APPENDIX "K"

Undated Other pp. 69

Document

The National Archives' reference AIR 27/271/2
APPENDIX "K"

69

FROM : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
TO : H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS).
H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU)
S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.
W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F.
REF. : 21S/945.
DATE : 26th. FEBRUARY , 1945.
OPREP NO. 945 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HRS. ON THE 25th. FEB. 1945.
REF. MAP ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 40 - PORTOGRUARO.

OPERATION NO. 155/21S/M.

A : 11 Marauders briefed to attack the Cellulose Factory at TORRE
DI ZUINO pp. H 446928, each a/c carrying a demo. load of 6 x
500 and 4 x 250lb. bombs. All a/c. off by 10.50 hrs. and after
r/v. with 12 Squadron over base, whole formation picked up a
close escort of 10 Spits. at Porto Corsini at 11.39 hrs. Attack
took place in three boxes at 12.15 hrs. from 10,000 ft. on a
course of approx. 020°. First and third boxes straddled eastern
half of factory with many D/Hits on buildings. Second box had a
left error of about 100 yards with hits on adjacent buildings.
25 Pkts. Pamphlets supplied by P.W.B. (Ref. I.T. 18 and I. 74)
were dropped in target vicinity - Window 10 miles before and
after bombing. No enemy opposition encountered. Weather:
Target clear of cloud but slight haze. Last A/C down by 1335 hrs.
B : (1) 11 Marauders III (11) Nil
C : (1) 8 & (11) Nil
D : (1) 30.15 hrs. (11) Nil
L : (1) 37400 x .50 (11) & (111) Nil
P : (6a) 66 x 500 (11) 66 x 500. 25 Pkts Pamphlets (111) 1 x 250
44 x 250 43 x 250. 108 lbs. Window (1v) Nil
FUSING:-
Tail 30 - 51 Nose plugged.
U to V : Nil
W : (1) 4 Marauders III (11) Nil
X : (1) 4.40 hrs. (11) Nil
Y : (1) 32 x 10 lbs Practice
Z : Nil
[Handwritten Signature: S.F. Wyllie]
LT. CAPT.
S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
The National Archives' reference AIR 27/271/2
A P P E N D I X " L "
----------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L.
----------------------

FROM: S.I.O. NO.21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. 70
TO : H.Q. M.A.A.F (Attention Operations Records)
H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. (S.C.O.R.U.
S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.
W.I.O. / 3 WING S.A.A.F.
REF : 21 S/946.
DATE: 27 th FEBRUARY 1945.
OPREP NO. 946 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HOURS ON THE 26th FEB. 1945
REF MAP ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 37 BASSANO DEL GRAPPA
---------------------------------------------------
OPERATION NO. 156/21 S/M.
-------------------------

A : II Marauders airborne from JESI to attack the ARSIE R.D.
BRIDGE at B.283124, with the ADIGE river lock gates as an
alternative. Formation off by 1430 hrs. and after R/V with
6 Spits at PORTO CORSINI at 1515 hrs. set course for target
From south of the PO to the Alps, the formation encountered
9 to 10/10 Cu. and St. Cu. at approx. 6,000ft, clearing at
the Alps. There was thick ground haze all the way to near
target. Formation was unable to identify target and returned
to base with bomb-load. One A/C shortly before reaching
target area developed engine trouble, broke away and after
feathering starboard propeller, flew towards base, closely
escorted by 2 of the fighters. This A/C landed at CESENATICO
L/G, after jettisoning whole bomb-load. All other A/C down
at Base with bombs by 1747 hrs. There was no enemy opposition.
B : (i) II Marauders III (ii) Nil.
C : (i) & (ii) Nil
D : (i) 32.30 hrs. (ii) Nil.
E : (i) 37400 x .5 (ii) & (iii) Nil.
F : (i) 44 x 1000 (ii) 144 lbs. of window , II pkts. Pamphlets.
(iii) 4 x 1000 (iv) Nil.
FUSING :- Fused tail only 30-51. .
G to V Nil.
W : (i) 4 Marauders III (ii) Nil.
X : (i) 6.00 Hrs. (ii) Nil.
Y : 32 x 10 lbs.
Z : Nil.
[Handwritten Signature: S.F. Wyllie]
LT. Captain.
S.I.O. NO. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (Transcriber's Notes)
Glossary of Terms:
* S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer.
* H.Q. M.A.A.F.: Headquarters, Mediterranean Allied Air Forces.
* H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. (SCORU): Headquarters, Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (Statistical Control and Operational Research Unit).
* S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.: Senior Air Officer Administration, Advanced South African Air Force Headquarters, Central Mediterranean Force.
* W.I.O. 3 WING: Wing Intelligence Officer, 3rd South African Air Force Wing.
* OPREP: Operational Report.
* Demo. load: Demolition load; high-explosive ordnance fused for structural destruction.
* r/v: Rendezvous.
* Spits: Supermarine Spitfire fighters used for close escort.
* D/Hits: Direct hits.
* P.W.B.: Psychological Warfare Branch.
* Window: Chaff; aluminized strips dropped to interfere with enemy radar-controlled gunnery.
* Marauders III: British Commonwealth designation for the Martin B-26G Marauder.
Operational Context:
The raid of 25 February 1945 (reported on the 26th) targeted the Cellulose Factory at Torre di Zuino (grid H 446928). This facility was of paramount strategic importance during the final stages of the Italian Campaign, as cellulose was a primary raw material for the production of smokeless powder and other explosives. By destroying the factory's infrastructure, the MAAF aimed to degrade the Wehrmacht's dwindling munitions reserves as part of "Operation Bingo."
The strategic necessity of this strike mirrors the requirements of November 1943 during the offensive against the Bernhardt Line. In 1943, 21 Squadron—then flying Martin Baltimores—conducted similar precision strikes against logistical and production nodes like the Mignano Gap and grid H055630 to isolate German forces of the 10. Armee. By February 1945, the use of superior Martin Marauder payloads allowed for the concentrated destruction of industrial rear-echelon targets to facilitate the final Allied spring offensive by inducing a total logistical collapse of German resources in Northern Italy.
Interpretations of Marginalia and Markings:
* Folio Number "69": Stamped archival index number in the upper right quadrant, continuing the sequence in AIR 27/271/2.
* "APPENDIX 'K'": Designates this OPREP as a formal annex to the primary February 1945 narrative.
* Officer Signature: Signed by Lieutenant S.F. Wyllie, acting S.I.O.. A strike-through exists over the printed rank "CAPT." with "LT." handwritten above, reflecting Wyllie's rank at the time.
* Technical Note: The fusing entry "Nose plugged" indicates that the bombs were fused only in the tail, likely to allow for a slight delay to ensure penetration of industrial structures before detonation.
* Ghosting: Faint text from an underlying or reverse page is visible, particularly a block of text in the lower half of the document.

