Document created: 1 December 03
Air & Space Power Journal - Winter 2003

Kittyhawks over the Sands: The Canadians and RCAF Americans, Campaigns: MTO [Mediterranean Theater of Operations] no. 1, by Michel Lavigne and James F. Edwards. Lavigne Aviation Publications, P.O. Box 222, Victoriaville, Qc, Canada, G6P 6S8, 2002, 384 pages, $45.00.

Since 1969 the outstanding book Fighters over the Desert by the English writer Christopher Shores and his German coauthor Hans Ring has served as the standard by which one measures other aviation history books about the air war in North Africa from 1940 through 1943. Within the last year, however, two indispensable works for the historian or fan of this area of World War II history have appeared: Russell Brown’s Desert Warriors: Australian P-40 Pilots at War in the Middle East and North Africa, 1941–1943 (see my review in Aerospace Power Journal, winter 2001) and Kittyhawks over the Sands, both of which have set a new standard in this area of study.

Canadian author Michel Lavigne has again teamed with the exceptional Canadian ace James “Stocky” Edwards, a retired wing commander, to produce their second book. (In 1983 they joined forces to write Kittyhawk Pilot, Edwards’s biography.) Lavigne’s latest work, the fourth book he has coauthored, gives historians a superb account of this fascinating subject. Readers should note, however, that Kittyhawks over the Sands is by no means an easy read and not the type of book that lends itself to casual reading; rather, the sheer volume of material makes it a reference work.

Unlike Fighters over the Desert, which steps through the North African campaign in a day-by-day format, Kittyhawks over the Sands focuses on Canadian pilots who flew for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Canadian and American pilots who flew for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and squadrons that flew the American-built P-40. Thus, the book deals with the 94, 260, 112, and 250 Squadrons of the RAF and 450 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)—specifically, their battles with the Italians and the German Luftwaffe in North Africa. Lavigne and Edwards present a staggering amount of information about each squadron, including unit histories, casualties, and claims. For example, the data on casualties includes the date, type of aircraft flown, pilot’s name and fate, source of shootdown, and location of the battle. For claims, they include date, time, name and nationality of the victorious pilot, type of aircraft shot down, and battle location. Throughout the book, readers will find pilot profiles, anecdotes, and 350 black-and-white photographs as well as 16 color pages of aircraft and pilots. In addition to historical information about the squadrons, the book offers appendices covering the combat records of P-40 units, P-40 aces, Canadian and American RCAF casualties, and claims made by Canadian and American RCAF pilots.

Perhaps what I like the most about Kittyhawks over the Sands are the pilot accounts and stories of aerial combat, ground attack, and pilot losses from both sides. Lavigne and Edwards intriguingly piece together air combats, including photographs of men who shot each other down and of aircraft destroyed later in the campaign. I also admire their brutally honest treatment concerning instances of overclaiming by the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, and Luftwaffe. For example, on the one hand, although RAF 112 Squadron claimed 211 aircraft destroyed between June 1940 and May 1943, the authors’ research corroborates only 100 to 110. On the other hand, the claim of 65.5 victories by 260 Squadron (Edwards’s unit) from June 1941 to May 1943 is almost completely verifiable, demonstrating the book’s historical objectivity and desire to present the most accurate and unbiased information possible.

The collaborative effort adds a special, unique element to this work. Edwards’s abilities as a combat pilot are well documented (22 kills, six probables, 15 damaged, 12 destroyed on the ground, and 200 military vehicles destroyed), and since he helped so much with the book, it includes many of his combat reports. One of the most interesting describes the downing of German ace Otto Schulz, who had 51 kills at the time of his death.

Having met and talked with several Luftwaffe pilots who fought in this theater, I was interested to see information about them here, including a photograph of an aircraft flown by the German ace Lt Friedrich Koerner (36 victories) that I had never seen before. Likewise, the book’s other details about Koerner nicely augmented my own research and interviews with him.

Kittyhawks over the Sands deserves the highest praise—words such as phenomenal, indispensable, and essential readily come to mind. Lavigne and Edwards have teamed up once again to write a book titled Hurricanes over the Sands, which I am eager to read. Kittyhawks over the Sands should establish Michel Lavigne as a fully appreciated expert and capable military historian. Readers interested in this area of World War II aviation history simply must include this book—at $45.00, an astonishing value—in their libraries.

Lt Col Rob Tate, USAFR
Maxwell AFB, Alabama

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.