Other Forces

From RYAF to RAF

This Dornier Do 17 in British colors, centre of attention on an Egyptian RAF’s base, isn’t a captured aircraft, but a former Royal Yugoslav Air Force Do 17K escaped from his country after the Kingdom of Yugoslav’s fall, April 1941. Between 14 and 15 April 1941, seven Yugoslav Do 17Ks flew to Nikšić airport and took part in the evacuation of King Petar II and members of the Yugoslav government to Greece as well as of the Yugoslav gold reserves. The airplanes, together the S.79K used for the King’s escape, landed at Paramythia, a Greek airfield not far from the border with Albania, at this time still base of No 211 Squadron RAF. But five of them was destroyed by an Italian Air Force’s raid and the two survivor, just before the fall of Paramythia in the Axis hands, was moved by their crew, together the S.79K with the young King (18 years) on board, to Egypt. In Egypt both the German-built plane, already of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force’s 209 Eskadrila, was absorbed by the RAF which they allocated the codes AX707 and AX706. However their life in the RAF ranks was extremely brief: both was in fact destroyed by an enemy air raid on 27 August 1941. Victor Sierra