GZINA

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 39 (Part A.) NIGHT OPERATION.

No. One Oprep. Ref. No. 171 Date. 17 JAN 43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F. Type of Aircraft. Baltimore Mk. 3. Captain Lt/Col. Coppen Aircraft No. 940 Crew. Lt. Farrant. Aircraft Letter. V F/Sgt. Bradfield F/Sgt. Herbst Up. 2035 hrs. Down. 2335 hrs. Aerodrome or L.G. GZINA Time. 3 hrs. 00 mins. Type of Cloud. Nil. Map or Chart Amount of Cloud. Nil. Reference. Base of Cloud. - LIBYA 1 : 500,000 Visibility. Hazy over sea. Excellent over target Sheet 2. TRIPOLI. General Weather. Good. Task or Duty. Medium level attack on dispersed A/C on CASTEL BENITO Aerodrome. Height. Place. Narrative. GZINA Airborne. Turned on to course 306 deg. M. Climbing.

3000 Cut coast WEST of SIRTE. 7000 Made landfall UDEI AGHEDA. A/C 300 deg. M. 7500 Climbing. . . . . . . 12500 CASR GARABULLI. A/C 280 deg. M. 12000 Losing height slowly. 11000 Cut road SOUTH of TRIPOLI and turned left on to target. Diving. 8000 Bombing. 7000 Off target. Turning right to avoid searchlights. 4000 TARHUNA Climbing to 7000 ft. 2000 Beacon to left. S/C for GZINA. GZINA Landed. PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34. PMEJ - 200.000 - 3/42 P.T.O. PART "B"

BA Dispersed A/C on CASTEL BENITO Aerodrome. BB 2210 hrs. BC Medium level attack. 8000 ft. 6 x 250 lb. G.P. 43 Det. (Rods) BD Albacores was dropping flares over target on arrival, and fires were seen, one on SW corner and other half-way down aerodrome. Target clearly seen. First bomb started large fire which was burning fiercely as A/C left target. (NE corner) Two smaller fires were started with the rest of the stick. Rear gunner confirms five fires burning well after leaving target. BE Seven searchlights. Accurate at first but evaded by steep turn. Heavy and light ack/ack. Heavy fairly intense but in- accurate. No ack/ack from TRIPOLI. BF Nil. BG Nil. BH Lights around TARHUNA area. Could have been moving MT. BENI ULID AREA gun flashes. MT on TARHUNA - BENI ULID road. OXYGEN None available. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

1943-01-17 GZINA

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 39 (Part A.) NIGHT OPERATION. No. One Oprep. Ref. No. 171 Date. 17 JAN 43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F. Type of Aircraft. Baltimore Mk. 3. Captain Lt/Col. Coppen Aircraft No. 940 Crew. Lt. Farrant…

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Form 441 A, the standardized document utilized for recording narrative and technical data for individual aircraft sorties. * Oprep. Ref. No. 171: Operational Report Reference Number 171, the administrative serial corresponding to the squadron's results for the night of 17 January 1943. * 21 S.A.A.F.: No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force. * Baltimore Mk. 3.: The Martin Baltimore Mark III, a twin-engine light bomber provided via Lend-Lease, utilized for tactical interdiction. * L.G. / GZINA: Landing Ground. Gzina was a forward operational base in Tripolitania used by No. 3 SAAF Wing. * A/C: Aircraft. In the task description, it refers to the target "dispersed aircraft" on the ground. In the narrative, it refers to "Altered Course" for navigation. * deg. M.: Degrees Magnetic, indicating navigational headings. * CASR GARABULLI: Castelverde (Gasr Garabulli), a location on the coastal road approximately 50 km east of Tripoli. * ft.: Feet, the unit of measurement for altitude, such as the climb to 7,000 feet near Tarhuna. * S/C: Set Course. Operational Context: This Sortie Report documents a specialized nocturnal interdiction mission conducted by the Officer Commanding 21 Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Coppen, against the Castel Benito aerodrome on 17 January 1943. Strategically, Castel Benito was the primary Axis aviation hub for Tripoli and represented a critical node in the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica defensive infrastructure. By mid-January 1943, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) prioritized the neutralization of this facility to prevent Axis air assets from harassing the British Eighth Army's definitive advance on Tripoli, which would fall only six days later. Tactically, the mission utilized the high-altitude performance of the Martin Baltimore to infiltrate Axis airspace. After climbing to 12,500 feet near Gasr Garabulli to avoid detection, the aircraft executed a controlled descent and "diving" approach to release its ordnance at 8,000 feet. This profile allowed the crew to exploit "excellent" visibility over the target despite the presence of searchlights, which required a rapid evasive turn to the right and a tactical climb over Tarhuna during egress. The associated Intelligence Postagram (OPREP 171) confirms that this single-aircraft raid successfully utilized General Purpose bombs with nose rods ("daisy cutters") to initiate one large and two small fires among dispersed enemy aircraft. This document, archived as Folio 39, serves as primary evidence of the SAAF's use of senior leadership for high-precision, low-density nocturnal strikes during the collapse of Axis resistance in Tripolitania. 48 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 17 JAN 43. (Note: The specific date is confirmed by the associated Part A/Folio 39). Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * A/C: Aircraft. * ft.: Feet, the unit of measurement for the release altitude of 8,000 feet. * 250 lb. G.P. 43 Det. (Rods): 250-pound General Purpose high-explosive bombs utilizing No. 43 tail pistols and nose extension rods (known as "daisy cutters"). These rods triggered detonation approximately 18 to 36 inches above ground level to maximize the lateral fragmentation blast against soft targets such as dispersed aircraft. * Albacores: Fairey Albacore biplane torpedo bombers, likely from a Fleet Air Arm squadron or specialized RAF nocturnal unit, utilized here for dropping illumination flares. * ack/ack: Anti-aircraft artillery fire. * MT: Mechanical Transport. Refers to Axis supply and troop vehicle concentrations. * S.I.O.: Senior Intelligence Officer. * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. Operational Context: This Sortie Report (Part B) details the results of a specialized nocturnal strike conducted by No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. against the Castel Benito aerodrome on 17 January 1943. Strategically, Castel Benito served as the primary aviation hub for Tripoli and a critical defensive anchor for the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica during the final stages of the Western Desert Campaign. The neutralization of this facility was a priority for the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) to deny Axis air cover as the Eighth Army advanced on Tripoli, which would fall only six days later on 23 January 1943. The tactical execution involved coordination with Fairey Albacores, which provided illumination flares, allowing the Baltimore crew to "clearly see" the target from 8,000 feet. Utilizing "daisy cutter" nose rods, the aircraft delivered a six-bomb stick that initiated a "fiercely" burning large fire in the northeast corner and four secondary fires. Despite facing seven searchlights and "fairly intense" heavy anti-aircraft fire, the crew successfully evaded defense through a "steep turn." Observations of "moving MT" and "gun flashes" in the Tarhuna and Beni Ulid sectors during egress reflect the fluid tactical environment of the Axis retreat toward the Tarhuna-Homs line. This document, archived as Folio 39, serves as primary evidence of the S.A.A.F.'s effective transition to precision nocturnal tactical interdiction during the definitive Axis collapse in Libya. 49 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 23rd January, 1943.