With the outbreak of war, Easonsmith joined the 4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment. He obviously showed a natural aptitude for the military, and by August 1940 he had been promoted to the rank of sergeant and recommended for a commission.

Following the completion of his officer training, Easonsmith was promoted to Lieutenant and by the end of year had been posted to the Middle East. Upon arrival, he was selected to serve with the newly formed Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

Easonsmith's first command was of 'R1' Patrol, the New Zealand patrol who came to the aid of the equally recently formed Special Air Service (SAS) after their failed mission, Operation Squatter. Undertaken in heavy rain and strong winds, one of the aircraft was show down killing all 15 soldiers and the crew. Of the 65 SAS men who took part, only 22 made it back after trekking through the desert on foot for 36 hours.

In August 1941, Easonsmith had been promoted to captain followed by the announcement in January 1942 that he had been awarded the Military Cross.

The successful Barca Raid, noted in my earlier post depicting fellow LRDG soldier Nick Wilder, was carried out under Easonsmith's direction, commanding two patrols, the New Zealand 'TI' and the Brigade of Guards 'GI' patrols, along with elements of Popski's Private Army.

The success of this raid no doubt led to his promotion in October to major, and the awarding of the Distinguished Service Order in November.

Twelve months later, in October 1943, and promoted to lieutenant colonel, Easonsmith assumed command of the LRDG.

With the North Africa campaign now at its tail-end, the LRDG was sent to Leros to partake in the Dodecanese Campaign, an attempt by Allied forces to take the Italian-held Dodecanese islands in the east Aegean Sea - following Italy's surrender in September 1943 - and use them as bases against the still German-controlled Balkans.

During the Battle of Leros, Jake Easonsmith was killed in action on 15 November 1943, purportedly shot by a German sniper while carrying out a lone reconnaissance of a village. He is buried in the Leros military cemetery.

Photographer: Lieutenant Graham, No. 1 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London

With funding from the Orient Steam Navigation Company a new Australian National Airways was registered on 13 May 1936, and began services under its new name on 1 July 1936.

When Australia entered World War II in 1939 the Government of Australia requisitioned ANA's four DC-3s, leaving it to battle on with its assortment of lesser aircraft.

However, ANA was soon operating a network of services around Australia on behalf of the war effort. It operated a large number of Douglas DC-2s, DC-3s and even at least one rare Douglas DC-5, mostly on the behalf of the American forces in Australia.

In the post-war period, ANA faced severe competition in the form of the state-owned airline Trans Australia Airlines (TAA). ANA had hitherto enjoyed a near-monopoly on domestic air transport.

From the start, TAA was a better run airline. It particularly made better choices of aircraft than ANA. Ivan Holyman stuck to his relationship with Douglas, buying Douglas DC-4s and Douglas DC-6Bs, while TAA opted for Convair 240s and Vickers Viscounts.

By the mid-1950s TAA had driven ANA close to collapse. Holyman had wanted to expand overseas but the government's ownership of Qantas prevented this. He bought shareholdings in Cathay Pacific and Air Ceylon, but ANA aircraft were never seen on international routes.

In 1952 the conservative Menzies government declined to close TAA down, instead it provided ANA with finance to upgrade its fleet to compete with TAA. At this point Holyman opted for DC-6Bs while TAA went for the more attractive Viscount.

When Sir Ivan Holyman died in 1957 the shareholders offered to sell out to the government, in order that ANA merge with TAA and some smaller airlines. The government declined.

After initially dismissing his offer, the ANA board began talking with Reginald Ansett, head of the much smaller Ansett Transport Industries; with its main interstate operation Ansett Airways.

Finally, ANA was sold to Ansett, on 3 October 1957, for £3.3 million. The two airlines were merged to form Ansett-ANA on 21 October 1957 and the name was retained until 1 November 1968 when it was renamed Ansett Airlines of Australia.

Text: Wiki
Photographer: Whites Aviation
Image courtesy of Whites Aviation Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand

The pilot on that inaugural flight was also Captain Hepburn, himself - like many commercial pilots in the immediate post-war period - a veteran.

Holding the rank of Wing Commander, Hepburn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1944, for 'courage and skill on numerous operational sorties'. An Air Force Cross (AFC) followed on a few months later.

