Interesting Picture-Comments please?

the vehicle appears to be german, it seems to have the ‘notek’ lights, but the markings evade me…
certainly Med / Italy though.. 🙂

edit:
the circular emblem on the vehicle looks to be of VIII.Flieger Korps, my guess : Crete

That mountain range is very much like that in Northern Crete.

the vehicle appears to be german, it seems to have the ‘notek’ lights, but the markings evade me…
certainly Med / Italy though.. 🙂

edit:
the circular emblem on the vehicle looks to be of VIII.Flieger Korps, my guess : Crete

Not Malta, too many hills!

Not Malta, too many Germans!

WA$.

It seems a little delve into ‘Combat Codes’, by Vic Flintham and Andy Thomas, has the YH code being used by both 11(MedME) and 21(UK) Squadrons on Blenheims at the same time, though perhaps not in the same theatre of operations. James Halley in ‘Squadrons of the RAF’ however has 21 Squadron Blenheims operating out of Malta with the YH code.

Mark

Not really a discrepancy. 21 Sqn was apparently on Blenheims in the U.K.,through most of 1941 using the YH code for at least some of that time.
They didn’t get to Malta until Jan 42 and only then until March 42 before being reformed back in the U.K.

Conflicting data.

It seems a little delve into ‘Combat Codes’, by Vic Flintham and Andy Thomas, has the YH code being used by both 11(MedME) and 21(UK) Squadrons on Blenheims at the same time, though perhaps not in the same theatre of operations. James Halley in ‘Squadrons of the RAF’ however has 21 Squadron Blenheims operating out of Malta with the YH code.

Mark

If I can refer to #5 and the comment in #14 putting the shot as being probably in Greece post 25 April 41.
According to Phil Moyes “Bomber Squadrons of the RAF”,
No 11 Sqn ( Blenheim 1’s and IV’s coded YH) Were at Almyros Greece, Mar -April 41, Menidi, Greece April 41 ,then withdrew to Crete.
I think it is a reasonable assumption that these were abandoned aircraft in Greece from that time.
I don’t the think the other code is a 104 Sqn a/c as apparently they ceased operating Blenheims in early 1940 in U.K. Whilst in Malta (Apr 41-Feb 45) they were a Wellington Squadron, according to the same source.

Not Malta, too many hills!

…operating out of Luqa, Malta and felled in Sicily/Italy/Libya

Mark

Not Malta, too many hills!

I too have seen that photo before, I think in colour, and I think in a 1980’s magazine like Images of War, or War Illustrated. Maybe even in the magazine series The Elite?

Hi George–

I’ve seen this shot somewhere else, in B&W though I think…can’t remember where, but the “squashed” aft fuselage of the Blenheim in the foreground is familiar.

I think the other tail/aft section in the mid-background is another Blenheim, almost completely inverted; the gap between the stab and the elevator takes the same notched inner/curved outer line as on a Blenheim or Bolingbroke. (Being in Canada and gravitating to old airplanes whenever possible, one sees Bolies and bits thereof fairly often!) 😀

Not sure what the other thingy in the righthand background is, though…

S.

In terms of location and time, I should add that the picture is certainly taken in some unknown airfield in central or southern Greece, at the earliest after 25 April’41. Must say that the YH coded plane doesn’t look like a Blenheim to me; could it be an Anson or a Battle? Also, would anyone think that the plane in the background (red bordered area) might be a PZL P.24?

Blenheims of 104 Sqn. EP and a 21 Sqn. YH, operating out of Luqa, Malta and felled in Sicily/Italy/Libya.

Mark

My two cents, Blenheim for sure, and wouldnt you know missing the cowlings, I could use both the cowlings and that left wing, where are they now? By the way whats the aircraft behind the Blenheim with the Whitleyish looking tail? cant see for sure, hey maybe North Africa for area? cheers.

The ‘WL’ prefix on the license plate is Luftwaffe (Werhmacht, or more accurately ‘Heer’ is ‘WH’). No idea on the unit/divisional markings though! A hefty trawl around the interweb perhaps…………

Chris

We’re clearly thinking along the same lines.

Unfortunately I don’t have any of my German vehicle references with me.

WA$.

My 10 cents

Looks Med somewhere
I would think the best lead would be to chase the vehicles German markings down. Those look distinctive. Should give more clues? Any body good with Warmacht Vehicle markings?

Aircraft wise I wouldnt like to say, not too hot on the medium size birds, but could Italy be an option perhaps? Bex

I was going to say Blenheims, too, given that the rails for sliding the cockpit hatch back were the only bits I really recognised!

There seems to be two sets of squadron codes there – YH on the fuselage in the background, but I can’t see what the foreground ones are. TP- ?

I can only find 21 Squadron – Blenheim IVs – based in Malta December 1941???

And that doesn’t add-up with my earlier suggestion so I agree about the unreliability of squadron codes.

I still think it’s Greece November 1940- April 1941.

WA$.

Blenheims (1’s?) .Greece looks very possible – IIRC it’s not Malta. YH Code ? (YH is possibly 11Sqn (Greece 1941) , conceivably 21Sqn . (It is not a good idea to trust codes as in practice these were often rotated and even invented to cause confusion, the Mid East being no exception)