Christakis Charalambous - Elementary Flying Instructor then Wellington Bomber Pilot
With thanks to the contributors to PPRuNe thread ‘Gaining an RAF Pilots Brevet in WW2’, who dug out the detail of Charalambous’ service before he joined 40 Sqn.
A Cypriot, we believe Charalambous arrived in the UK during 1939 and enlisted in the RAF late in 1940. He joined No 9 Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Ansty as an instructor on 15 July 1941. During August and September, he flew a number of flights in R5172, instructing Ellis Ware, whose story we have also recorded on this site.
Elementary Flying Instructor (student Ellis Ware's logbook), 9 EFTS, RAF Ansty, September 1941
Charalambous’ year as a flying instructor appears to have been far from uneventful. On 31 August 1941, he appeared in a local newspaper, presented as “sharp-eyed” for spotting a mushroom from the air, and retrieving it for breakfast. On 30 November, he allowed his student to fly at 100’ over Rugby, earning him a severe reprimand at a Court Martial the following January! On 23 May 1942, he force landed at nearby Bedworth.
RAF PR, August 1941
By August 1942, Charalambous was serving at No 3 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit at RAF South Cerney, moving to RAF College Cranwell for training from July 1943.
Starting 1944 under training at No 10 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which flew the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley from RAF Abingdon, Charalambous moved to 21 OTU at RAF Moreton-in-Marsh to fly the Vickers Wellington bomber. Continuing his training with No 311 Ferry Training Unit, also at Moreton-in-Marsh, leads us to suspect that Charalambous and his crew ferried a Wellington to North Africa, arriving in Morocco on 8 May and Algeria on the 9th. From there, Charamblous and his crew would have been allocated to 40 Sqn at Foggia in Italy, which they joined on 13 May 1944.
40 Sqn was part of 205 Group, in turn part of the Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force; 236 Wing was based at Foggia and comprised 40 Sqn and 104 Sqn, both equipped with the Wellington X. The airfield was shared with an American B17 Bomber group, all forces under the command of the American 15th Air Force. In practical terms, in similar fashion to other theatres, the Americans bombed by day and the RAF by night.
40 Sqn Wellingtons at Foggia (IWM)
Charalambous and his crew carried out the following missions:
16/17 May 1944. Target Porto Ferrajo, Elba. ‘2nd Dickey’ trip with Plt Off Collins’ crew; one of thirteen 40 Sqn ac sent to Porto Ferrajo. Did not reach target due to engine trouble; bombs jettisoned into the sea.
24/25 May 1944. Target Valmontone (to prevent German 10th Army retreat from Cassino). Ops with his own crew (Trigg, Shepherd, Martin, Bromwich). One of nine 40 Sqn ac tasked to Valmontone, of which 5 reached the target and one did not return. Charalambous was unable to reach target due to weather; bombs jettisoned into the sea 20 miles N of Lesina.
26/27 May 1944. Ops Viterbo (to prevent German reinforcements moving to the Rome area). One of eight 40 sqn ac. Bomb bursts seen across a road in the target area.
28/29 May 1944. Target Porto San Stefano. One of eight 40 sqn ac. Bombed in a stick, the first one or two bombs bursting in the sea, the remainder in the dock area.
1/2/ Jun 1944. Target Szolnok, Hungary (Marshalling yards). One of nine 40 Sqn ac, all of which returned. Charalambous reported ineffective and scattered illumination; he bombed in one stick with an indefinite aiming point, also dropping leaflets on the approach and return.
3/4 Jun 1944. Target – a road bridge over the Tiber river between Rome and Ostia. One of seven 40 Sqn ac, all of which returned. Charalambous reported bombing in one stick, with only 2 bursts seen between the road and the bridge due to smoke over the target.
8/9 Jun 1944. Target Nis (Yugoslavia), marshalling yards and repair shops. Charalambous dropped in one stick and reported seeing 3 sticks burst in the target area. One of ten 40 Sqn ac, 9 of which bombed and all of which returned.
10/11 Jun 1944. Target Lake Balaton (leaflet dropping). Charalambous’ crew were the only crew on this mission; 6 other 40 Sqn ac attacked an oil refinery at Brod, Yugoslavia.
12/13 Jun 1944. Target Almasfuzito oil refinery, Hungary. One of nine 40 Sqn ac, all of which returned. Charalambous reported dropping in one stick with bursts in the target area and another stick causing fires in oil tanks.
14/15 Jun 1944. Target Nis, railway workshops. Charalambous dropped in one stick, reporting explosions in sheds followed by mushrooms of smoke. One of five 40 sqn ac, all of which returned.
8/9 Jul 1944 . Target Brod oil storage tanks. Charalambous aimed his 4000lb bomb for a fire in a large tank in the South of the target.
10/11 Jul 1944. Target Florence (leaflets). ‘Special’ nickels dropped in the west portion of the battle line in Italy. Ten other 40 sqn ac attacked marshalling yards in Milan, one of which did not return.
13/14 Jul 1944. Target Milan Lambrate marshalling yards. One of nine 40 Sqn aircraft on this raid and the only one not to return; other aircraft encountered both accurate flak and possible night fighters, observing an aircraft on fire and falling to the ground 20 miles South East of the target. One of ten 40 Sqn aircraft lost during July 1944.
Charalambous’ crew on 13 July 1944:
2nd Lt Kaj Hoyer – Navigator (Danish, South African Air Force)
Fg Off Ernest Shepherd, Wireless Operator
Fg Off Edward Martin, Bomb Aimer
Sgt Alfred Knight, Gunner
Charalambous and his crew are buried in Padua War Cemetery.
