The SAAF Forum

Gentlemen,
I am searching for information regarding two SAAF pilots whose names appear in the 33 Sqn RAF ORB in 1944-1945:

Lt G D Silva (328735)
Lt E D Thompson

The 33 Squadron Association recently completed a four day tour to France, Belgium and the Netherlands to study the Battle of the Scheldt, as 33 Sqn has the battle Honour 'Walcheren' on its Standard. They followed 33 Sqn's route from the SE coast of England, through Caen (France), Le Treport/Eu (France), Merville (France) and Maldegem (Belgium), visiting the airfields where 33 Sqn, part of 2 TAF 135 Wing, was stationed until Dec 1944, when it flew its Spitfire MkIXs home to Lasham and then moved down to Predannack in Cornwall to convert to Hawker Tempest Vs. It was while researching documentation from the National Archives in Kew that I found details of the two SAAF officers. By Feb 45 the Sqn, including Lt Silva and Lt (later Capt) Thompson, had converted to the Tempest and had moved back to Gilze Rijen (Netherlands) to rejoin 135 Wing, which had moved there from Maldegem after the Luftwaffe gave the airfield and the two remaining squadrons a severe kicking during Op BODENPLATTE.

Yes, this is the 33 Sqn that was commanded by Pat Pattle in Greece in 1941. There is also a veteran from this period who is alive and well and living in Ireland. His name is Jan Linzel, he will be 102 in December. Jan is the last remaining RNLAF pilot who was part of the force that took off to defend the Netherlands against the Luftwaffe on 10 May 1940. Jan was shot down, eventually escaped to Britain via Lisbon in 1943, and joined the RAF. he was posted to 33 Sqn in Aug 44, and 322 (Dutch) Sqn in Jul 45.

Any information regarding the two SAAF officers would be gratefully received.

Hi Makila

The below extracted from Springbok Fighter Victory Volume I by Michael Schoeman.

_________________
Brent Best

Brent,
Thank you for that information, it is the first piece of new information we have ever received about these two officers and it gives me something to work with now.
Many thanks, best regards,
Makila

11 september 1944: AEAF operaties in het Scheldegebied.
Verspreid over een groot gedeelte van de dag voerden 59 Spitfires en 24 Tempests van ADGB gewapende verkenningen uit boven het gebied van de Schelde en de Scheldemonding.
AEAF voerde met Spitfires, Typhoons en Mustangs in totaal 469 missies uit naar Duitse posities in Nederland en ten dele zelfs naar Duitsland. No. 84 Group (AEAF) had hierin een zeer belangrijk aandeel. Het totaal aantal missies werd nog eens verhoogd met 52 Typhoon sorties naar (specifiek) geschutsposities en artilleriestellingen van het Duitse leger in het Scheldegebied.
Dit deel van de luchtacties in het Scheldegebied wordt in Air 25-709 (84 Group) meer specifiek aangegeven en luidt als volgt: The Spitfires carried out over 200 sorties and armed recce in the Scheldt area. Heavy Flak precluded fighter and fighter-bomber attacks. Concentration on the ferry points and mainland concentrations by bombers!

Geallieerde vliegtuigverliezen
Spitfire Mk.IXe van 33 squadron – afkomstig van Le Trèport (B35) keerde niet terug van een gewapende verkenning boven het Scheldegebied.
Nadere gegevens zijn onbekend, maar wel staat vast dat de piloot erin slaagde om uit handen van de Duitsers te blijven (Deze crash wordt bevestigd in Air 25-709 onder de vermelding “armed recce Schelde area”).
Lt. E.D. Thompson SAAF safe

Exact co-ordinates of this particular Spitfire crash site are (51.440796,3.910089). Lt. E.D. Thompson was brought into safety by the Dutch resistance, which was also active in the small villages of Hoedekenskerke and Kwadendamme.