[Routine Order] "F1"

Sunday, 21 February 1943 Other

Document

"F1"

SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER NO. 11/43 No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. 99
by

LIEUT. COL. C.S. COPPEN D.F.C.
------------------------------
Officer Commanding,
No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.
Middle East.
21st February 1943.

Para.25: PHOTOGRAPHS IN PAY BOOKS:
As from date of this order, no payment will be effected on a Pay Book which
does not carry the identification photograph of the holder.
This order applies to Other Ranks only.
Para.26: STORES - PARAFFIN ISSUES:
Issues of paraffin - lamps only - will be made at "Q" Stores on Saturdays
from 09.30 to 18.00 hours, only.
Issue for burners other than storm-lanterns will not be effected.
Para.27: FIELD GENERAL COURT MARTIAL:
975936 Cpl. Williams E. of No. 55 Squadron was tried by Field General Court
Martial on 18th November 1942 for the following offence:-
"When on active service committing a civil offence that is to say, stealing,
in that he, in the Field on or about the 9th October 1942 stole a watch No.
41.1773 Master type from an American aircraft"
He was found guilty and sentenced to be reduced to the ranks and to undergo
six months detention.
The sentence has been duly confirmed by the A.O.C.
(A.R.O. Para.79)
Para.28: The undermentioned Officers are detailed to dine in the Airmens' Mess on
the evenings of the dates set out opposite their names.
The Mess is to be called to attention by the Senior N.C.O. present and the
Officer will then instruct the N.C.O. to call "Any Complaints" He will deal
with such complaints as are of a minor nature and will note any item that he is
unable to deal with on the spot. Such items will be reported by him to the
Adjutant by not later than 11.00 hours on the following day.
Each Officer will advise his successor the date, time and duties to be
performed by the latter.
Officer. Date.
Major. Hunt F.C. 22/2/43
Capt. Bester J.G. 25/2/43
" Budd A.G.M. 1/3/43
" Cormack C. 4/3/43
" McBride G.L. 8/3/43
" Mouton J.A. 11/3/43
" Schoch W.E. 15/3/43
" Smit A.C. 18/3/43
" Steyn D.A. 22/3/43
" Van Heerden P.W. 29/3/43
Lieut. A'Bear J.E. 1/4/43
" Arnold A.L. 5/4/43
" Ashton P.S. 8/4/43
" Blieden B. 12/4/43
(Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) Major.
Adjutant No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.

NOTICES:
FOUND: One leather cigarette case, outside the Officers' Mess on 20/2/43. Owner
apply to Adjutant.

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes")
Glossary of Terms:
* S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force.
* LIEUT. COL. C.S. COPPEN D.F.C.: Lieutenant Colonel C.S. Coppen, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Officer Commanding (O.C.) of No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F..
* Pay Books: Standardized military identification and financial records carried by individual personnel to track pay draws.
* Other Ranks: Enlisted personnel below the rank of commissioned officers.
* "Q" Stores: Quartermaster Stores, the section responsible for the issue of general supplies and equipment.
* Paraffin: Kerosene, utilized for lighting and heating in the desert theater.
* Field General Court Martial: A summary military legal proceeding convened in an active theater of operations to try serious offenses.
* No. 55 Squadron: A Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) light bomber unit then operating alongside the S.A.A.F. within the Desert Air Force.
* reduced to the ranks: A disciplinary action where a Non-Commissioned Officer (N.C.O.) is stripped of their rank and returned to the level of a private or airman.
* A.O.C.: Air Officer Commanding, the senior officer responsible for the broader air command in which the squadron operated.
* A.R.O.: Air Routine Orders, the higher-level directives issued by the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF).
* N.C.O.: Non-Commissioned Officer.
* Adjutant: The staff officer responsible for unit administration, legal records, and discipline.
Operational Context:
Squadron Routine Order No. 11/43, issued on 21 February 1943, provides primary evidence of the administrative and disciplinary rigor required during the transition of No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. from the Libyan to the Tunisian theater. Strategically, the Western Desert Campaign had concluded following the fall of Tripoli on 23 January 1943. During late February, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were utilizing an operational pause to consolidate resources and reorganize the Desert Air Force (D.A.F.) for high-intensity interdiction against the Mareth Line.
The orders regarding "Paraffin Issues" (Para. 26) and the auditing of "Pay Books" (Para. 25) reflect the logistical constraints of the desert. The restriction of paraffin to "lamps only" and specific "storm-lanterns" illustrates the critical shortage of fuel for non-operational purposes as supplies were prioritized for the unit's Martin Baltimore light bombers.
Furthermore, the publication of the "Field General Court Martial" results (Para. 27) regarding the theft of a watch from an "American aircraft" served as a formal deterrent against looting and civil offenses. The detailing of officers to the "Airmens' Mess" (Para. 28) to hear "Any Complaints" was a standard practice designed to maintain morale and address supply deficiencies among the 600-man squadron as it prepared for the definitive Allied drive into Tunisia. This document, archived as Folio 99, captures the administrative status of the squadron in Tripolitania immediately prior to returning to nocturnal bombing operations.

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Phase 1: Verification & Extraction
Identity Check: 21st. February 1943.