Captain D.Michelson  with a turtle named Tim. This turtle was the mascot of 2/2 Australian Battalion.
 

 Location: Ramallah, Palestine 
 Time taken: 28/03/1940
 Author: Damien Pare 
 
 

Turtle Tim

OK-FS: an Italian fighter Fiat CR.42 “Falco” (Hawk) captured intact on Tripoli Castel Benito Airfield on January 1943, after the Axis retreat, and “enlisted” by the No 450 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force which was deployed here from 24 January 1943 until 14 February 1943. This CR.42 appear on excellent conditions. Remark the absence of the white cross on the tail perhaps deleted and replaced by a “tricolor” rather rough (but the decal with the Savoia’s emblem is correctly in its stead), while the white of the fuselage’s band seems replaced by another color (yellow?). Remark also the elevator locked to pitch likely for opposing to nose ground wind and also the ailerons in neutral position perhaps, old an effective method, locking the control lever with the seat belts. Of the many Italian aircraft captured by Allied forces only three are still surviving, one in UK, RAF Museum’s CR.42, and two in United States, the USAF Museum’s Macchi 200 and the Smithsonian’s Macchi 202. And this is very regrettable. Victor Sierra



An Italian fighter “enlisted” by the RAAF

According the official caption of this AWM’s photo, the latter show «Squadron Leader Judge, RAF (an Australian serving with the RAF) and Peter Jeffreys of No 3 Squadron, RAAF take off in a Miles Magister trainer aircraft for a reconnaissance over Italian lines». Since only a Miles M.14 Magister, a British tandem two-seater light trainer aircraft produced starting from 1937, would be in service with the Royal Australian Air Force, the aircraft of this photo is likely one many airplanes dispatched by RAF in Mediterranean Theatre for non-operational duties. Victor Sierra