ENTER RAF

Countless fighter pilots from every Commonwealth and Dominion nation fought with the RAF during the war. Panico Theodosiou was born on 21 November 1919 in Limassol, Cyprus, into a deeply religious Greek Cypriot family. After Cyprus was officially declared a Crown Colony in the mid-1920s and the islanders became British subjects, the Theodosiou family emigrated to Southern Rhodesia. A week before Britain declared war on Germany, units of the Southern Rhodesian Air Unit were the first to answer the call to arms. Panico volunteered for service and received a commission as a signal officer, reporting to headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Later renamed the Southern Rhodesian Air Force, 1 Squadron at Nairobi was re-designated 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron in April 1940 when all SRAF personnel were absorbed into the RAF. Panic° successfully applied to fly and on 26 November 1940, Plt Off Theodosiou began flying training on DH Tiger Moths from the 25 Elementary Flying Training School at Belvedere, on the outskirts of Salisbury. He made his first solo flight after about ten hours of instruction. After completing EFTS, he took another leap - into marriage with his long-time girlfriend Denise. On 20 January 1941, he transferred to the 20 Service Flying Training School at Cranbourne, also near Salisbury, where he flew North American Harvards. There he received his wings on 17 April 1941, having achieved the highest marks in his group. Unfortunately, being too good a pilot can sometimes mark out personnel as potential instructors, and this proved to be the case with Panico. On 6 May 1941, he transferred to 62 Air School, Bloemfontein, South Africa, where he began instructor training, learning to fly the Avro Tutor and Bucker Jungmeister. A spell at 20 SFTS as an instructor followed until 10 November 1941 when he was allowed to join the No.74 Operational Training Unit at Aqir in Palestine for several weeks of operational training on the Hawker Audax, Miles Magister, and Hawker Hurricane. Meanwhile, the No.237 (Rhodesia) Squadron had been engaged in Army Co-operation, helping to defeat the Italians in East Africa, using a variety of obsolete biplanes and Westland Lysanders. In May 1941 the squadron moved to the Canal Zone and was re-equipped with Hurricane I. By December 1941 it was at Tmimi, west of Tobruk, as part of the Desert Air Force in support of General Auchinleck's army. Panico joined Νο.237 on Christmas Eve 1941.

COMBAT

Now known to all as 'Theo', Panico's first operational mission on 12 January 1942 was on an airfield protection patrol over Tmimi. Just as Rommel began his eastern offensive on 21 January, the decision was taken to withdraw 237 and send it to Mosul in Iraq in support of the Tenth Indian Division. Theo gained valuable experience in a variety of roles, including tactical and photographic reconnaissance, ground attack, and fighter tactics, as well as flying the Hurricane to its limits. He was promoted to Flying Officer in command of 'C' Flight. In early July 1942, No.237 moved to Qaiyrah, Iraq, and in September moved to Kermanshah, Persia (Iran). In October 1942 the squadron was visited by Marshal of the RAF Lord Hugh Trenchard, and on 9 October Theo and his wingman Flt Off Paul Fick were assigned to escort Trenchard's Lockheed Lodestar from Kermanshah to Baghdad. On 10 January, while returning from a photo recce, Theo was reported overdue. The next day he was found safe and sound by three 52 Squadron Bristol Blenheims from Mosul. He had been forced to land due to bad weather and engine problems. By 6 February 1943, to everyone's delight, the squadron was back in Egypt, at Shandur, north of Suez, where the pilots were to exchange their worn-out Mk.ls for 21 Hurricane IICs. The unit's designation was about to change from Army Co-operation to Fighter Reconnaissance. Landing Ground 106, some 10 miles (16km) west of Alamein, was to be Theo's home for the next five months. Although the land war in North Africa was winding down far to the west, convoy patrols over the Mediterranean and the daily hunt for the Luftwaffe kept Theo and his comrades on constant alert. Like any good fighter pilot, Theo was eager to get his first 'kill'. In June 1943 237 moved to Bemis on the Libyan coast and on 16 June Theo, now Fl. Lt and F/O John 'Boy' Crook, were scrambled to intercept a Junkers Ju 88 flying high at 30,000k (9,100m). For reasons that remain unclear, both failed to use their oxygen systems. Boy,' Crook turned back at 22,000ft due to lack of oxygen. Determined to get the German, Theo pressed on. After chasing his Hurricane to 30,000ft and closing to within 1,000 yards, he lost consciousness as he was about to open fire. His Hurricane spiraled out of control to 20,000ft before he regained both consciousness and control of his aircraft. His courage and determination almost cost him his life and a kill. On 23 July 1943, nine Νο.237 Hurricanes took part in a daring raid against German targets on Crete - Operation Thesis. Over 100 fighters, including the Greek No.335 and No.336 Squadrons, equipped with long-range fuel tanks, took part in three waves in what was considered a difficult operation due to the extreme range. Theo and his section swept in at dawn over the coast of the western tip of the island, splitting up for their targets. Theo damaged his target, a radio station at Akonis, and strafed a machine gun post at Gallas before returning ashore at Bu Amoud.  On 23 August Theo - now CO of A Flight - chased a Bf 109 and again failed to make contact. Theo and his fellow pilots longed for Spitfires. In September the squadron moved to Idku in Egypt. Events in the Aegean and the Italian Armistice meant that Theo flew many convoy protection patrols, including escorting the remnants of the Italian fleet into Alexandria.