Three Spitfire of South African Air Force’s No 40 Squadron flying over the Alps Austrian side, likely early 1945. After operations in North Africa, in June 1943 No.40 Squadron, by now equipped with the Spitfire, moved to Malta, from where it flew tactical reconnaissance missions and also a number of offensive sweeps during the invasion of Sicily. After a brief time in Sicily, the Squadron moved to mainland Italy following the front’s reposition and a detachment was sent to Araxos, Greece, in December 1944-January 1945, to support the Allied forces that prevented a Communist take-over after the German retreat. In April-May 1945 the No 40 SAAF was deployed in the Treviso area, North East Italy, and after the end of the war the squadron was used, from to fly reconnaissance missions, also from bases in Austria, along the Yugoslav border, a tense area as Tito made claims on Italian territory. The Squadron finally disbanded on 20 October 1945, and its aircraft (Spitfire XI) went to no 225 Squadron RAF based at Campoformido. Victor Sierra

From desert to Alps

Propaganda image of Spanish Falangist Youth member standing on a Fiat 3000 Italian-manufactured tank.  This is possibly a cover image from the Falangist newspaper/magazine, "Arriba Espana"; if so, a date late in 1936 is indicated.  

The Fiat 3000 was a development of the French FT-17 tank of WW1.  The main modifications were, a slightly shorter, broader hull and prominent mudguards covering the track system.  Some 1,000 of these machines were ordered by the Italian government prior to the end of WW1, after which the original order was downscaled to 100.  The tank shown here appears to be an early (1921,  Type A) model, armed with twin 6.5mm machine guns; the later Type B (very limited production) was armed with a 37mm cannon.

The Fiat 3000 saw some action in Libya in the 1920s, and subsequently in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War (in which it was opposed by an Abyssinian armoured force consisting of one fellow-Fiat 3000 sold to Ethiopia before hostilities, and two locally-adapted armoured cars).  It also had very limited employment, much later, in the course of the Allied invasion of Sicily - a local emergency measure met with zero success.  However, the Italians had recognised its obsolete state well in advance of the latter engagement, and the 3000 was thus replaced by more modern (if little more effective) Italian tank designs.  

One point of interest in this image lies in the disagreement between sources as to whether Fiat 3000 vehicles were actually employed - or even sent - to Spain to support the Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War.  On its face, this image suggests that at least one was - even if it was only a clapped-out example that had been campaigning in Libya, sent to the Nationalists in the main for propaganda purposes at the outset of the Civil War.  Best regards, JR.

Fiat 3000 tank in Spain.

Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark III, FR817, GL-O, "Lady Godiva", of No. 5 Squadron South African Air Force undergoes servicing at Mileni landing ground, North-East of Foggia, Southern Italy. The No 5 Squadron SAAF was at Mileni from October to December 1943 and therefore the photo date from this period. Equipped with Kittyhawk as replacement of the Tomahawk in January 1943, the No 3 Squadron SAAF moved in Sicily in August 1943 and thereafter was based in Mainland Italy. In September 1944 the Kittyhawk were replaced with Mustang III. Victor Sierra