Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Three Spitfire LF Mark VBs of No. 244 Wing RAF based at Bu Grara, flying in close starboard echelon formation off the Tunisian coast after escorting light bombers on a sortie to Mareth. AB502 'IR-G', in the foreground, is the personal aircraft of the Wing Leader, Wing Commander I R 'Widge' Gleed, which he flew when he was shot down and killed over Cap Bon on 16 April 1943, while the two accompanying aircraft are ER220 'UF-V' and EP481 'UF-F' of No. 601 Squadron RAF. All three are fitted with Aboukir air filters and have 'clipped' wings in order to assist low-level performance.