A few random notes:

As the Allied air forces established enough fighter squadrons forward in Tunisia, and enough appropriate comm & HQ staff they were able to set up a system of standing air patrols and standby interceptors on the ground. The standing patrol would be vectored in on the approaching enemy to first confirm the nature of the enemy air group & then to drawn off the escourts. The standby squadrons would hopefully arrive bbefore the fight with the escourts had ceased.

The control HQ for the Allied interceptors were finally given close links to:

A. ULTRA decrypts and general signals analysis of the Axis radio stations controling the air support for Tunisia.

B. A OSS controled network of agents observing the Italian airfields and supply transport on the ground. The transmitter mentioned above in this thread was used several times earlier to notify te OSS CP in Tunisia of departing Axis aircraft. Its loss was sorely felt and the effort to replace it had high priority.

C. Powerfull early warning RADAR stations capable of giving 10-15+ minutes warning of approaching aircraft formations.

Earlier the interceptor groups had accquired the information though 'channels' making it nearly impossible to act on it effectively.

There was also mention of a B26 bomber shooting down a Gigant. This story turns up here & there, tho the target aircrft in the other versions was a Ju52. The most complete version decribes the bombers returning from raids on Sicilly & Italy being occasionally vectored to intercept for visual checks of approaching Axis flights. Also some Allied bomber formations seem to have encountered Axis formations by accident. Whicever the case a B26 pilot found a Ju52 in the gun zone and was able to line up a sucessfull shot. Like some models of the B25 the B26 had mounts for four forward firing 50 cal.

After the Cape Bon or Easter massacre the Axis air leaders begain planning night flights.

The intel sources, the OSS network & the ULTRA, were used to trigger premptive Allied air raids on the Italian airfield where the transports assembled to load the cargo. These raids had a lot to do with the many Gigant unfit to fly & prevented significant supplies from being leaving Italy/Sicilly. Ditto for raids on the Tunisian end of the flight. In short the Axis air transports were being struck in all phases of the supply mission, from loading to discharging. A similar front to back interdiction system had been developed vs the sea transports during the same months.

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