English: Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943
Flying Officer L C Wade of No. 33 Squadron RAF, photographed at Gambut, Libya, after being awarded the DFC for his successes in the Western Desert fighting.
Lance Wade, a Texan, joined the RAF in Canada in 1940 after being turned down by the USAAC. After pilot training in the United Kingdom, he joined No. 33 Squadron in Egypt and claimed his first victories on 18 November 1941 when he shot down two Italian Fiat CR42s. He took part in the heaviest fighting in the Western Desert before completing his first tour of operations in September 1942. He then toured training establishments and test-flew aircraft in the USA before returning to operations in North Africa as a flight commander with No. 145 Squadron RAF in January 1943. He was made Commanding Officer the following month and added to his victory claims over Tunisia, Sicily and Italy, before ending his second tour as the top-scoring Allied fighter pilot in the Mediterranean area in November 1943. Wade was promoted to Wing Commander and joined the staff at Desert Air Force Headquarters, only to be killed during a routine flight when his Auster spun and crashed at Foggia on 12 January 1944. He remains the highest-scoring American pilot to serve solely in the RAF, with 25 victories.
Date
between 1939 and 1945
date QS:P571,+1950-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1939-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1945-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
This image was created and released by the Imperial War Museum on the IWM Non Commercial Licence. Photographs taken, or artworks created, by a member of the forces during their active service duties are covered by Crown Copyright provisions. Faithful reproductions may be reused under that licence, which is considered expired 50 years after their creation.
Part of
InfoField
Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection
Subjects
InfoField
Associated people and organisations
Royal Air Force, 33 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Desert Air Force, Royal Air Force, 145 Squadron
Associated places
Gambut, Libya
Associated events
Western Desert 1940-1943, North Africa, Second World War
Associated themes
North Africa 1939-1945, Royal Air Force 1939-1945
Associated keywords
Operations, Aerial Warfare
Category
InfoField
photographs
Licensing
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File history
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{{User:{{subst:User:Fae/Fae}}/IWM |description = {{en|''Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943''<br/> Flying Officer L C Wade of No. 33 Squadron RAF, photographed at Gambut, Libya, after being awarded the DFC for his...
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