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Tomahawk Mk.IIb of No 73 Squadron

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Flown by Peter Guy Wykeham-Barnes (13 September 1915 – 23 February 1995) based in El Gamil, Egypt, September 1941.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia…

Wykeham-Barnes joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1932 at Halton. Later he became a Cadet at the College at Cranwell. Commissioned in 1937, he was posted to join 80 Squadron, with which unit he went to Egypt early in 1938. Later that year he was despatched to Palestine for a month to operate against Arab dissidents, for which, he received a Certificate of Distinguished Conduct from the GOC, British Forces.

www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hawk-81A/R…

When the war started in North Africa on 10 June 1940, 80 Squadron was commanded by Squadron Leader R. C. Jonas and based at Amriya. It had 22 Gladiators (mainly Mk.Is) and one Hurricane Mk.I (nicknamed Collie’s Battleship) on hand. Its main role was the defence of Alexandria.

He was one of the pilots chosen to help form 274 Squadron as an all-Hurricane unit when this unit was formed on 19 August by ten of the pilots from A Flight (the Hurricane Flight) of 80 Squadron under the command of Squadron Leader Patrick Dunn. The first six operational Hurricanes were used mainly for conversion and training duties. On 29 November he was the first fighter pilot in North Africa to receive a DFC.

On 20 April 1941 he took command of the recently-arrived 73 Squadron, and was at once involved in the air defence of the invested port of Tobruk, from where the unit operated for a short time

In November 1941 he became Wing Commander Fighters, Western Desert, but was rested in February 1942, when he was sent to the USA as an air-fighting instructor.

Returning to the UK in May, he took command of 257 Squadron, which he converted, from Hurricanes to Typhoons during July. In November however, he took over 23 Squadron on Mosquito II night intruders, leading the unit out to Malta late in December to commence operations over Sicily.
Whilst with 23 Squadron his navigator was 116970 Flying Officer Geoffrey Ernest Palmer, DFC.

He was to gain his last victories here, and to receive an award of the DSO, but on 28 April 1943, while undertaking physical exercise which he strongly encouraged, he twisted his knee and tore the cartilage, requiring invaliding to England.

Having recovered, he became Sector Commander of the Kenley Sector in June 1943, flying Spitfires. However, in February 1944, after a spell in a staffjob at Air Ministry, he returned to Mosquitos - now Mark VI fighter-bombers - as commander of 140 Wing in 2nd TAF. With 140 Wing he led an attack on the Gestapo HQ at Bonncuil Matours on 14 July 1944, followed by a similar attack on the Aarhus HQ in Denmark on 31 October, for which he was awarded the Danish Order of Dannebrog. He was also to add a Bar to his DSO during the latter month.

In December 1944 he moved to the Operations Staff of 2 Group, 2nd TAF.

Wykeham-Barnes ended the war with a total of 14 and 3 shared destroyed.

Source :

surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/common…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wy…

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