The bravery and sacrifice of the 48 members of 31 and 34 squadrons of the South African Air Force (SAAF) who lost their lives almost 80 years ago during a mission to drop supplies to Italian partisans have been commemorated at a memorial service in Pretoria. This was the largest loss of life in a single day in the SAAF’s more than 100-year history.
Speaking at the first full service at the SAAF memorial at Bays’ Hill since the COVID-19 pandemic, Reverend Trevor Slade said 78 years ago these men offered their lives and their future to bring relief and support to Italian partisans struggling against an evil enemy. He paid tribute to the Alpine 44 veterans association and the residents of the Italian Alps for keeping their memories alive.
Slade said while those young men probably never realised the enormity of what they had been ordered to do and for which they died; this memorial service honours the morality of their mission over the Alps that night.
Martin Urry, Chairman of Alpine 44 which organised the annual service, pointed out that many of those who died in the Italian Alps on the night of 12 October 1944, were little more than boys. On one aircraft – KG 999 – the pilot was 21-year-old Charlie Nel, and one of his crew members was only 18 – emphasising that during war they grew up quickly. Urry is the son of the pilot of 31 Squadron’s bomber, KH 158 which has never been found. It is believed to have crashed into the sea between Genoa and La Spezia.
Twenty B-24 Liberator heavy bombers – 16 from 31 Squadron and 4 from 34 Squadron – were to drop supplies to Italian partisans operating in the Po Valley, north of Genoa. However, unexpectedly bad weather forced 11 of the aircraft to turn back to base, while six were lost. Five of the aircraft crashed into the Alps. Only three were able to locate their drop zones and deliver their cargo.
The nephew of Warrant Officer Whitelaw who was on flight KG 874, Richard Brownrigg, said that aircraft crashed into mountains at Ostana; aircraft number KG 875 crashed into mountains at Valparto Soana; KG 999 crashed into mountains at Ala di Stura; KH 154 crashed into mountains at Rora; KH 239 crashed into mountains at Cantalupa. The crew on the flights included members of Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force as well as the SAAF.
Brownrigg laid a wreath in memory of the eight men on Liberator bomber KG 874. Other wreaths were laid by a representative of the Chief of the SAAF, the Royal Air Forces Association and the SA Legion of Military Veterans.
After the main service, Emilio Coccia, President of the Zonderwater Block ex-POW Association laid a wreath at the SAAF’s memorial wall in memory of the South African pilots of Italian descent who gave their lives during the Korean War.
Because many of the men of 31 and 34 squadrons also participated in the dangerous missions to resupply Warsaw, there is a close association with the Warsaw Flight Commemoration Committee and the Zonderwater Block ex-POW Association.
Zonderwater, outside Pretoria, was the largest Allied Prisoner of War camp in WW II and more than 100-thousand Italian POWs spent up to six years there.
