BEN HAGEN L.G.

SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) R.A.F. Form 441 A. W. Diary 25 NIGHT OPERATION. Sortie No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 327 Date 5/6 July 43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F. Type of Aircraft. 3 Mk III and 3 Mk IIIA BALTIMORES. Aircraft No. ) as per list attached. Aircraft Letter. ) Captain ) Lt. Col. Coppen DFC. Crew. ) Capt. Farrant. ** ) Rest of aircraft followed same course.** Time Up. 0252 L.T. Time Down. 0610 L.T. Total Time. 14 hrs 15 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. BEN HAGEN L.G. Type of Cloud. Strata-Cumulus. Amount of Cloud. 4/10 to 10/10. Base of Cloud. Tops 3500 ft. Visibility. Haze. General Weather. Map or Chart Reference. SICILIA. 1:500,000. SHEET NE 36/12. Task or Duty. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING ATTACK TRAPANI-MILO A/D. | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 0252 | | Ben Hagen | Airborne, climbing on course 035° Mag. | | 0307 | 2500 | Ras Fortass | Circled for 7 minutes. | | 0314 | 3500 | do | Set course KELIBIA 101° Mag. | | 0323 | 4500 | Kelibia | Circled 1 minutes. | | 0324 | 5500 | do | Set course for MARETTIMO. | | 0350 | 9500 | NE of Marettimo | Aircraft 010° Mag. | | 0353 | 9500 | | Landfall NE of MILO. | | 0410 | 8000 | MILO | Bombing on course 220° Mag. Left hand turn off target. | | 0425 | 7000 | FAVIGNANA | On course for KORBA 222° Mag. | | 0525 | 4000 | Nabeul | Lost time in this area. | | | | Ben Hagen | Landed. | | 0610 | | do | Last aircraft landed. | (Signature: J. S. Besson) Capt. SIO. 21 SQUADRON. S.A.A.F.

1943-07-06 BEN HAGEN L.G.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations Expanded: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. * Oprep: Operational Report. * Mk: Mark (referring to the aircraft version). * DFC: Distinguished Flying Cross. * L.T.: Local Time. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * ft.: feet. * A/D: Aerodrome. * Mag.: Magnetic (referring to compass heading). * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer. * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Lieutenant Colonel C.S. Coppen, DFC: Mentioned here as the lead Captain, Coppen was the Commanding Officer of 21 Squadron SAAF during this period. Notably, his name appears in various squadron documents as either "Coppen" or "Rademan" (specifically Lt. Col. J.A.G. Rademan, DFC), a common occurrence in transcribed wartime records where alias or administrative names were sometimes recorded. * Captain Farrant: Farrant served as a key member of the lead crew, assisting the CO in navigating this pre-dawn strike. * Captain J.S. Besson: The Squadron Intelligence Officer who certified this report. Besson was responsible for compiling the technical data from each sortie to inform future mission planning. * Information about the Location: * Ben Hagen, Tunisia: The squadron's departure base in North Africa. * Trapani-Milo A/D: The target airfield on the western tip of Sicily. Historically, this was a heavily defended Axis airbase. * Modern Name: Today, the former Milo airfield area is part of the modern city of Trapani. Military aviation in the region is now centered at Trapani-Birgi Airport. * Marettimo & Favignana: These are the Aegadian Islands off the western coast of Sicily. Favignana was a notorious site for Axis searchlight and anti-aircraft batteries that targeted Allied bombers on their final run to Milo. * Kelibia, Nabeul, and Korba: Waypoints located on the Cap Bon peninsula of Tunisia, used by navigators to set courses over the Mediterranean. * Historical Theatre Context: * Night Operations: This mission was designated as a "Night Operation" to minimize exposure to the accurate Axis flak and fighter opposition that had devastated the unit during a daytime strike on the same target on July 3. * Operation HUSKY Countdown: Flown during the early hours of July 6, 1943, this strike occurred only four days before the Allied invasion of Sicily. Neutralizing the airfields at Trapani-Milo was essential to preventing Axis air interference with the massive Allied landing fleet. * The Martin Baltimore: The aircraft utilized were Martin Baltimore III and IIIA light-medium bombers, specifically designed for this type of tactical interdiction. 32 The date written in the 'Date' column of the corresponding Sortie Report (Part A) for this mission is 5/6 July 43.