Sortie Report (Form 541)
21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. OPREP NUMBER 970 DATE 19th MARCH 1945 169 RAID ON AMMUNITION DUMP pp C. 156092. OPERATION NUMBER 172/21S/M.SECOND RAID. v v v v v v v
U. 577 MAJOR. DIEU PARSONSON van der PUTTE DURANT MITCHELL PECKITT.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
R. 471. LIEUT. COLLENDER GILLAM DEANE BENSON BANFIELD SUTER.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
S. 550. LIEUT. BECKE MEYER JOHNSTONE GIDLOW HEALE Mc CAUSLAND[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
T. 539. LIEUT. MUIR DALE LISTER JONKER FOSTER ROUKE.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
A. 561. LIEUT. NAPIER Mc DONALD BENADE JORDAAN STUBBS MOIR.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
V. 545. LIEUT. STUART CILLIERS OWEN HUGHES FRASER HOWDEN du PLESSIS[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
Hv. 513. LIEUT. HUSSEY QUAIFE WELLS BOAST KENNEDY PIENAAR.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
YY. 537. LIEUT. ACKERMAN DORE STEENKAMP STEYN MALAN STEPHENS[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
D. 474. LIEUT. GOUGH HORNE RYAN OVEREE SMITH T R MATHEW.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
* LIEUT. FRASER JANDRELL du PLESSIS RICHARDSON BARROW JENNER [Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v V. 583. LIEUT. GRANGER STUART D BAILEY ADAMS WOOD KRUGER [Handwritten tick marks above each name]ANTI - FLAK :-v v v v v v vS. 566. CAPTAIN. BRUNETTE Mc DONALD R MASTERS ROELOFSE BRETTELLY HEAVEN[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "ROELOFSE" handwritten above BRETTELLY] v v v v v v v
G. 519. LIEUT. REYNEKE CORDELL TEAGUE HENNESSEY TENNANT CLOETE.[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "HARLE" handwritten below TEAGUE]TIMES :- 2.45 Hours. ANTI - FLAK :- 2.30 Hours.[Handwritten "2.45 Hours." and "2.30 Hours." next to TIMES]REMARKS:-[Handwritten marginalia at right of page:]1.2.3.4.5.
Transcriber's Notes
- S.A.A.F
- South African Air Force. Operational Context Target File 271-3_119 documents the second operational raid conducted by 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. on 19th March 1945. The objective was a concentrated Ammunition Dump at pinpoint C. 156092. This mission followed a morning strike against the Gemona Marshalling Yards and was a tactical component of Operation Bingo, the theater-wide interdiction campaign designed to achieve the total logistical paralysis of German Heeresgruppe C. By late March 1945, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) focused on neutralizing Axis tactical reserves ahead of the final Allied spring offensive. Ammunition dumps were high-priority targets; their destruction directly degraded the defensive fire capabilities of German frontline units. The flight manifest indicates a substantial thirteen-aircraft effort, led by Major Dieu in Marauder U. 577. The tactical organization included a dedicated "ANTI-FLAK" section consisting of two aircraft (S. 566 and G. 519) to mitigate defensive fire from localized German batteries. Handwritten marginalia show last-minute crew refinements, such as "ROELOFSE" added to Captain Brunette's crew and "HARLE" added to Lieut. Reyneke's crew. The formation recorded a mission duration of 2 hours and 45 minutes, with the anti-flak aircraft returning in 2 hours and 30 minutes. This kinetic attrition of Axis ordnance was synchronized with high-intensity psychological warfare; contemporaneous "Frontpost" leaflets informed the increasingly isolated German troops that the destruction of their logistical depth in Italy mirrored the total industrial collapse of the home front in Germany. 120 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 20th MARCH, 1945.
- OPREP NUMBER 970
- Operational Report number 970.
ANTI - FLAK: Specialized tactical role assigned to specific aircraft (in this instance, S. 566 and G. 519) tasked with suppressing enemy anti-aircraft batteries—likely 88mm or 20mm flak positions—to protect the main medium bomber formation during its run over the target.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied aerial ordnance. For strikes against high-value storage targets like ammunition dumps, Marauders typically utilized 500 lb or 1,000 lb GP bombs to ensure catastrophic sympathetic detonations.
pp C. 156092: The precise map grid reference (Pinpoint) for the Ammunition Dump targeted during this "Second Raid".