Draft:Soluch Airfield
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Last edited by Maxq32 (talk | contribs) 2 seconds ago. (Update) |
Soluch Airfield was a aviation facility located in Libya south of the city of Benghazi in the town of Suluq. First established by the Italian military in the 1920's, it eventually became one of several smaller airfields (including Benina, Lete and Berca) located in and around Benghazi. By the early 1940's, the field comprised of a 1200 m x 1400 m unpaved sand runway with two aircraft sheds and barracks. The airfield saw little use by the Axis forces.[1]
During the Battle of Beda Fomm, the British Commonwealth 7th Support Group occupied Soluch, securing it from the Italian forces in February of 1942.[2]
Axis Units Based in Soluch:
[edit]67 Gruppo OA Squadriglie 25, 115 Stormo 21; March 28 - February 4 1942[3]
235a Squadriglia, 60o Gruppo; c. 1941[4]
Allied Units Based in Soluch:
[edit]Nos. 12 and 24 Squadrons (SAAF); December 1942 - January 1943[5] [6]
No. 21 Squadron (SAAF); December 1942
No. 104 Squadron (RAF); 6-14 February 1943
376th Bombardment Group (USAAF); February 1943 - April 1943 [7] [8] [9]
Notable Incidents:
[edit]- On 4 April 1943, Lady Be Good, a World War II B-24 Liberator based at Soluch Field, missed the airport while returning from a bombing mission in Italy, becoming lost over the Libyan Desert. The bomber subsequently ran out of fuel and crashed 434 miles (699 km) southeast of Soluch and was lost for 15 years, with the airframe remarkably well-preserved. 8 out of the 9 crew aboard survived by bailing out of the plane before it crashed, only to die while attempting to walk through the desert to be rescued.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.ww2.dk/Airfields%20-%20Libya%20and%20Egypt.pdf
- ^ "Beda Fomm : the Classic Victory | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ asisbiz.com (2021-12-27). "Regia Aeronautica Units during WWII". asisbiz. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Italian biplane fighter aces - Mario Ferrero". surfcity.kund.dalnet.se. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "No. 12 Squadron (SAAF) during the Second World War". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "No. 24 Squadron (SAAF) during the Second World War". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ https://www.usafunithistory.com/PDF/0300/376%20EXPEDITIONARY%20OPERATIONS%20GP.pdf
- ^ "376th Bombardment Group - WWII - World War II - Army Air Forces". www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "376th Bombardment Group - World War II - Liberandos - Honor Roll Project". www.376bg.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ ""Lady Be Good"". National Museum of the United States Air Force.
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