The establishment of TAA in the late 1940s broke Australia's domestic air transport monopoly, held by Australian National Airways (ANA). They expanded rapidly, becoming a defining presence in the Australia airline sector during the following decades. However in 1986, TAA was renamed Australian Airlines, before it was ultimately merged with Qantas in September 1992.

Rechner was interviewed by Ken Llewelyn about his service with 11 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF), 1 Operational Training Unit (OTU) RAAF and the City of Adelaide (Citizen Airforce) Squadron, 1939-1960, in July 1993.

The interview, held by the Australian War Memorial, has been digitised and is available to listen online:
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C282966

Photograph: Whites Aviation
Image courtesy of National Library of New Zealand

In order to reach Barce, the group had to travel some 1,859km (1,155 miles) over 11 days to reach their objective, splitting up into two raiding parties to attack the airfield and barracks respectively.

An after-action report written by Captain Wilder he observed that the Italians were:

...waiting for us, but they seemed to be very panicky and their fire was very wild.

Based on Wilder's report it was thought that T1 patrol had destroyed or damaged 32 aircraft, mainly bombers. Official Italian figures quote 16 aircraft destroyed and seven damaged.

Wilder succeeded Capt. Bruce Ballantyne, who I posted a few weeks ago, as commander of T-Patrol.

* Once again, a grateful thanks for John Valenti, chief historian with the LRDG Preservation Society, for identifying Wilder.

Photographer: Lieutenant Graham, No. 1 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London

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The LRDG - founded in June 1940 and originally known as the Long Range Patrol (LRP) - was a British reconnaissance and raiding force, established to fight back against the Italians in the Libyan desert campaign.

Initially founded heavily by New Zealanders, they were soon joined in the ranks by Southern Rhodesian and British volunteers, with new sub-units being formed. The LRDG never numbered more than 350 men, all of whom had volunteered for the work.

Except for a period of 15 days, they operated continuously throughout the Desert War campaign, from 1940 through until 1943, behind Axis lines. Here, they assisted other Allied elite forces such as secret agents and the SAS in their desert crossings.

One of the LRDG's most vital roles was carrying out the task depicted here - 'Road Watch' - during which they clandestinely monitored traffic on the main road from Tripoli to Benghazi, transmitting the intelligence to British Army Headquarters.

We had some luck recently identifying New Zealander Captain Bruce Ballantyne, of T Patrol, from otherwise obscurity.

Anyone out there recognise these two gents?

Photographer: Lieutenant Graham, No. 1 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London

I dived on them and as I approached they turned and began straffing the road towards the mountains. I closed in on a 190 and fired several bursts from quarter astern and astern from 250 – 50 yds. He dived N.W. along the side of the mountain and after seeing strikes on the cockpit I saw the A/C half roll and it crashed in the vicinity of H.1898.

I then broke slightly up as a Warhawk was on the 190s No 2s tail. The Warhawk fired several shots none of which hit the E/A. He then broke up and I closed in on the 190 and fired a burst at quarter astern from 100 yds. getting strikes on the wing roots, as I was firing the Warhawk flew through my sights so I broke away and then lost sight of the 190. I then rejoined the Patrol.

I claim One F.W 190 destroyed. One F.W 190 damaged.'

On 5 December 1943, Sachs scored the 99th and 100th victories for his Squadron when he shot down two Focke Wulf Fw 190s near Pescara, before colliding with a third Fw 190 and being forced to bale out.

After a period as a flying instructor in the United Kingdom, he returned to Italy to command No. 93 Squadron RAF from September 1944 to February 1945.

Photographer: Flying Officer B. Bridge, Royal Air Force official photographer
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London

Tens of thousands of soldiers were stationed in the area, all being supplied and supported by civilian communities working under the outmost secrecy.

A notable exception was the 225 residents of the village of Tyneham, who were given just a month's notice to leave their homes by 19 December 1943 in the 'national interest'.

A letter explained to residents that a special office would be set up in Wareham to answer any questions, and that: "The Government appreciate that this is no small sacrifice which you are asked to make, but they are sure that you will give this further help towards winning the war with a good heart."

