vd Putte: van de Putte. Operational Context: The mission of 26 February 1945 targeted the Arsie Road Bridge as part of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) "Operation Bingo". The strategic goal was the logistical strangulation of German transit lines in Northern Italy. During this sortie, the aircraft piloted by Lt. Becke (aircraft 550 N) suffered significant mechanical failure five minutes before the target. After feathering one engine and attempting to return alone, the aircraft was struck by 20 mm anti-aircraft fire near the bombline but successfully reached the emergency landing ground at Cesenatico. This late-war environment provides a clear strategic contrast to the tactical landscape of November 1943 during the transition through the Bernhardt Line. At that stage of the campaign, 21 Squadron—then operating the Martin Baltimore—focused on high-intensity tactical interdiction at mountain bottlenecks to facilitate Allied breakthroughs toward the Gustav Line. A primary objective was the systematic degradation of German logistical movement at chokepoints such as the railway and road infrastructure at grid reference H055630 (Mignano Gap). Strikes on those specific coordinates were intended to exert terminal pressure on the German 10. Armee's forward crust. By February 1945, the squadron utilized the superior payload and range of the Martin Marauder to strike regional transit hubs like Arsie, located deep within the Venetian foothills. Exhaustion of Marginalia & Markings:
Crew Corrections and Strike-throughs:
In aircraft 498 N, the name "Lister" is struck through and replaced with the handwritten name "Foster".
In aircraft 519 G, the name "Hickie" is struck through and replaced with "du Plessis". A series of "x" marks appears below the name "Overee" in the same entry.
In aircraft 474 D, the name "vd Putte" is handwritten beneath the navigator entry, indicating a late crew substitution.
