Operation

BA. MT and TROOPS from 0735980 to 0740015 BB. 1505 hrs LT BC. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING ATTACK. Height 8800/8200 ft. Courses 025/345° 72 x 250 GP 43 Dets (Rods) BD. Target area covered in cloud shadows. No. 1 Box bombed from C740002 to C740015 and No. 2 Box from C745019 to C730030. Both patterns good. A small square building and the main road received direct hits. Four MT were seen pulled off road dispersed. Bomb bursts within 100 yards of these and among small tracks leading off main road. One small fire started. BE. About 12 HAA bursts fairly accurate for No. 2 Box. 3 guns at Sq. C7403 3 guns from SE of BRONTE on Mountain slopes. Guns in Sq. C7102. BF. 3 aircraft minor damage by HAA. BG. Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts. Height 8800/8200ft. Courses 025° and 345°. IAS 210. BH. 4 SE unidentified aircraft seen soon after bombing flying EAST, three line abreast with leader. Spitfire escort went to investigate and did NOT return to formation. LIST OF AIRCRAFT AND CREW. 903 B Major CORMACK, Lt. LOMBAARD, F/Sgt. FINBERG, 2/Lt. VILJOEN. 341 L Lt. WILLMOTT & BORCHERDS, F/Sgts. LOOTS & WALBRIDGE (RAF) 206 J Lts. WOOD & NEL, F/Sgt. JAMES, Sgt. BUCHLER. 290 U Lts. BLIEDEN & ROSE, F/Sgts. JARVIS & PERKINS 271 F Lts. FROST & WHITE, F/Sgt. CARTER, Sgt. ALLAN. 179 A Lts. ASKEW & LAMBERT, F/Sgt. GELDENHUYS, Sgt. CRAWHALL. 221 Y Lts. EATON & MCDERMOTT, F/Sgt. FREESTONE (NZAF) & VAN ROOYEN 280 P Lts. SIMPSON & HANDLEY, F/Sgts. ROBERTS & SHEPPERSON. 344 X Lts. GRADER & GOULD, F/Sgt. GREYLING, 2/Lt. GROENEWALD. 291 U Lts. HARGRAVE & REES, F/Sgts. JENSEN (RCAF) & BEDFORD 951 V Lts. BENNETT & HARLE, F/Sgts. STRYDOM & OSWALD. 383 W Lts. SMYTH & HANNING, F/Sgt. de PIESANIE, Sgt. LEISCHING.

1943-08-05

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * MT: Motor Transport (referring to enemy vehicles). * LT: Local Time. * ft: feet. * GP: General Purpose (bombs). * Dets (Rods): Detonators equipped with "Nose Rods" or "Daisy Cutters". * HAA: Heavy Anti-Aircraft artillery. * Sq.: Square (referring to map grid squares). * SE: South-East. * IAS: Indicated Air Speed. * (RAF): Royal Air Force. * (NZAF): New Zealand Air Force (properly RNZAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force). * (RCAF): Royal Canadian Air Force. Personnel and Tactical Coordination * Major Cormack and Crew: Leading the formation in aircraft 903 B, Cormack and Lombaard coordinated the strike through challenging lighting conditions caused by "cloud shadows". * Sgt. Crawhall: Continuing a month of high-intensity operations, Crawhall flew as a gunner in the crew of aircraft 179 A. * Allied Escort and Air Combat: Section BH records a tense moment after the bomb run when four unidentified aircraft were spotted. The Spitfire escort (noted as 6 aircraft on the preceding sortie report) departed to investigate, highlighting the constant threat from Luftwaffe interceptors despite Allied air superiority. * Multinational Integration: The crew lists remain a testament to the integrated nature of the SAAF's 21 Squadron, featuring personnel from the RAF (F/Sgt. Walbridge), NZAF (F/Sgt. Freestone), and RCAF (F/Sgt. Jensen). Location and Intelligence Analysis * Bronte Sector (Map Sheet 269): The target area identifies a critical road segment north of Paternò and south-east of Bronte. Bronte (modern name unchanged) sits on the western slopes of Mount Etna and was a vital nodal point for Axis troops attempting to withdraw from the central Sicilian front. * Target Specifics: The report notes direct hits on a building and the main road. The observation of 4 MT pulled off the road dispersed indicates Axis drivers were attempting to use natural cover to avoid detection by Allied "cab rank" air patrols. * Flak Positions: Section BE provides precise intelligence on German battery locations, specifically identifying 6 guns across grid squares C7403 and C7102, as well as guns on the mountain slopes south-east of Bronte. This accurate flak resulted in minor damage to three of the squadron's Baltimores. Historical Context: The Fall of Catania * August 5, 1943 (Operation HUSKY): This mission took place on the significant day that the British 8th Army entered Catania. With the Etna Line crumbling, Axis forces (the German 14th Panzer Corps and 15th Panzergrenadier Division) were in full-scale retreat toward Messina. * The Martin Baltimore: On this raid, the 12 Baltimores utilized a payload specifically designed for interdicting troops and vehicles. The use of "Nose Rods" (Section BC) ensured that the 250 lb General Purpose bombs detonated above the ground. This maximized the lateral fragmentation and blast effect—acting as a "daisy cutter"—to destroy unarmored vehicles and personnel in the open or among light cover rather than burying the force of the explosion in the volcanic soil. 146 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__146.jpg is 7 Aug 43.