Tuesday, 16 February 1943 — War Diary

21 Squadron War Diary

1800 hrs Sertan Main

"V"

No. 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. Middle East. 8716 Feb. 43.SQUADRON NOTES ON THE GLENN MARTIN BALTIMORE:AMENDMENT:TESTING BATTERIES AND HYDRAULIC PUMPS. The paragraph under the above heading, on pages

2 - 3 of the above-mentioned notes is hereby cancelledand the following inserted in place thereof:- "Make a point of starting the starboard engine first for each flight and check the functioning of the starboard hydraulic pump by operating flaps and gills before starting port engine. At the termination of the flight, stop the starboard engine first and, before stopping the port engine, test the functioning of the port hydraulic pump in the same manner. This procedure will ensure that both engine- driven pumps are checked on each flight."

(Sgd) W. E. Schoch. Capt. S.E.O.

Pilots Order Book.Order no 1/43. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) Lieut. Col OFF. COMMANDING 21 SQDN. S.A.A.F. "W" P O S T A G R A M 88 -----------------

To : H.Q. R.A.F. M.E.From : S.I.O. 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.Serial No. : 21 Sqdn/199Date : 16 FEB 43. OPREP No. 199 for period ending 1800 hrs. 16 FEB 43. ----------------------------------------------------

A to K NIL.COMM. : ~~NIL.~~ 7 HRS. 20 MINS. (1 Baltimore) T.O.O. 1800 hrs.

(Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F. "X" 89 Crew List 16.2.43.

Headquarters. -------------

Pilot Observer Gunners: Lt.-Col.Coppen Lt. R.R. Farrant Bradfield Lyne

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"A" Flight ----------

08 B Maj. Barnby Lt. Evans Lt. Sandilands Lotter 00 F Capt.Mouton Lt. Mulholland Carr Wisenberg 62 D Lt. Hotchkiss Lt. Norrell Mamet Mills 77 J Lt. Gardener Lt. Kerr Pearce Green 04BB Capt. Budd Sgt. Edmeades F/O Cornelius Woods 24 L. Lt. Meredith Lt. Sass Smith S.C. O'Regan 42 G Lt. Carlisle Lt. Simon Schumann Waldek 30 K. Lt. Chisholm Lt. Campbell Hodgkinson de Villiers 83AA. Lt. Hamilton Lt. Whittle Rogers F.H. Phelan 94 I Capt. McBride Lt. Gibson Daniels White 19 A Lt. A'Bear Lt. Owen-Hughes Harrison Pickup Lt. Blieden Lt. Ross Jarvis Smith L.W. Lt. Puttock Lt. Ashton Freestone Valentine Lt. Guard Lt. Foreman Cleland Prout Lt. Oakes Lt. Sachs Morrison Morris Reserves: Rogers C.L. Mendelsohn

Sck; Lt. Klette Lt. Cooper Lt. Davies Lt. Sadler Reid. "X" 89 Crew List 16.2.43.

Headquarters. -------------

Pilot Observer Gunners: Lt.-Col.Coppen Lt. R.R. Farrant Bradfield Lyne

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"A" Flight ----------

Sck; Lt. Klette Lt. Cooper Lt. Davies Lt. Sadler Reid. 16.2.43.

Crew List

"B" Flight ----------

PILOT OBSERVER GUNNERS ----- -------- -------

76 YY Maj. Jandrell Lt. Christie Morley Abraham34 O Capt. Cormack Lt. Pawson Finberg McGeeLt.26 SS ~~Capt.~~ Smith Lt. Arnold Moore Viljoen53 P Lt. Liddiard Lt. Pickerill Zasman Oliff35 T Lt. Carr Lt. Lombaard Toms Wright67 W Lt. Wood Lt. Gould Purdon Groenewald51 Y Lt. Eaton Lt. Floor le Roux Gildon65 FF Lt. Clutterbuck Lt. v.d. Meulen Raeburn Forth09 X Capt. Smith Lt. Kay Jensen van Rooyen86 U Lt. Hargrave Lt. Hocknell Ashby FootLt. Simpson Lt. Rees McQueen SheppersonLt. Demmer Lt. Hanning van Coller KoffLt. Murray Sgt. Smallman Steven ForrestReserves. Lt. Webber Stopforth CarbarnsLt. Cliff Thomas ClerkBernitz ClackRoberts PerkinsSick: Lt. PocockLt. Weir

Transcriber's Notes

S.A.A.F: South African Air Force.
Capt: Captain.
S.E.O: Squadron Engineering Officer, the staff officer responsible for the maintenance, technical integrity, and airworthiness of the squadron's aircraft.
Lieut. Col: Lieutenant Colonel.
Col: Colonel.
H.Q: Headquarters.
R.A.F: Royal Air Force.
M.E: Middle East.

Hydraulic pump: A critical engine-driven component responsible for providing the pressure required to actuate landing gear, flaps, and engine gills.

S.I.O. 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.: Senior Intelligence Officer of No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, responsible for collating tactical data for the unit, then operating Martin Baltimore light bombers.

T.O.O. 1800 hrs: Time of Origin, denoting the official filing time of the report. Operational Context: OPREP No. 199 documents a continued period of tactical stasis for No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. during mid-February 1943. Strategically, this period represents a logistical and administrative consolidation phase following the fall of Tripoli on 23 January 1943 and the conclusion of the Western Desert Campaign in Libya. The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were currently reorganizing the Desert Air Force (DAF) to maintain pressure on the Afrika Korps as it withdrew into the Mareth Line defensive positions in southern Tunisia. The "NIL" combat activity reported on 16 February 1943 coincides with the unit's final technical alignments in Tripolitania. On this date, the squadron issued a critical amendment to the Pilots Order Book (Order no 1/43) regarding the testing of hydraulic pumps on the Martin Baltimore, illustrating the focus on airworthiness during the operational pause. The recorded communication flight of 7 hours and 20 minutes—manually corrected over a "NIL" entry—indicates an essential logistical or ferry mission, possibly related to the movement of personnel or technical equipment between the squadron's new base and rear-area maintenance hubs. This document, archived as Folio 88 in the AIR 27/274 series, represents the administrative status of the squadron as it prepared for the high-intensity drive into the Tunisian theater of operations. 110

Lt.-Col. / Maj. / Capt. / Lt. / Sgt. / F/O: Lieutenant-Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Flying Officer, respectively.

"A" Flight: One of the primary tactical sub-units within the squadron, responsible for the maintenance and operation of a designated group of aircraft.

Lt.-Col. / Maj. / Capt. / Lt. / Sgt. / F/O: Lieutenant-Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Flying Officer, respectively.

"A" Flight: One of the primary tactical sub-units within the squadron, responsible for the maintenance and operation of a designated group of aircraft.

"B" Flight: A primary tactical sub-unit within No. 21 Squadron South African Air Force (S.A.A.F.), responsible for the maintenance and deployment of a specific segment of the unit's light bombers.