A Bombay of No 216 Sqn in the desert environment it was designed for, at the 'Marble Arch' as the Allies called it. This was the Arco dei Fileni, built on the border between Tripolitania and Cirenaica by Mussolini in 1937 and demolished by Gaddafi in 1973. The airstrip here was suitable for large aircraft. Luftwaffe Airfields 1935-45 suggests the Lutwaffe called it Arco Philanorum, but that was not the usual Italian name of the arch. The IWM caption suggests the photo was taken soon after the first fighters of No 239 Wing landed here on 18 December 1942. Photo from: Imperial War Museums