Satellite image of two possible WW2 1st FG Djedeida airfield locations (Google Earth)

Satellite image of probable WW2 1st FG Djedeida airfield location (Google Earth)

Satellite image of possible WW2 Djedeida airfield southern location (Google Earth)

The story of an infamous buzz job of the airfield

Kauzlaric and Abbot wait to leave Djedeida (near Tunis) Nov 1943
photo by Donald Brenden

3-D recreation of possible Djedeida photo location from Nov 1943 (photo to left)
(Google Earth)

Since the ground echelon in Sardinia was not ready for us yet, we were dispatched to afield near Djedeida. Djedeida was a small town on the road between Mateur and Tunis. The Germans built the field, which consisted of one rather narrow runway that was partially constructed from an old road. The Germans used a little winding road along a hillside as a taxi strip and they had cut revetments into the slope. It was great set-up for the Germans, but our P-38s were much too large for the taxi strip and the revetments.

Djedeida gave me my first opportunity to operate a P-38 on a paved surface. Up to now, pierced steel planking (PSP) had been the only hard surface from which I had flown. PSP consisted of metal panels about 10 to 12 inches wide and about 10 feet long. The panels had holes in them to make the lighter and the edges were bent down for strength. They had hooks and slots so that hey could be assembled like a giant Erector set. PSP stabilized a landing surface, provided the soil under it didn’t get too wet. In that event, the weight of the planes would push the PSP down into the muck.

The narrow runway prevented us from taking off in formation—a real time- and fuel-saver on long missions. Instead, we had to take off singly, which meant flying through a lot of prop- and wing-wash. One of our pilots decided to beat the take-off turbulence by staying low and leaving further down the runway. His high speed while still on the ground caused his P-38 to “hug” the runway. Alarmed at his situation, he applied a lot of nose-up pressure, which caused a sudden rotation. The high G-force tore off both of his drop tanks (165 gallons each), forcing an early return to base.

Probable location of German revetments cut into hill southwest of airfield - pictured in left side of Nov 1943 Djedeida photo
(Google Earth)

We shared Djedeida with a British squadron that flew the Wellington (known as the Wimpy) medium bomber. The condition of these planes was so bad I was afraid to walk under the wings, much less fly one of them. The crewmembers were a carefree bunch—casual in dress, always had a bottle handy, and looking forward to their night missions over Italy.

- Charles Hoffman, Nov 1943