| Place | Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Bardia Area, Gambut |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART23895 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 43.2 x 38.6 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas on hardboard |
| Maker |
Dargie, William |
| Place made | North Africa: Libya, Cyrenaica, Bardia Area, Gambut |
| Date made | March 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
In the slit trench, Gambut
Description
Dargie noted, "Pilots of No 450 Sqdn [Squadron] RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force], surprised by German ME 109's raiding the 'drome. Caught without a tin hat, one pilot holds a spade over his head to protect himself from falling shrapnel. Bursts of white ack-ack can be seen in the sky. These surprise day raids by Jerry, though never of long duration (mostly hit-and-run affairs) could effect quite a lot of damage. On one occasion he set on fire six Kittyhawks, which were on the drome on stand-by; on another he caught three Hurricanes which had just taken off & shot down two of them. On the occasion depicted in this sketch some of the 109's were carrying two light anti-personnel bombs, which they dropped among the grounded planes".