10/10 cloud at 7000' was encountered most of the way, with 5 to 6/10 cloud in target area 9000' tops. Visibility otherwi

TO : HQ MAAF (Attention 23rd SCORU) HQ NATAF (Attention 2nd Command Unit 23rd SCORU) SAOA SAAF FROM : SIO 21 SQUADRON SAAF REF : 215/573 DATE : 3 Mar. 44 OPREP No. 573 for period ending 1300 Hrs, 3 March 1944 REF MAP ITALY 1:100,000 Sheet 156 LITTORIA A: 12 Baltimores took off from BIFERNO L/G between 0937 and 0947 Hrs to bomb Gun area centre pp F905375. They set course with an escort of 6 Spitfires for the mouth of the VOLTURNO River and along the coast to ANZIO and target. 10/10 cloud at 7000' was encountered most of the way, with 5 to 6/10 cloud in target area 9000' tops. Visibility otherwise good. They bombed in two boxes from 14400' at 1110 Hrs on a course of 030°, the second box slightly to the right of the first box. 1st box bombs from F902380, to F907375, 2nd box from F 903377 to F906380. One explosion (NO fire) at F903372, one direct hit on railway line. Heavy moderate A/A from target area, inaccurate. NO movements observed. The formation flew back along the coast to the VOLTURNO and direct home. All a/c landed back by 1217 Hrs. B: (1) 11 Baltimores Mk.4 (11) NIL (1) 1 Baltimore Mk.3A (11) NIL C: NIL D: (1) 28.25 Hrs (11) NIL (1) 2.35 Hrs (11) NIL E: (1) 35200 x .30 3300 x .303 7700 x .50 (11) & (111) NIL (1) 3200 x .30 300 x .303 700 x .50 (11) & (111) NIL F: (1) 22 x 500 MC 33 x 250 GP (11) As in (1) (111) & (iv) NIL Fuse:- 44 Pist. 52 Det in nose 28 Pist. 49 Det in tail G to Z: NIL Wahlin(?)... Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.

1944-03-03

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes: * Document Context (Sortie Report No. 573): * This is the official Operational Report (OPREP) for the mission flown on March 3rd, 1944. * Contradiction with Daily Diary: The daily diary entry for March 3rd (in file 269-3__5.jpg) stated: "Twelve Baltimores... set course to attack a Gun Position... Encountering 10/10 cloud... the formation returned with their bombs." However, this detailed Sortie Report states they did bomb: "They bombed in two boxes from 14400' at 1110 Hrs" and lists specific bomb impacts ("One explosion... one direct hit on railway line"). This discrepancy is significant; the daily diary writer may have conflated this mission with another aborted one, or the report here reflects a partial success that was deemed a "weather abort" in the summary due to the cloud cover preventing accurate observation of the primary target. * Targeting the Anzio Perimeter: * Target: "Gun area centre pp F905375". The map reference and the route ("along the coast to ANZIO") confirm this was a mission to suppress the German heavy artillery surrounding the Anzio beachhead. The reference to Sheet 156 LITTORIA (modern-day Latina) places the target in the Pontine Marshes area, where the Germans had deployed railway guns (like "Anzio Annie") and heavy field artillery to shell the Allied landing zone. * Route: The formation flew via the Volturno River mouth, a standard safe corridor for Allied aircraft entering the combat zone from the south. * Tactics & Environment: * Weather: The report notes "10/10 cloud at 7000' was encountered most of the way," breaking to "5 to 6/10 cloud in target area". Bombing through holes in 60% cloud cover is difficult and explains the scattered results. * Flak: "Heavy moderate A/A from target area, inaccurate". This refers to 88mm or 105mm anti-aircraft fire. "Moderate" usually implies a specific number of bursts (e.g., 20-50 seen at once), while "inaccurate" means the bursts were not at the correct altitude or deflection to threaten the aircraft. * Technical Data: * Ordnance: The squadron dropped a mix of 500 lb MC (Medium Capacity) and 250 lb GP (General Purpose) bombs. The use of "Nose" and "Tail" fusing indicates settings for instantaneous detonation (to create shrapnel and blast above ground for anti-personnel/anti-gun battery effect) rather than deep penetration. * Aircraft: The report again confirms the mix of 11 Mk.4 Baltimores and 1 Mk.3A Baltimore. The Mk.3A was an older Lend-Lease variant (A-30). * Abbreviations: * OPREP: Operational Report. * pp: Pinpoint (coordinates). * A/A: Anti-Aircraft. * a/c: Aircraft. * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer. 37 Verification: Target File Verification: The document is dated 3 March 44 in the "DATE" field. It is a Sortie Report (No. 574) detailing a second mission flown on March 3rd, 1944.