Benghazi Graveyard

While stationed at Benghazi, Libya, in 1943 with 203 Squadron RAF, Tony Tubbenhauer had time to explore a nearby Axis aircraft graveyard, containing many abandoned Italian and German warplanes.

Below is a selection of some of his photographs of those aircraft, with my comments.

Aero Macchi C202 Folgore. Note the "Iron Leg" insignia of the 9o Gruppo.

Two Fiat CR42 Falco, with apparently the rear part of a C202 in front

Two Macchi MC200 Saetta and a CR42

Fiat G50 Freccia. Squadriglia 351, 155 Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre

The interesting unit marking consists of a light blue shield with a 'hunter' with gun in hand and trailing a bag with some sort of dead animal in it, and a palm tree in the background

I thank Richard J. Caruana for identifying the unit and for the drawing, below

There are 2 aircraft behind the G50, one of which seems to be the Breda Ba65 also seen in the panoramic view 3 photos below, and the other may be a C202

Savoia-Marchetti SM79 Sparviero, the "Gobbo Maledetto" (Cursed Hunchback)

Two views of an interesting SM79. This is not the usual hunchbacked bomber version, but an SM79T "Atlantici" of which three were used on the famous flight from Rome to Rio in January 1938. The wording on the fuselage is:

ALA LITTORIA S.A. LINEE ATLANTICHE

This is probably I-ALAN, used for regular flights between Italy and Brazil, mostly for mail. In May-June 1940 it was impressed in military service, still in civil markings, for flights in the Mediterranean area and to Abyssinia. On July 16 1940, en route to Abyssinia, it aborted take off at Benghazi and the undercarriage collapsed. British troops found the wreck in February 1941.

For the pictures of I-ALAN below, I acknowledge

http://www.ams.vr.it/Documents/Sm.79%20drawpro/Sm.79%20drawpro.htm


Also, in the panoramic picture of the SM79T, note on the extreme left a Breda Ba65, in centre background an SM81 Pipistrello, with an MC200 fuselage in front of it, extreme right another SM81, or possibly its airliner origin the SM73, and the wingtip of another probable SM81 in centre foreground.

I thank Carlo Soliani for this history and help with identification.

Caproni Ca311 mod

Savoia-Marchetti SM82 Canguru of Squadriglia 601.

As Tony commented, this one "took a hop or two too many"

Two views of a Macchi C202 "97-3"

Two Bf109 with the rear fuselage of a Ju88

Two views of another Bf109

Two views (above) of a Ju88A. The Jumo 211 engine seems virtually intact. The Ju88 had in-line engines, but the circular radiators made them look like radials. There is another Ju88 in the background. There also seems to be a Martin B-26 in the background.

Three views (this, and the next two) of a Ju88A. Werknummer may be 2195. This Ju88 also has well-preserved engines, this time one still on the wing. It is likely to be Ju88A4 w/n 142195 of III/KG54 coded B3+BS which was damaged at Benghazi on 26/10/42. The skull (Totenkopf) insignia on the nose is of KG54 (Kampfgeschwader). Thanks to Ed North for additional information.

In this view it is clear that this is a long-wing version, probably Ju88A4 or A5

Ju52/3m. Werknummer 180351 was "1Z + MU". Is this it?

Transportgeschwader 1

Fw190 in a ruined hangar