ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196628
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 February 1941 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Fiat CR.42 |
| Owner/operator: | 412a Squadriglia, Regia Aeronautica |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Near Asmara -
 Eritrea
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
Around noon on 5 February 1941 four Hurricanes and two Gladiators from 1 Sqn SAAF flew an offensive patrol over Asmara, stepped up in echeloned pairs, when they saw six CR.42s also stepped up in pairs, on the port beam. The SAAF fighters climbed to attack and the CR.42s tried to evade into clouds. Lieutenants Robin Pare and White were unable to obtain conclusive results. Captain K. W. Driver, in a Hurricane, attacked the leading one head on, and hit the engine, the pilot breaking away and making for Asmara. Driver fired again and the Fiat crash-landed near the airfield. Lieutenant John Jacobus Coetzer, in one of the Gladiators, claimed a second in a stern attack, firing three bursts before it dived into a cloud. Pulling up and over the cloud, he saw the CR.42s crash in flames near a road, around 4.8km east of Asmara around 12:45. A third was claimed by Captain Gerald Le Mesurier, also in a Hurricane, but this could have been confused with Coetzer’s claim.
One Gladiator was hit in the engine, but managed to land at Agordat.
Italian records show that one CR.42 crash-landed badly damaged and with the pilot slightly wounded, while a second from 412a Squadriglia was shot down, the Sottotenente Giovanni Consoli bailing out. He was badly wounded and died later that day.
Sources:
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_coetzer.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmara
http://www.maplandia.com/eritrea/makelay/asmara-city/asmara/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jul-2017 13:39 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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