MT MOVING WESTWARDS ALONG TRACK FROM 835288 — Operations

Operational Record

Target: MT moving Westwards along track from 835288.
Duty: M.T. moving Westwards along track from 835288
Committed: 18 Glenn Martin Baltimore
Time of attack: 1004 hrs.
Airborne: 0554 hrs
Returned: 0744 hrs
From: L.G. 98
Map: 1:250000 Egypt and Cyrenaica. Sheet 14. El Daba.
Day / night: Day
Casualties: Nil.
Bombing: Medium level bombing from 10/11,000 ft. 108 x 250 lb. (Rods) G.P. 43 Det.
Air defences: At 840260 heavy, spasmodic and inaccurate. At 866255 light, very poor. From dug-in positions and scattered MT.
Results: At 842283, 300 plus dug-in and dispersed MT. A fair movement of heavy vehicles towards this point along the track from the East. At 864271, 100 badly dispersed MT. Isolated MT. moving East along grid 25 above escarpment in grid squares 8525 and 8625. Palls of dust in Northern bulge of bomb line. On Southern side of the track that was bombed, approximately 15 fires were seen. A ME 109 was seen on the ground at 854254.

The formation attacked in line astern in Vics stepped down, dropping their first bombs at 835288 and then Westwards for a considerable distance on well dispersed MT moving West. The sticks were well spread, and started three fires. One large pall of black smoke was seen. An ammunition truck of dump was hit and violent explosions were observed. Half a dozen near misses were claimed.