The Syrian Campaign

'At this time Generals Wilson and Catroux were beginning the campaign in Syria against General Dentz and his Vichy French. 450 moved into the war, based at the R.A.F. station AMMAN, in the Transjordan. By flying across the border they were able to operate in Syria, thus being the first British aircraft ever to use AMMAN station for operations, in this war of course. For ten hectic days, 450/260 ground-strafed trains and trucks and aerodromes carrying out fighter sweeps and bagging Vichy aircraft. The group staff sweated hard, but they kept the old Hurrys airworthy and capable of great destruction. Lord Haw Haw himself testified to this, and christened 450 at the same time. Rather bitterly he referred to an Australian Squadron in Syria which, of ruthless ground-straffing, had become known as the “Desert Harassers”. 

The name fitted like an old glove.

Damascus fell. Two days later, 450, the first squadron to enter Syria, arrived in Damascus overland through the desert. A work-shop party was left in AMMAN. The remainder of 450’s ground-staff serviced their Hurricane at Damascus and acted as an advance landing ground for 3 Squadron which was then situated over the border in Palestine, equipped with Hurricanes. 

Cease Fire—the armistice—and two weeks leave in Damascus with a friendly population for host. One flight was then sent to Beirut, the other to Haifa, in defence of these towns. SL Mount, of 260, went to hospital dangerously ill.

Haifa suffered from bombs every moon, so our party moved outside of the town to a satellite drove, El Bassa, where a good number of scrambles and bags of practice night flying passed the time. Three weeks of this and 260 squadrons ground-staff arrived, taking over their equipment, transport and Aircraft and breaking up the happy and successful 450/260 combination. 450 found itself once more merely the shell of a squadron, with no aircraft, no pilots and no equipment to speak of.'