
  11. ↑ "Photographs: Royal Air Force: Italy, The Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945". Imperial War Museum.

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References

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