A Fleet Air Arm air pilot climbs on board his Fairey Albacore for a night mission, perhaps a harassment mission over Southern Italy, at a base on Malta, shortly after the Island was awarded the George Cross in 1942. Victor Sierra

Night flight from Malta

November 1942, off the North African coasts: on the flight deck of Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Formidable the Martlet IVs of 893 Naval Air Squadron ready and waiting to takeoff for a protection mission of the Allied landings, Operation Torch. In this other fine slide of IWM’s collection, are visible also, in background, three Seafires. Formed at Donibristle in June 1942 as a fighter squadron with six Martlet Is (Grumman G-36A for the France, but never delivered), in October of the same year the 893 Naval Air Squadron embarked on HMS Formidable with ten Martlet IVs (Royal Navy version of the US Navy’s Grumman F-4F-4 Wildcat) for fighter protection during the landings in North Africa, and participated into an attack on the U-Boat U-331 together the 820 Squadron’s Albacore. Subsequently in 1943, the 893 Squadron took part in the landings in Sicily and later provided cover at Salerno. Victor Sierra

Operation Torch: ready for take off

Zuara, Tripolitania, Lybia, March 1943: Douglas Boston medium bomber of No 24 SAAF-South African Air Force. At beginning equipped with Martin Maryland, afterwards replaced by the Boston, the No 24 SAAF Squadron as daytime tactical bomber units carrying out bombing sorties on Mediterranean and North African targets. Note the roundels with orange inner disk orange, and not red like the RAF’s roundels, typical of South African aircraft. Victor Sierra