| TORTORELLA |

N 32 R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT (Part A) | [Header Columns] | [Content] | |---|---| | No. | 1 | | Oprep. Ref. No. | 521 | | Date | 19 Jan 44 | | Squadron | 21 SAAF | | Type of Aircraft | 12 Baltimores | | Aircraft No. | See over | | Aircraft Letter | See over | | Captain | LT/COL KOTZE | | Crew | CAPT CARTER | | | Formation Leader | | Time Up | 1309 A Hrs 1st a/c | | Time Down | 1456 A Hrs last a/c | | Total Time | 20.00 Hours | | Aerodrome or L.G. | TORTORELLA | | Type of Cloud | St.Cu | |---|---| | Amount of Cloud | 10/10 at sea | | Base of Cloud | 4500' | | Visibility | 15/20 miles | | General Weather | Good | | Map or Chart Reference | ITALY 1:100,000 Sheet 146 SULMONA | |---|---| | Task or Duty | SULMONA RR. STN. - C914843 | |---|---| | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 1309 | | BASE | A/B | | 1327 | 1500 | BASE | S/c TERMOLI | | 1351 | 8000 | TERMOLI | S/c PENNA PT. | | 1356 | 10000 | PENNA PT. | S/c CASOLI | | 1402 | 12000 | CASOLI | S/c SULMONA | | 1408 | 13500 | TARGET | On bombing run - Co. 190°M. | | 1408 | 13200 | TARGET | S/c BASE | | 1432 | 2000 | BASE | Over Base | | 1435 | | BASE | Landed | | | | | Last a/c landed | [Signature Block] (Signed) [Signature unreadable - similar to "Lt Thompson"?] Lt for Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34. HQP/1,500,000/4-42 P.T.O.

1944-01-19 | TORTORELLA |

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes: * Sortie Report 521 (Sulmona - Second Raid): This report covers the second raid on Sulmona Railway Station on January 19th, 1944. The War Diary (file 269-1__9.jpg) notes that "In the second raid the Baltimores took off in the early afternoon... the pattern started just North of the Railway, with one or two deliberate undershoots." The "Time Up" of 13:09 confirms this as the afternoon operation. * Tactical Change (Axis of Attack): The most significant detail in this flight log is the approach heading. The morning raid (Sortie 520) approached on a heading of 070° (East-North-East). This afternoon raid approached on "Co. 190°M" (almost due South). This 120-degree shift in attack axis was likely a deliberate tactic to confuse German flak gunners or to avoid flying through the smoke and dust lingering from the earlier bombardment and the P-40 strikes. * Command: While Major Ord led the morning raid, the Officer Commanding, Lt. Col. Kotzé, took personal command of this second strike, again flying with Capt. Carter. This highlights the leadership's commitment to destroying this specific target, likely due to the high volume of rolling stock identified earlier in the day. * Target Conditions: The cloud cover had increased slightly since the morning ("6/10-8/10 over target" vs "8/10" earlier, though base height varied), but visibility remained excellent at 15/20 miles, allowing for the visual precision required for the "deliberate undershoots" mentioned in the diary. 44 Verification: Target File Verification: This document is the reverse side (Part B) of the Sortie Report for January 19th, 1944 (Sortie No. 521). Although there is no specific "Date" column on this side, the target "SULMONA RR STN" and the "Time over Target" of 1408 A Hrs match the Part A document from the previous image (269-1__43.jpg) dated Jan 19, 1944.