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© RW Baker
Yzerfontein@gmail.com
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Germany's U-Boat activity off the South African coast peaked in 1942 - in the first half of 1942 19 ships were sunk or damaged by U-Boats, as compared to only 16 in the previous 3 years. With understandable haste the South African Air Force constructed or enhanced six airfields near the South African coast...one of which was at Darling.
23 Squadron was based at Darling from 1943, with their Ventura aircraft carrying out search and destroy missions (as well as escorting vessels and providing an air-sea rescue capability) off the western waters on the shipping route to Cape Town. From November 1943 23 Squadron were joined by the Venturas of 29 Operational Training Unit (previously stationed in Nigel).
In March 1944 23 Squadron took part in an operation, where the submarine UIT-22 was finally sunk by Catalinas from Langebaanweg south of Cape Point.