Nicosia 1957 to 1959 Reminiscences

IDF/AF SM.79 L-112 interception

Hi all!

Just did a quick summery of the Lebanese SM.79 incident on our new Israeli aviation History.

We have just started translating our stuff – so please bare with us.

http://merchav-aviri.org/english/content/view/34/39/

Contributions (stories and pictures) are welcome.

Tsahi Ben-Ami

I spy red x’s… Sorry.

Flood

URL for L-112 in Haifa pics:
http://147.237.72.31/topsrch/datafile/wwwm3118.gif
http://147.237.72.31/topsrch/datafile/wwwm3119.gif

Preserved SM.79s

So, to summarize – surviving SM.79s:

L111 ex Lebanon A.F., now at University of Pisa? (whole or just fuselage?)

L112 ex Lebanon A.F., photographed Nicosia 1959, interned at Haifa 28/5/59 now at Italian AF Museum, Vigna di Valle

L113 ex Lebanon A.F., now at Caproni Museum, Trento

have I got that right? Anyone got European Wrecks and Relics and Bob Ogden’s volume that covers Italy?

Roger Smith.

[QUOTE=italian harvard]Yes, I can confirm 😉
btw even the one in Vigna di Valle comes from Lebanon, but was repainted with wartime colors (even if wrong) and is being refurbished with all the original equipment. I wonder what happened to the third S.79, might well still be sittin there? :

The 3rd SM79 is in Italy – believed stored at Universtity of Pisa according to the superb Preserved Axis aircraft website – here’s a link to a picture of it. http://www.preservedaxisaircraft.com/Italy/images/SM79_MM21150.jpg

I spy red x’s… Sorry.

Flood

L-112 interned in Haifa, Israel

The following two pictures from the Israeli national photo archive show Lebanese Air Force SM.79 L-112 interned in Haifa, Israel, on May 28th 1959.

The aircraft was apparently intercepted over Israeli air space on May 27th 1959 by Mystere IVA fighters of 109 Squadron IAF, piloted by Yosef Tzuk and Ya’acov Yariv. It was directed to land at Haifa air strip, and displayed to the media the next day – hence the pictures. I understand that the crew were subsequently released and flew back to Lebanon.

When was this aircraft seen in Cyprus?

Incidentally, Haifa had been bombed by Italian SM.79s of 205a Squadriglia, 41° Gruppo some 19 years before this incident!

Yet another five for you.

1 Scimitar F1 XD214
2 V.701 viscount G-AMOC
3 Britannia of BOAC
4 AD-4W Skyraider AEW1 WT945 coded B/429 in 1959
5 F-2 Banshee of VF-1 USN

Glyn

Many thanks for sharing these great photographs.

abuses’ were quickly removed so probably happened at Nicosia.

We’d call it ‘an improvement’… 😀

A few notes on some of the pictures.
Scimitar XD214: this will be the trip that Lt Cdr ‘Sharkey’ Robbins, of the RN Test Squadron at Boscombe Down, set a record time from London to Valetta, Malta, of 2 hours 12 minutes and 27.3 seconds over hte 1,298 miles whilst en route to Bahrain on 17/6/1958. Unfortunately he suffered a bad motor accident there, his severe injuries ending his test pilot career.

The Indian Firefly is a TT4, one of five delivered in either September (two) or December (three) 1958. The serials were INS116-INS120.

Gannet XA462 was with 847NAS at Nicosia from 26/5/58 until it went to Hal Far on 31/7/59.

Skyraider WT945 was with 849NAS D Flt as 429/B from 1/11/56 until it went for modernisation with HQ Flt on 29/10/58. From HMS Bulwark – the ‘B’ on the tail – D Flt disembarked the carrier at Gibraltar, Aden and Kenya (as well as RNAS Culdrose, its shore base) other than where Bulwark sailed, so it could have been tagged anywhere, although usually these ‘abuses’ were quickly removed so probably happened at Nicosia…

More?

Flood

Yes, I do, Alex, please PM me if you are interested in buying it, it’s close to Brancaleone.

ehehehe u really have a house in “Saudi Calabria”? 😀 😀 😀
U r the first foreigner that I know who wants to sell his house in Italy 😉

Alex

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero

Alex,
As an apology for my identification mistake, please accept this scan from page 237 of “The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II” by David Mondey.
Ciao! Papa Lima (still trying to sell my house in Calabria!)

There, there, Papa Lima you must have been confused by all those large tri-motors – there is a lot of them.
I liked the one on floats best,

Roger Smith.

Cant.Z 506, THE best multiengined floatplane ever!!! 🙂

Alex

Tut, Tut, Papa Lima and I thought your aircraft recognition was good! That is NOT an SM-79, that’s the Fiat G.212 ‘Flying Classrom’!! 🙁 HERE is the SM79!
This was L-112 of the Lebanese Air Force and L-113 survives in the Caproni Museum, at Trento, still in its Lebanese markings.

Yes, I can confirm 😉
btw even the one in Vigna di Valle comes from Lebanon, but was repainted with wartime colors (even if wrong) and is being refurbished with all the original equipment. I wonder what happened to the third S.79, might well still be sittin there? :confused:
The G.212 is a really huge machine, one of these was involved in a terrible aircrash on the Superga monastry, near Turin. The accident was really shocking at the time because almost all the Torino soccer team was on board, and the legend of that prodigious football team finished with that awful accident. 🙁

Alex

P.S.
btw if u have other pics (no matter if B/W or color) of the 79s can u post them or send them with a PM to me? My heart melts when I see such rarities! THANKS! 🙂

Thanks for your info about the Skyraider. In my naivety I did not think that zapping took place 46 years ago.I only thought that the modern(relatively modern) yobs did such things.

Glyn

That’s not an Aussie roundel, it’s a zap.

The smart guess would be it landed where there were active RAN or RAAF people, and got what happens on those ocasions.

An RAAF or RAN FAA roundel has the centre red ‘dot’ entirely replaced by the red roo that’s larger than the dot on a RAF roundel would be.

(Attached sample from a Hercules underwing roundel – to hand)

5 AD-4W Skyraider AEW1 WT945 coded B/429. States Royal Navy but has Australian roundel. Any info anyone?

Kids! Graffitti gets everywhere :rolleyes: .
I imagine it was tagged by an Aussie, they never had them – Nermal

Getting to the end now but here areanother half dozen.

1 FJ-1 Fury 139231 of VF-62 coded ap/207
2 F-2 Banshee 127598 of VF-1 coded AP/110
3 Mystere IVA IA1012
4 Hastings C1 TG576 of 70 Squadron
5 AD-4W Skyraider AEW1 WT945 coded B/429. States Royal Navy but has Australian roundel. Any info anyone?
6 Britannia of BOAC taken in June 1959 at Khartoum. Not Nicosia but I was in Khartoum to repair a 70S Hastings whilst I was based in Nicosia.

Glyn

Albert,

Thanks for the information and the colour picture. have you any more you can add to the thread? I am sure others would enjoy sharing them.

Glyn