Operation

BA. REGALBUTO VILLAGE. BB. 0941 hrs LT. BC. Medium level attack. 10000 ft 345° Course. 66 x 250 GP 47 Det 27 Pistols (Nose fused) BD. Formation leader set course from CALTAGIRONE to target and on approaching the cross-roads at CATENANUOVA from slightly SE tracked along the road to CENTURIPE VILLAGE and bombed the EASTERN half of the village, one stick going through the centre of the town. NO results observed. BE. NIL. BF. NIL. BG. Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts. Height 10000 ft, Course 345° IAS 210. BH. 10 MT dispersed moving from CENTURIPE to REGALBUTO. LIST OF AIRCRAFT AND CREW. 903B Major CORMACK, Lt. LOMBAARD, F/Sgt. FINBERG, 2/Lt. VILJOEN 290U Lt. WILLMOTT & BORCHERDS, F/Sgts. LOOTS & WALBRIDGE (RAF) 271F Lts. GUARD & WEBBER, F/Sgt. GREEN, 2/Lt. DE VILLIERS 136M Lts. DUGMORE & MASTERS, F/Sgts. MAASDORP & ROGERS. 195G Lts. WOOD & NEL, F/Sgt. JAMES, Sgt. BUCHLER. 176YY Capt. SMIT, Lt. KAY, 2/Lts. PEARCE & WRIGHT. 173P Capt. SAUNDERS, Lt. BOOYSE, F/Sgt. MOORE, Sgt. EARP-JONES. 344X Major COULL, F/Sgt. SMALLMAN, 2/Lt. SHAW, F/Sgt. STRYDOM. 291U Lts. SIMPSON & HARLE, F/Sgts. ROBERTS & SHEPPERSON. 167S Lts. RICHARDS & DE CONNICK, F/Sgt. ROBERTSE, Sgt. MCGRINDLE. 951V Lts. SMYTH & HANNING, F/Sgt. de PIESANIE, Sgt. LEISCHING.

1943-07-28

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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. * IAS: Indicated Air Speed. * MT: Motor Transport. * (RAF): Royal Air Force. Personnel and Tactical Coordination * Major Cormack and Crew: Acting as the formation leader in Baltimore 903B, Cormack was responsible for the critical navigational decision to follow the road from Catenanuova to Centuripe. His crew—Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgt. Finberg, and 2/Lt. Viljoen—were regular leaders in these large-scale daylight strikes. * Integration of Allied Personnel: The crew of 290U (Lts. Willmott and Borcherds) included F/Sgt. Walbridge from the RAF, highlighting the blended nature of Commonwealth air power in the Mediterranean. * Veteran Continuity: Crews like Dugmore & Masters and Smyth & Hanning appear consistently in the logs for July, having transitioned from nocturnal "intruder" work to these precision daylight formation raids. Location and Intelligence Analysis * Centuripe (Actual Target Struck): While the header lists "Regalbuto Village," the narrative explicitly states the formation tracked toward and bombed Centuripe Village. This medieval hilltop town, known as the "Multi-legged Star," was a formidable defensive bastion. The report notes they bombed the "EASTERN half of the village" with "one stick through the centre". * Catenanuova: A vital cross-roads town. Its mention as a navigational waypoint illustrates how crews used established ground landmarks to maintain formation integrity in an era of visual navigation. * MT Sighting (BH): The observation of 10 MT dispersed and moving from Centuripe to Regalbuto provided confirmation of Axis reinforcement and supply shuttle operations along the "Etna Line". Historical Context (Operation HUSKY) * July 28, 1943 (D+18): This raid occurred during the intensive build-up to the Battle of Centuripe. The British 78th "Battleaxe" Division was moving to assault this "Gateway to the Simeto," and 21 Squadron's task was to "soften" the village defenses held by the elite German 1st Parachute Division. * Realistic Accuracy: Bombing from 10,000 feet in "haze" (as noted on page) made precision nearly impossible. The notation "NO results observed" is a realistic admission; dust, smoke, and the inherent limits of the Norden bombsight meant that while "sticks" of bombs hit the town, their actual tactical effect on specific German bunkers remained unknown to the crews. * The Martin Baltimore: On this mission, 11 Baltimores delivered 66 x 250 lb General Purpose bombs. The use of nose-fusing (Section BC) was the standard tactical choice for high-ground urban targets, ensuring the ordnance exploded immediately upon hitting the rooftops and stone streets of the village to maximize structural destruction and fragmentation against personnel. 121 The date written in the header of the operational report for target file 276-1__121.jpg is 29 JULY 43.