Saturday, 22 January 1944

21 Squadron War Diary

Tortorella, Italy

In the afternoon another attack was made in the POPOLI area; the target for this raid was the road and railway defile N.E. of the town. One aircraft developed engine trouble and turned back, jettisoning the bomb load at sea. The target was well covered by a concentrated stick starting at the SOUTH of the road and extending to the railway tunnel.Sortie Report No. 525.Operational Report (Oprep) Reference Number 525

Transcriber's Notes

N.E: North East.

Interdiction Campaign (Sulmona - Jan 23rd): The morning raid on Sulmona confirms the cumulative effect of the squadron's repeated attacks (previously struck twice on Jan 19th). The observation that the target was "found to be considerably damaged by previous raids" validates the effectiveness of the interdiction strategy. The "large amount of white smoke" likely indicates hits on masonry buildings or perhaps the "coal store" mentioned, creating dust clouds distinct from the black smoke of oil fires.

AIR 27/268 · The National Archives