1943 - 1945
To give you some information
on the service completed by Tommy and myself, I am sending you
a short version of what I can remember. I hope that it will
be what you want.
Not seen your Website yet as I am not on the
Internet, however, I hope to see it soon. I wish you all the
best of luck.
After our Irish adventure, I took a couple
of weeks to recover somewhat from my injuries. I was then sent
to Bristol to the Beaufighter factory to pick up a new aircraft
and then took it back to Islay. A few days later I had carried
out the necessary tests and flew down to Portreath in Cornwall
where, overnight, the wing machine guns were removed and extra
fuel tanks were fitted in their place. The guns were stored
in the fuselage along with a heavy load of spare parts for the
Middle East. My cannons were allowed only twenty rounds each.
It took us five and three-quarter hours to reach Gibraltar.
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Richard and Olga on their wedding day in Cairo, Egypt
in July 1943 |
The following morning we set course for Algiers and had a trouble free
flight, reaching there by eleven o’clock. After having lunch,
we took off again, this time south over the Atlas Mountains into the
Sahara to avoid the fighting in Tunisia, then east to Castel Benito
in Libya. Quite clearly next morning we were flying not far from the
sea toward Marble Arch and reached it in the middle of a sandstorm.
The storm blew itself out over night leaving everything covered in a
thick layer of red dust. In a short time we were on our way again and
at about mid-day we landed on an aerodrome outside Cairo. Here we were
separated from our aeroplane and trucked to Al Maza, a transit camp
where we would be accommodated until we were posted to a Squadron. A
few days later, while visiting the City, I met Olga at an afternoon
dance and two weeks later we were engaged to be married. With a good
slice of luck we were married a month later.
Meanwhile, Tommy and I were posted to a Beaufighter Squadron on Malta
and were flying regular sorties against the enemy.
In July 1943 the Squadron was posted temporarily to the desert at Gardabia
to provide long-range escort for the allied invasion of Sicily. As the
invasion progressed northward, we also progressed to the north to a
permanent aerodrome at Catania right next to the Mt Etna volcano.
In September we were moved to the west coast of Sicily, to a landing
strip called Borizzo. From this Base we began attacks on enemy shipping
off the French and Spanish coasts.
Quite suddenly, the whole Squadron was moved to Gibraltar to fly long-range
escort for the Battleships bringing Churchill and Roosevelt to their
conference at Casablanca. We then returned to Base. In January 1944
we were posted to Alghero on the northwest coast of Sardinia from where
we continued to attack enemy shipping.
July of 1944 saw Tommy and I posted to Cyprus as instructors. We stayed
there until January 1945. Then Tommy was posted back to the UK and I
was posted to Cairo. In February 1945 I was posted, and accompanied
by Olga, back to Australia by ship. I was discharged in the following
year.
Written by Richard Kukura December 4 2005
© Richard Kukura 2005
From left to right : Their daughters: Nicole & Lynette,
Richard and Olga Kukura
on their sixtieth wedding anniversary in July 2003
(Photo taken at the East Fremantle Yacht Club where they are members)
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