Many residents expected to be able to return home after the war, while others had built new homes and lives in Wareham. A public enquiry in 1948 finalised the matter, with a compulsory purchase order being issued for the land to remain under permanent ownership of the Ministry of Defence.

Today, over 70 years later, Tyneham remains an uninhabited ghost town, a curious village falling into decay, frozen in time.

Photographer: Ministry of Information Photo Division
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London

By the time the campaign ended, more than 130,000 men had died; at least 87,000 Ottoman soldiers and 44,000 Allied soldiers. Australia suffered 26,111 casualties, including more than 8,200 fatalities.

However, the traits that were shown there – bravery, ingenuity, endurance and mateship – have become enshrined as defining aspects of the Anzac character.

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

Lest we forget.

At only 5' 4" tall, he earned the nickname 'Snuffy' from the comic strip characters, 'Barney Google and Snuffy Smith', apparently on account of 'his obnoxious and belligerent attitude' - traits that found him frequently in trouble.

His awarding of the Medal of Honour - the United State's highest award for valour - came following action in the skies over Brest, France, on 1 May 1943.

It was his first combat mission, in the position of ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress, attacking U-Boat pens at Saint-Nazaire in Loire-Atlantique, France.

On the homeward leg, their aircraft was attacked by German fighter aircraft, causing serious damage, erupting fuels tanks which in turn resulted in a massive fire breaking out in the centre fuselage of the aircraft.

Three crew members bailed out, as the fire threatened the integrity of the aircraft. With power lost to his ball turret, and their communications gone, Smith scrambled back up into the fuselage and attended to badly injured crew - all the while manning the two .50 calibre waist machine guns, holding enemy fighters at bay.

For nearly 90 minutes, Smith alternated between shooting at the attacking fighters, tending to his wounded crew members and fighting the fire. To starve the fire of fuel, he threw burning debris and exploding ammunition through the large holes that the fire had melted in the fuselage. After the fire extinguishers were exhausted, Smith finally managed to put the fire out, in part by urinating on it.

The B-17 limped back across the English Channel and made a forced landing at the nearest airfield, where it broke in two as it touched down. The fuselage metal had melted in sections due to the heat of the fire, and the aircraft had been struck by more than 3,500 bullets and anti-aircraft shrapnel.

Sadly, the three aircrew who bailed out were never located and were presumed lost at sea. However, Smith's actions saved the remaining six members of the crew.

Stimson, who was in Britain on a visit, attended Thurleigh Airfield to present Smith with the Medal of Honour personally. He was the first enlisted US Army airman to receive the award.

'Snuffy' Smith survived the war, and died at the age of 72 in May 1984.

Photographer: Planet News
Images courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London, FRE4438

However, he was also coming under ground fire from the ridge above the river and the popular theory, widely accepted now, is that the fatal shot was fired by Cedric Popkin, an anti-aircraft machine gunner with the Australian Imperial Forces.

Richthofen was able to make a rough but controlled landing in a nearby field along the Bray-Corbie road, but eye witness reports at the time claim he died almost immediately.

Australian stretcher-bearer Sergeant Ted Smout was among the first to reach the downed aircraft and reported that Richthofen's final word was 'kaputt' ('finished'). He later admitted he had to resist the temptation to souvenir the famed pilot's iron cross medal and flying boots.

In 1964, four years before his own death at the age of 77, Popkin admitted to a reporter for the Brisbane Courier-Mail:

"I am fairly certain it was my fire which caused the Baron to crash, but it would be impossible to say definitely that I was responsible ... As to pinpointing without doubt the man who fired the fatal shot, the controversy will never actually be resolved."

Although Smout resisted the temptation, the Australians - soon joined by others - made short work of claiming their own small piece of the historical trophy, cutting sections of the red fabric from Richthofen's Fokker DR1 triplane, and salvaging other mementoes.

Many of these have made their way back to the Australian War Memorial over the decades, which now holds a number of fragments of the aircraft, wood from the propeller, the plane's compass, control column, and Richthofen's left flying boot.

Here, officers of No.3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, examine the Spandau machine guns from the wreckage of Richthofen's now largely destroyed triplane, the remnants visible behind them, at Bertangles the day after his downing.

Photographer: Second Lieutenant Thomas Keith Aitken
Images courtesy of the Imperial War Museum London