No. 7 (South African) Wing
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No. 7 Wing (SAAF) was a South African Airforce fighter-bomber air wing during World War II. The Wing served in the Western Desert and Italian campaigns. By the end of the North African campaign in May 1943, SAAF No 7 Wing, comprising 2, 4 & 5 Squadrons, was considered the best dive bomber formation in the world.[1]
| No. 7 Wing SAAF | |
|---|---|
Lt.Col. A C Bosman, 'sweep leader' (Wing Commander Flying) of No. 7 SAAF Wing, signals by Aldis lamp to pilot coming in to land at Trigno landing ground, Italy. | |
| Active | 1942 to 1945 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Branch | South African Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Bomber Wing |
Organisation and squadrons
7 Wing was initially a RAF Wing. In December 1942, 2, 4 and 5 Squadrons SAAF were placed in reserve and on 6 December 1942 they were assigned to 7 Wing SAAF under the command of Lt.Col. D.H. Loftus. It was the first time South African squadrons had operated together as a unified wing.[2] The wing badge was a leaping Sprignbok on a green and yellow shield and was painted on the rudder of wing aircraft. In 1943 and 1944, the wing supported partisan operations in Yugoslavia. By Christmas 1944, the Wing was based at Forli near Bologna where it remained until the end of the war.[3] It comprised the below squadrons during its existence:
| No. 7 Wing SAAF organisation: 1941 - 1945 | |||
| Date | Assigned Squadrons | Wing Commander | Higher formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1942 (Initially 7 Wing RAF) |
|
Lt. Col. D.H. Loftus[7] | No. 212 Group RAF[4] |
| February 1943 |
|
Lt. Col. D.H. Loftus[7] Lt. Col. J.D. Human[7] |
No. 212 Group RAF[4] |
| July 1944 |
|
Lt. Col. Johnny D. Human[3] Col. D.D. Moodie[3] |
Desert Airforce[9] |
| May 1945 |
|
Lt. Col. A C Bosman[11] | Mediterranean Allied Tactical Airforce[10] |