EBOLI – OLIVETO – PEBCO PAGANO – POTENZA – BRIENZA – EBOLI – AULETTA – RIGERNO – BRIENZA –… — Operations

Operational Record

Target: 1) EBOLI – OLIVETO – PEBCO PAGANO – POTENZA – BRIENZA – EBOLI – AULETTA – RIGERNO – BRIENZA – AULETTA
Duty: ARMD RECCE RDS – CENTRAL ITALY.
Committed: 8 Glenn Martin Baltimore
Time of attack: From 2354 Hrs LT to 0151 Hrs LT.
Airborne: 2030 hrs
Returned: 0100 hrs
From: Cuticchi
Map: SICILIA 1:500000 NE36/12, MESSINA 1:500000 NE38/14, NAPOLI 1:500000 NE40/14
Day / night: Night
Casualties: Nil.
Bombing: Medium level bombing from 8000/10000 feet on various courses. 48 x 250 G.P. 43 Dets 27 Pistols (with rods) 16 x 250 G.P. 43 Dets 30 Pistols
Air defences: Slight H/A/A SOUTH of SELE River inaccurate. Approximately 6 tracers from below, across and underneath behind the 190° 3 miles SAPRI.
Results: Bomb bursts and A/A 5/7 miles NORTH SALERNO 15/20 flares Naval firing 20/30 miles at sea GULF of SALERNO Guns firing inland on coast S.W. EBOLI, flashes REGLI area and 5/10 N.E. MONTECORVINO area. Large fires N8573, 2) EAST portion EBOLI (2), BATTIPAGLIA (1), 2 N.E. PACCINO (1). NORTH AULETTA (1) with a lot of smoke. MONESANO smallish fire BRIENZE at 0110 Hrs. Green lights SCALEA area – KRYPTON lights area ROCCADASPIDE.

Considerable MET seen particularly along rds. EBOLI-01049 and EBOLI – AULETTA and on later sorties when haze had thinned. Results as follows: 1) 03936, 3 x 250 on bridge, bursts near Rd 03108, 3 x 250. 3/4 MET, access "S" bend, bursts near Rd. 2 x 40 on Rd bend just WEST of BRIENZA. 05133, 3 x 250, 2 x 40 on fire at side of Rd. bursts just off Rd T3198. 3 x 250 – TEGIANO, N.R.O. O0531, 1 x 250, near miss 5/10 MET, fire seen later. Rd OLIVETO – O1049, 5 x 250, 2 x 40, singly, 50 plus MET along Rd. One explosion followed by a lot of smoke, all bursts near Rd. N9727, 4 x 250, 10/15 MET in close convoy, long stick across NW bend close to Rd, N.R.O. O5333, 2 x 250, 1 x 140 on bridge, direct hit or very near miss. N.R.O. One mile WEST of BUCCINO, 1 x 40 N.R.O. 2) O2120 – 6 x 250 medium stick on cross-roads N.R.O. SERRE – AULETTA 2 x 40 singly. O1720, 3 x 250 hit Rd O2423, 2 x 40 just off Rd O2924, 3 x 250 hit Rd O0520, 3 x 250 near Rd. 6/10 MET 25/50 apart N.R.O. 20 MET on SERRE – AULETTA Rd mostly moving EAST, NORTH AULETTA, 2 x 40 on scattered MET N.R.O. O2910, 3 x 250 at steady light on Rd. bursts near Rd N.20?