BE. NIL.

BA. JUNCTION OF ROADS IN PATERNO VILLAGE. BB. 1154 hrs LT BC. Medium level. Height 11000ft. Course 330° 57 x 250 GP 47 Det 27 Pistol (Nose fused) 10 x 250 GP 39 Det 37 Pistol (Tail fused) 5 x 250 GP 35 Det 28 Pistol (Tail fused) BD. Formation attacked in two boxes of six each. No. 1 Box bombed SOUTH of SE Corner of village. Some bombs burst in village. No. 2 Box straddled target in good pattern. Buildings were hit and direct hits scored on road. A fire was started in village. The 11 sec delay bombs exploded as formation left target. BE. NIL. BF. NIL. BG. Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts. Height 11000 ft. Course 330°. IAS 210. BH. (i) Rows of railway trucks and coaches from SFERRO-GERBINI in sidings, totalling approx. 150. (ii) Approx. 40 trucks and coaches in PATERNO NORTH Siding. One engine steam up. (iii) In station at ST MARIE DI LICODIA a train with engine steam up. (iv) Fires burning in NICOLIA area. LIST OF AIRCRAFT AND CREW. 226H Capt. ORD, Lt. HODGES, F/Sgts. WALKER & DEVENISH. (FL) 341L Lts. WILLMOTT & BORCHERDS, F/Sgts. LOOTS & WALBRIDGE (RAF) 271F Lts. GUARD & WEBBER, F/Sgts. GREEN & 2/Lt. DE VILLIERS. (VL) 195G Lts. A'BEAR & OWEN-HUGHES, 2/Lts. HARRISON & PICKUP. (VL) 136M Lts. MURMAN & WALTERS, F/Sgt. ODENDAAL, Sgt. STEWART. 179A Lts. ASKEW & LAMBERT, F/Sgt. GELDENHUYS, Sgt. CRAWHALL. 167S Capt. SMIT, Lt. KAY, 2/Lts. PURDON & WRIGHT. (BL) 291U Lts. HARGRAVE & REES, F/Sgts. JENSEN & BEDFORD. 356Z Lts. SIMPSON & HANDLEY, F/Sgts. ROBERTS & SHEPPERSON. 221Y Lts. EATON & McDERMOTT, F/Sgts. FREESTONE (NZAF) & VAN ROOYEN. 387R Lts. RICHARDS & DE CONNICK, F/Sgt. ROBERTSE, Sgt. McGRINDLE. 383W Lts. SMYTH & HANNING, F/Sgt. de PIESANIE, Sgt. LEISCHING.

1943-08-01

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * LT: Local Time. * ft: feet. * GP: General Purpose (bombs). * Det: Detonator. * SE: South-East. * sec: second. * IAS: Indicated Air Speed. * SFERRO-GERBINI: Sferro-Gerbini (rail line segment). * ST MARIE DI LICODIA: Santa Maria di Licodia. * FL: Formation Leader. * VL: Vic Leader (leader of a three-aircraft sub-formation). * BL: Box Leader (leader of a six-aircraft section). * RAF: Royal Air Force. * NZAF: New Zealand Air Force (referring to Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel). Personnel and Operational Observations * Commanders: Captain Ord led the full formation in aircraft 226H, while Captain Smit took the role of Box Leader for the second group in aircraft 167S. This structured leadership was essential for the "Box" bombing tactic that allowed one section to correct based on the results of the first. * Crew Continuity: Sgt. Crawhall continues his high-tempo service, flying as a gunner in the crew of aircraft 179A alongside Lieutenants Askew and Lambert. * Multinational Integration: The presence of F/Sgt. Walbridge (RAF) and F/Sgt. Freestone (NZAF) highlights the diverse Allied personnel contributing to the South African Air Force's (SAAF) Mediterranean efforts. Location and Tactical Intelligence * Paternò (PATERNO VILLAGE): A critical transport hub at the base of Mount Etna. The target was specifically the Junction of Roads, a bottleneck for Axis supplies. * Santa Maria di Licodia: Modern name unchanged. The intelligence sighting of a train with "engine steam up" indicates an active logistical withdrawal or reinforcement effort currently in progress at the station. * Nicolia: Likely refers to Nicolosi, a town further east on the slopes of Etna. The observation of "fires burning" there suggests the area was already under heavy Allied air or artillery bombardment. * Gerbini and Sferro: The report notes a massive concentration of 150 railway trucks and coaches in the sidings between Sferro and Gerbini, identifying a major target for subsequent interdiction strikes. Historical Context (The Etna Line) * August 1, 1943: This mission directly supported the Allied push against the "Etna Line," where German rearguards were fighting a desperate delaying action to secure the evacuation routes to Messina. * 11-Second Delay Tactics: Section BD mentions the use of 11-second delay bombs (Tail Fused). This was a realistic tactical choice for low-to-medium level bombing, as it allowed the low-flying formation to clear the target area before the blast occurred, preventing the bombers from being damaged by their own ordnance. * Interdiction Results: The report confirms "direct hits scored on road" and a "fire started in village," contributing to the paralysis of Axis movement in the sector. 136 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__136.jpg is 2 Aug 43.