SAAF’s heaviest loss in a single day in World War II remembered
The aircraft flew night missions, flying at low altitude over heavily defended territory.
On 12 October 1944, the South African Air Force (SAAF) suffered its heaviest loss in a single day during World War II. Eighty-two years later, a solemn service was held at the SAAF Memorial on Bays Hill in Pretoria to commemorate the 48 brave airmen who perished in the Italian Alps. Martin Urry, Chairman of the Alpine 44 Club, detailed that these men belonged to the SAAF's 31 and 34 squadrons and had embarked on a mission to transport supplies to Italian partisans in the Po Valley, behind German lines.
The service was not only a tribute to the airmen's sacrifice but also a gesture of honor to the partisans, ground crews, and the families who bore the burden of war. Urry emphasized the importance of remembering the airmen and their comradeship, acknowledging the heavy price they paid for their duty. Reverend Trevor Slade, a former SAAF member, highlighted the treacherous weather conditions and enemy actions that made the mission perilous, leading to the loss of six Liberators – five crashing into the Alps and one into the sea.
The tragic incident, involving 20 B-24 Liberator heavy bombers, was part of the Allied assault on the Gothic Line, a heavily fortified German defensive system. Only three aircraft managed to deliver their payloads, while 11 aborted their mission, and six were lost. The service honored the names of all the crew members, including the nephew of Major Selwyn Urry, whose aircraft was believed to have crashed into the sea off Genoa and has never been recovered.
Italian connections further strengthened the bonds between South Africa and Italy, particularly through the humane treatment of POWs at the Zonderwater camp. Wreaths were laid by various organizations, including the Zonderwater Block ex-POW Association, the Associazione Nazionale Alpini Sezione Sud Africa, and the South African Air Force Association, in honor of the fallen airmen.
The ceremony concluded with a wreath laid at the Memorial to the Unknown Airman, paying tribute to South African pilots of Italian descent who lost their lives during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
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