17
The following archival entry constitutes a high-fidelity transcription and historical analysis of the specified document from the official war diary of 21 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF), currently held by The National Archives under reference AIR 27/271/2.
Phase 1: Verification & Extraction
Identity Check: The exact date recorded in the 'DATE' column of the image is 27 th FEBRUARY 1945.
Phase 2: Technical Expansion (Transcriber's Notes)
Glossary of Terms:
* S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer.
* M.A.A.F. / M.A.T.A.F. (S.C.O.R.U.): Mediterranean Allied Air Forces / Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (Statistical Control and Operational Research Unit).
* S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.: Senior Air Officer Administration, Advanced South African Air Force Headquarters, Central Mediterranean Force.
* W.I.O. / 3 WING: Wing Intelligence Officer, 3 South African Air Force Wing.
* OPREP: Operational Report.
* ARSIE R.D. BRIDGE: Arsiè Railroad (R.D.) Bridge, a critical logistical link in the Venetian Prealps.
* JESI: Jesi Landing Ground; the squadron's primary base in the Marche region during this phase.
* R/V: Rendezvous.
* Spits: Supermarine Spitfire fighters used for close escort.
* PORTO CORSINI: A coastal point near Ravenna used as a standard R/V for formations heading into Northern Italy.
* 9 to 10/10 Cu. and St. Cu.: Meteorological shorthand for near-total cloud cover consisting of Cumulus (Cu.) and Stratocumulus (St. Cu.).
* Feathering: Adjusting the propeller blades of a failed engine to be parallel to the airflow to reduce drag.
* CESENATICO L/G: Cesenatico Landing Ground; an emergency strip on the Adriatic coast.
* Window: Chaff; aluminized strips dropped to interfere with enemy radar.
* Marauders III: British Commonwealth designation for the Martin B-26G Marauder medium bomber.
Operational Context:
The abortive mission of 26 February 1945 (reported on the 27th) reflects the meteorological difficulties that frequently hampered "Operation Bingo," the Allied campaign to paralyze German transit lines in Northern Italy. By targeting the Arsiè Railroad Bridge (grid B.283124), 21 Squadron intended to sever the flow of supplies and personnel from the Alpine passes toward the Gothic Line.
This tactical interdiction methodology—concentrating on bridges and transit hubs—was refined following the high-intensity breakthroughs achieved during November 1943. During the earlier assault on the Bernhardt Line, 21 Squadron (then operating Martin Baltimores) conducted critical strikes against bottlenecks such as the Mignano Gap and grid H055630 to prevent the reinforcement of the German 10. Armee. While the 1943 operations applied localized pressure to break a specific defensive front, the 1945 operations used the superior range and payload of the Martin Marauder to induce regional logistical collapse across the entire Po Valley, essential for facilitating the final Allied spring offensive.
Interpretations of Marginalia and Markings:
* Folio Number "70": Stamped archival index number in the upper right quadrant, continuing the sequence within the AIR 27/271/2 series.
* "APPENDIX 'L'": Designates this OPREP as a formal annex to the primary monthly narrative.
* Rank Correction: The document is signed by Lieutenant S.F. Wyllie, acting S.I.O.. A handwritten strike-through exists over the printed rank "Captain." with "LT." handwritten above, reflecting the officer's actual rank at the time of authentication.
* Technical Abort: The entry in section A detailing the "engine trouble" and subsequent emergency landing at Cesenatico highlights the operational risks inherent in medium bomber sorties, even when no enemy opposition is encountered.
* Fusing Note: The specification "Fused tail only 30-51" indicates a slightly delayed detonation setting (measured in seconds/milliseconds via the 30-51 series fuzes) intended to ensure the 1000-lb bombs penetrated the bridge structure before exploding.

18
The following archival entry constitutes a high-fidelity transcription and historical analysis of the specified document from the official war diary of 21 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF), currently held by The National Archives under reference AIR 27/271/2.
Phase 1: Verification & Extraction
Identity Check: The exact date recorded in the heading of the document is 10th February, 1945.