BARDIA

SECRET "C" 1652 BOMBING REPORT 10 12 Pilot : Observer : 2/LT. G.C. ELLIOTT 21 SQUADRON REFERENCE / 2/LT. B. L. GUNNING A/SGTS. COCHRANE AND BLYTH Squadron S. A. A. F BR Details of Target : DUMPS 5 MILES NORTH WEST OF TOWN Place : BARDIA Date : 24 / 9 / 41 Time : 1300 hrs. Weather : 4/10 CLOUD OVER TARGET Height : 19000 feet. (1) Bombs dropped : (2) Failures : 8 X 250 lb. G. P. NIL. (3) Observed effects : TARGET OBSCURED BY PREVIOUS STICKS - 4 BOMBS SHORT AND 4 FELL RIGHT AMONGST PREVIOUS BOMB BURSTS. (4) Details of photographs taken : NIL. (5) Casualties to own aircraft and personnel : NIL. (6) Casualties to enemy aircraft and personnel : NIL. (a)(7) Enemy A.A. ground defences encountered (a) location of defences (b) type (c) strength : 5 MILES NORTH OF TOWN ALONG COAST LINE (b) HEAVY (c) MEDIUM INTENSITY (8) Hostile patrols encountered (a) position (b) type and number of aircraft (c) if engagement resulted : 3 UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF BARDIA NO ENGAGEMENT (9) Special comments : SIGNED 2/Lt. G. C. ELLIOTT. NOTE — (1) For intelligence purposes RECONNAISSANCE REPORT (A. M. FORM 401) must always accompany a BOMBING REPORT. (2) COMBAT (BOMBER) REPORT also to be completed if engagement with enemy aircraft occurred during flight.

1941-09-24 BARDIA

__o_O_o__

Form 541

19,000ft.

MAP

Baltimore

2/LT. G.C. ELLIOTT Observer

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms * 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. During September 1941, the unit operated within the Desert Air Force from forward bases in Egypt, conducting tactical interdiction against Axis supply lines in Libya. * A.A.: Anti-Aircraft fire (Flak). * BA-BH (MARTIN BALTIMORE): A twin-engine light/medium bomber manufactured by the Glenn L. Martin Company. While the squadron converted to this type in 1942, at the time of this 1941 report, it utilized the Martin Maryland (e.g., No. 1652 "C"), the Baltimore's technical predecessor in SAAF service. * BARDIA: A strategic coastal port and fortified Axis garrison in eastern Libya, vital for the logistical sustainment of Rommel’s frontier forces. * G.P. (GENERAL PURPOSE): A classification for standard Allied high-explosive demolition bombs. * MC/GP (MEDIUM CAPACITY / GENERAL PURPOSE): The broader designation for Allied munitions, including the 8 x 250 lb. G.P. load carried by Maryland "C" during this mission. * MET: Meteorological data. The report cites 4/10 cloud directly over the target, which hampered visual assessment and reconnaissance photography. Operational Context Target File 272_12 is the technical Bombing Report for Martin Maryland "C," piloted by 2/Lt. B. L. Gunning, during the high-level strike on 24th September 1941. The strategic importance of the location—specifically Axis supply dumps 5 miles northwest of Bardia—lay in its function as a primary reserve for fuel and munitions supporting the defense of the Egyptian-Libyan frontier. Neutralizing these caches was a key Allied objective intended to degrade Axis mobile reserves prior to Operation Crusader. The mission was executed at an altitude of 19,000 feet at 13:00 hours. Technical data confirms the aircraft released its full stick of 8 x 250 lb. G.P. bombs. Execution was significantly complicated by the smoke and dust from preceding aircraft in the formation; the observer, 2/Lt. G. C. Elliott, reported that the target was obscured by "previous sticks". Consequently, four bombs fell short of the primary dump, while the remaining four impacted "right amongst previous bomb bursts," indicating a concentration of the squadron's 18,000 lb total ordnance load in the immediate target vicinity. Defensively, Maryland "C" encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire of medium intensity originating from coastal batteries 5 miles north of Bardia town. Additionally, the crew sighted 3 unidentified aircraft 10 miles south of the target area, though no engagement resulted. This report, signed by 2/Lt. Elliott, underscores the difficulty of visual bomb aiming in a multi-flight horizontal bombing formation where environmental factors and "battle fog" (obscuration from earlier strikes) dictated the tactical success of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) precursor units. 13 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 24 / 9 / 41.