Operation

APPENDIX "D" TO : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. FROM : H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS) H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU) S.A.O.A. S.A.A.F. ADV. H.Q. C.M.F. 3 WING W.I.O. S.A.A.F. REF : 21S/885 DATE : 23rd DECEMBER, 1944 OPREP NO. 885 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100/HRS ON THE 22.12.44. REF. MAP ITALY : 1:100,000 SHEETS 38 & 51 OPERATION NO. 131/21 11 Marauders were airborne from IESI L/G at 1250 hrs. to bomb Engine sheds at Treviso M/Yards Q.629758. No. 2 Box consisting of 6 A/C was 30 min. late at R/V ( owing to a reshuffling of A/C and leader unable to contact his box satisfactorily on W/T) and returned at 1443 hrs. after jettisoning bombload at sea. Leading Box of 5 A/C set course from FANO at 1318 hrs, with a close escort of 6 Mustangs, also carrying Bombs. Attack took place at 1407 hrs. from 11200' on a course of 035°. Pattern fell slightly to the left of the Engine sheds and straddled Railway line with direct hits on houses RR Tracks and tracks. H/A/A slight inaccurate when crossing coast on way to the target near the mouth of the Piave river, no enemy opposition in Target area. 100 lbs of window were dropped in target area. All A/C landed at base by 1535 hrs. Weather en route : 9/10 to 10/10 strata cum. from Senigallia to lake Comacchio 6000' tops. Patches of strata cum. in target area same height. Visibility hazy. (W) (i) 11 Marauders III (ii) Nil (X) (i) & (ii) Nil (Y) (i) 23.20 hrs. (ii) Nil (Z) (i) 37400 x .50 (ii) & (iii) Nil (P) (i) 66 x 500 MC 48 x 250 GP Fused : 27-49 Nose 28-36 Tail (ii) 30 x 500 20 x 250 (iii) 36 x 500 28 x 250 (iv) Nil Note:- 100 lbs window dropped - target area. (V) (i) Nil (ii) 2 Marauder III (ii) Nil (iii) 1.15 Hrs. (ii) Nil (Z) : Nil (Signature: S.L. Boshoff) S.L. Boshoff CAPT. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.

1944-12-23

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations Expanded: * S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force * H.Q.: Headquarters * M.A.A.F.: Mediterranean Allied Air Forces * M.A.T.A.F.: Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force * SCORU: South African Corps of Records * S.A.O.A.: South African Officer in Charge of Administration * ADV. H.Q.: Advanced Headquarters * C.M.F.: Central Mediterranean Force * W.I.O.: Wing Intelligence Officer * REF: Reference * OPREP: Operational Report * HRS / hrs: Hours * L/G: Landing Ground * M/Yards: Marshalling Yards * A/C: Aircraft * R/V: Rendezvous * W/T: Wireless Telegraphy (Radio) * RR: Railroad * H/A/A: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire (Flak) * strata cum.: Stratocumulus (cloud type) * MC / GP: Medium Capacity / General Purpose (bomb types) * CAPT.: Captain * Observations about Individuals: * Captain S.L. Boshoff: As the Squadron Intelligence Officer, Boshoff was responsible for debriefing crews and compiling these tactical OPREPs. This specific report highlights his duty in documenting mission failures, specifically the breakdown in command and control between the mission leader and "No. 2 Box" which led to half the formation aborting. * The Unnamed Box Leader: The report notes a significant leadership failure where the leader of the second box was "unable to contact his box satisfactorily on W/T," resulting in a 30-minute delay that compromised their rendezvous with the escort and forced the jettisoning of their entire bomb load at sea. * Information about the Location: * Iesi (Jesi) Landing Ground: The squadron's operational base near Ancona. * Modern Name: This site is the present-day Ancona International Airport (Aeroporto di Ancona-Falconara). * Treviso Marshalling Yards: A major rail hub in the Veneto region, located at grid reference Q.629758. * Fano: A coastal town used as the standard rendezvous point with the P-51 Mustang fighter escort. * Senigallia to Lake Comacchio: This transit corridor across the Adriatic coast was noted for heavy "9/10 to 10/10" cloud cover, illustrating the difficult flying conditions that plagued the unit throughout December. * Historical Theatre Context: * Tactical Friction: OPREP No. 885 captures a "lemon" result (failed mission) due to internal "reshuffling" and communication failures. This friction occurred just as the squadron was attempting to resume high-tempo operations following the 20-day winter stand-down. * The Marauder III in Combat: The Martin B-26 Marauder III aircraft used in this raid were highly dependent on tight formations for defensive fire and concentrated bomb patterns. The failure of the second box to form up effectively neutralized half the squadron's striking power. * Electronic Warfare (Window): The mention of "100 lbs of window" (chaff) being dropped indicates the presence of German radar-guided flak in the Treviso area. Window consisted of aluminum strips dropped to create "clutter" on enemy radar screens, protecting the formation from predicted anti-aircraft fire. * Collateral Damage: The report candidly notes that the bombing pattern "fell slightly to the left," resulting in direct hits on "houses" near the rail tracks—a common occurrence in the high-altitude medium bombing of urban rail hubs. 152 Target File Verification: The date written in the 'DATE' line of the memorandum is 26th DECEMBER, 1944.