Sortie Report (Form 541)
BA: RR M/Y COLLEFERRO 9170490BB: 1126 A HrsBC: Medium level bombing 325º/13000'24 x 500 M.C. 47 Dets 28 Pistols36 x 250 G.P. " " "BD: Target well identified - M/Y straddled. Few bombs seen to explodethose seen hit M/Y and among buildings S.W. of M/Y (Refiningplants) Small explosion seen among buildings with black smoke.Some bombs NOT own among employees houses.BE: NILBF: NILBG: Verticals of bomb burstsBH: Train moving NORTH 3 miles N.W. of target25 RR trucks stationery SEZZE JUNCTION12 MET moving NORTH TERRACINA - CISTERNAApproximately 20 MET moving SOUTH FROM COLLEFERROLarge amount of dust from S. FELICE12 a/c moved across track of own formation SOUTH of GAETAapproximately 1115 A Hrs.CISTERNA LITTORIA aerodrome has runway EAST to WEST, turningbasins each end, buildings in N.W. corner, dispersal areas withblast shelters SOUTH of runway. A/C seen NOT counted.3 black specks thought NOT to be rocks between PONZA andZANNONE.Freighter standing off ANZIO PT.AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST.356Z MAJ. STUART LT PAWSON SGT FREESTONE LT HALL445U LT HARGRAVE LT REES F/SGT JENSEN F/SGT VALENTINE240O CAPT DUGMORE LT MASTERS F/SGT MAASDORP F/SGT ROGERS167P CAPT SMIT LT KAY 2/LT PURDON A/SGT SCHOOMBIE383W LT ROBERTSON LT HANNING F/SGT DU PLESSIS F/SGT LEISCHING181T LT BENNETT LT HARLE F/SGT STRYDOM SGT JENKINSON437H MAJ ORD LT HODGES F/SGT WALKER F/SGT DEVENISH467D LT LONGMORE LT KENDALL F/SGT THEUNISSEN SGT MACKAY426J LT FROST LT NEL F/SGT CARTER SGT ALLEN341L LT WILLMOTT LT BORCHERDS F/SGT LOOTS S/SGT WALBRIDGE545A LT MURMAN LT WALTERS F/SGT KIDNEY SGT AIREY586B LT WYPER 2/LT RUSHFORTH F/SGT EATON SGT MARAIS
Transcriber's Notes
- RR M/Y
- Railroad Marshalling Yard.
- MET
- Motor Enemy Transport.
Expanded Abbreviations
Tactical Interdiction (The Drive on Rome): On November 2, 1943, Allied forces were engaged in breaking the Bernhardt Line. No. 21 Squadron's Martin Baltimore bombers were tasked with severing the rail links (marshalling yards) that allowed the German 10th Army to reinforce their mountain defenses with supplies from the Rome area.