Lockheed P-38F Lightning of the USAAF’s 71st Fighter Squadron destroyed by fire surely after an enemy raid on a North African base, late 1942/early 1943. The 72st FS moved to North Africa from RAF Ibsley, England, on 23 October 1942 and was deployed on the Algerian air bases of Saint-Leu, 8 November 1942, Tafaraoui-Oran, 14 November 1942, Nouvion, 21 November 1942, Maison Blanche-Algiers, 17 December 1942, Biskra, 22 December 1942 and Châteaudun -du-Rhumel, 16 February 1943. On Summer 1943, 28 June, moved from Algeria to Tunisia, Mateur, and afterwards Djedeida, 31 October 1943, with detachment at Gerbini Airfield, Sicily, 5-18 September 1943, and Gambut, Libya, 5-15 October 1943. Late 1943, 8 December, after a very brief deployment in Sardinia, at Metato, the 71st FS moved definitively to Italy, at Grottaglie, Apulia. Victor Sierra

It was a Lighting

Tunisian sky, September 1943: "Earthquake McGoon", Martin B-26B-1-MA Marauder S/N 41-17747, an aircraft of 37th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force, return to his base, Djedeida Airfield, Tunisia, with flak damage to the No. 1 engine nacelle, left wing and wheel. At this time the 17th Bomb Group were already well known because the Group's aircraft and many of its aircrews took part in the February 1942 to Doolittle Raid against Tokyo and when the Group moved to North Africa the James Doolittle were the leader of the 12th Air Force and, later, of the Northwest African Strategic Air Forces. The 319th was one of the three B-26 Bomber Group (the other was the 319th and the 320th) selected in August 1942 to support the Allied operations in North Africa. The 17th flew its first combat mission in MTO (Mediterranean Theatre of Operation), a raid against the Tunisian airfield of Gabes, occupied by the Axis air forces. After a strong operational activity over the Mediterranean and, later, over the Italy flying from Decimomannu, Sardinia. In January 1945, the 319th returned to the United States for training to the Douglas A-26 Invader (after the WW2 B-26) for operations in the Pacific Theater. Between May and July 1945, the group moved by ship to Okinawa, and on 16 July flew its first mission against Japan. So the 17th Bomb Group was the only US Army Air Force’s combat unit which fought against all three of the Axis powers (Japan, Italy, and Germany) on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe). Victor Sierra

War missions over three continents

A former Luftwaffe’s Fieseler Fi 156C-1 Storch now in American hands together an USAAF’s Lockheed P.38 Lightning likely somewhere in the Mediterranean Theatre. The planes have two different American insignia’s type: the Storch has still the star in the blue disk with yellow edge adopted late 1942 while the Lightning has the insignia late 1943 which suppose a photo taken in Southern Italy (at this date all the P-38’s units in MTO were based in Italy). I don’t know which meaning the “3/4” over the Storch’s fuselage: who knows? Victor Sierra