Direct hits were scored on buildings East of

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Date: 20th APRIL 1945

APPENDIX "Z"222FROM : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.TO : W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F.H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS)H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU)REF. : 21S/1011DATE : 20th APRIL 1945OPREP NO. 1011 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HRS ON THE 19th APRIL 1945 REF. MAP ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 76 FERRARAOPERATION NO's 207 - 208/21S/M.A : OPERATION NO. 207:- One Marauder airborne between 1030 - 1216hrsfrom Jesi L/G and flew with three others(24, 30, 12 Squadrons) on a SHORAN Raid led by 24 Squadron toattack a RR Bridge at M. 304778. The Box attacked at 1039 hrson a course of 299° from 12000'. Pattern fell with a slightovershoot, beginning of pattern straddled the bridge. HAA slightfairly accurate, encountered in target area. Weather; targetclear, visibility - hazy.OPERATION 208:- 12 Marauders airborne from Jesi L/G between1615 - 1835 hrs. to attack enemy Stores andEquipment at M.210824 - 214821-213819 - 208821. Formationbombed at 1724 - 1732 hrs. on a course of 350° from 10,000'.The first box after a dummy run had a slight undershoot andleft lateral error - 50% of bombs in target area. D/hits onbuildings.The second box had right lateral error bombs falling in opencountry.The third box overshot with a slight left lateral error - nobombs in target. Direct hits were scored on buildings East ofthe target. Heavy AA, slight inaccurate encountered in targetarea. Weather, target clear - 8/10ths Cirrus at 15000'. Vis.hazy - 10 miles.B : (i) 13 Marauders III (ii) Nil C. (i) and (ii) NilD : (i) 27.45 hrs (ii) Nil E. (i) 44,200 x .50 (ii) & (iii)NilF. : (1) 78 x 500 demo (ii) as in (i) (iii) & (iv) Nil52 x 250 fusedG to V: NilW : (i) 2 Marauders III (ii) NilX : (i) 4.55 hrs. (ii) NilY : 16 x 10 lbs practiceZ : NilS.L. Boshoff [handwritten signature]Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.1543SA21/802 19 APR 45 F14 || HH MZ182 8800 1704 BIAV (184)1431 SA3 Wing 784 19 APR 45 F8 || HH M3078 12000 1039 24R

Transcriber's Notes

S.I.O: Squadron Intelligence Officer (Capt. S.L. Boshoff).
21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. By April 1945, this unit was a veteran medium bomber component of No. 3 Wing SAAF, operating the Martin Marauder III in tactical support of the Eighth Army.
3 WING S.A.A.F: No. 3 (SAAF) Wing, an administrative and operational formation within the Desert Air Force (DAF).
SHORAN: Short Range Navigation. A precision radar beacon bombing system that allowed Allied medium bombers to attack targets through cloud or at night with high accuracy by triangulating signals from ground stations. Operational Context Target File 271-4_58 documents a high state of operational tempo on 19th April 1945, during the final breakthrough phase of the Allied spring offensive (Operation Grapeshot). At this stage, the British Eighth Army was forcing the Argenta Gap and pushing toward Ferrara, necessitating the destruction of German logistical bottlenecks. Operation No. 207 involved a specialized SHORAN mission led by No. 24 Squadron SAAF, with 21 Squadron providing a composite aircraft. The target, a Railroad Bridge at M. 304778, was a critical link for German retreat and supply routes south of the Po River. Despite "fairly accurate" heavy flak, the SHORAN-guided pattern successfully straddled the bridge. Operation No. 208 was a larger, 12-aircraft tactical strike against enemy stores and equipment in the Ferrara sector. The targets (grid references M.210824 - 208821) represented Axis tactical reserves being pulverized to prevent a coherent defense of Ferrara. The mission execution faced difficulties: the first box undershot, the second suffered a lateral error into open country, and the third overshot. However, direct hits were achieved on buildings within and east of the target area, contributing to the terminal attrition of German Heeresgruppe C supplies during the collapse of the Santerno and Reno river lines. 59
SHORAN: Short Range Navigation. A precision radar-beacon bombing system utilized in Operation 207 to strike a railroad bridge through hazy conditions.
HAA: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire (Flak).

BIAV (184): Box I Alpha, Vertical. Technical suffix identifying the photographic record from the lead aircraft of the first formation (Box I) and indicating this is the 184th frame in the strike film sequence.

MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied high-explosive ordnance classifications. For these missions, the unit utilized 500 lb and 250 lb General Purpose (GP) demolition bombs (Demo) to destroy structural targets and equipment.