Operational Order No. 11

Wednesday, 16 September 1942

1942-09-16

The National Archives' reference AIR 27/273/273 SQUADRON MOVEMENT ORDER NO. 11 No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. B 32 A N N E X U R E "A" Schedule of Vehicles for transporting Personnel and Equipment: OFFICERS: Transport for Officers, their baggage, equipment and tentage will be available in the Officers' Lines from 08.00 hours on the 16th September 1942. Three trucks will be available for the loading of mess and kitchen equipment and tentage and will be parked outside the Officers Mess from 13.00 hours on the 15th September 1942 for transfer of Mess and Canteen by 15.00 hours on 15th September 1942. SERGEANTS: Transport for Senior N.C.O.'s their baggage and equipment will be available in the Sergeants' Lines from 08.00 hours. Additional transport will be provided for the Mess and kitchen and will be available outside the Sergeants' Mess at 07.00 hours on the 16th September 1942. AIRMEN: Transport for Airmen, their baggage and equipment will be available in the Airmens' Lines from 08.00 hours. Additional transport will be provided for the Mess and Kitchen equipment and will be available outside the Airmens' Mess at 07.00 hours on the 16th September 1942. CAPE CORPS: Transport will be available in the Cape Corps Lines from 06.00 hours for the transport of Mess and equipment, personnel, kit on 16th September 1942. FLIGHTS: Flights are to use all Transport at present allocated to them for moving Flight equipment and personnel as far as is necessary. 32 [Handwritten] [Margin vertical text on reference strip - Inverted]:

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Original page(s): 32

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. * ANNEXURE "A": The technical logistical appendix to Squadron Movement Order No. 11 detailing vehicle assignments for unit relocation. * N.C.O.'s: Non-Commissioned Officers. * CAPE CORPS: A South African military unit primarily composed of personnel from the Western Cape, utilized here for essential logistical support and manual labor during the camp strike. * FLIGHTS: The primary operational sub-divisions (usually 'A' and 'B' Flights) within No. 21 Squadron responsible for the direct maintenance and flight operations of the Martin Baltimore aircraft. Operational Context: Annexure "A" provides the detailed vehicle schedule for the displacement of No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. from Shandur to Landing Ground "Z" (L.G. "Z"). This logistical operation, conducted on 16 September 1942, was part of a broader tactical repositioning of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) during the critical inter-battle period at El Alamein. The strategic significance of this move lay in the transition from the rear-echelon facilities at Shandur in the Canal Zone to forward desert strips to increase the sortie rate against Axis supply lines. The schedule shows high-level coordination, with mess and canteen loading for officers commencing on the 15th to ensure the unit remained mobile and combat-effective by the morning of the 16th. The instruction for "Flights" to utilize their own allocated transport for "Flight equipment" underscores the priority of keeping the technical ground crews (fitters and air mechanics) and their specialized tools close to the Martin Baltimore light bombers. Maintaining this technical core was essential for the successful execution of the "shuttle bombing" tactics favored by the Desert Air Force during the buildup to the October offensive. The document is archived as folio 32 within the permanent war diary (AIR 27/273), documenting the administrative rigor required to sustain a mobile light bomber squadron in the fluid Western Desert theater. 42 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: No 'Date' column is present on the provided image; however, the handwritten archival notation identifies this document as "APPENDIX 'C'". Based on the internal sequential archival numbering (folio 33) and the listed personnel, the document is associated with the September 1942 operations record.