Burning Ocean

Burning Ocean They just wouldn’t give up and actually they always fought that way. But they were bringing, they were bringing in supplies with huge convoys, air convoys with the JU-52's and the big Messerschmitt 6-engine, Messerschmitts, bringing in fuel and supplies to try to keep the army going. They were being caught in the air by our patrols over the Bay of Tunis. They were leaving from bases in Italy and Sicily and being intercepted. And of course they were practically helpless. They had a big escort but then we would have top cover of fighters, too, including the Spitfires from the 1st Army would be up top. And the P-40's would just have a field day on the shooting down these poor transports. Most of them, when the ones that were carrying fuel would just break up and burn, you know, just fall into the ocean. And on one occasion they...I remember we arrived in the area and the whole sea in that base seemed to be on fire because they were making, you know...gasoline makes a big fire, big smoke. And it was the burning transports that had been shot down by the South Africans just ahead of us.