Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- MT and dug-in positions at X 3695 and X 4096. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 26 (Part A.)
No. One Oprep. Ref. No. 165 Date. 14 JAN 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 9 Baltimores Mk. 3. Captain Capt. CormackAircraft No. See attached list. Crew. Lt. MooreAircraft Letter. " " " F/Sgt. FinbergF/Sgt. McGee.(with 9 B25’s from 12th.Bomb. Group) (Leader of formation: )Up. 1005 hrs. (Capt. Whiting. U.S.A.A.F.)Down. 1220 hrs. Aerodrome or L.G. GZINA.Time. 20 hrs. 15 mins.Type of Cloud. Nil. Map or ChartAmount of Cloud. Nil. Reference.Base of Cloud. - LIBYA 1 : 500,000Visibility. Good Sheets 3/9. MISURATA.General Weather. Good.Task or Duty. MT and dug-in positions at X 3695 and X 4096.Height. Place. Narrative. GZINA Formation airborne. Followed formation of 9 B25’s.
2000 " S/C 280 deg. M for HAMRAT NORTH.2000 HAMRAT Rendezvous with fighters of 57th. Pursuit Group USAAF.4000 " S/C for target 310 deg. until in sight of road betweencoast and GHEDDAHIA.8000 A/C 270 deg. M.10000 Target Turned right onto target.Area.10000 " Bombed and turned right on to course of 060 deg. outto sea. Turned right and followed coast, crossingcoast at TAMET and then A/C to 120 deg. for GZINA.GZINA Landed.PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34.PMEJ - 200.000 - 3/42 P.T.O. PART 'B'
BA MT and strong points at X 3695 and X 4096.BB 1135 hrs.BC Medium level bombing attack from 10,000 ft.52 x 250 lb. G.P. 43 Det. (Rods)2 x 250 lb. G.P. 43 Det. (Rods) jettisoned over sea.BD Formation dropped well placed sticks which started one fire. Fourexplosions were seen as formation left target.BE Intense, heavy and fairly accurate Ack/Ack from GHEDDAHIA village.BF A/C 879 K was attacked by an ME 109 F and hit in the starboardengine. F/Sgt. Gibbons J.R. (Handwritten: BOTTOM) gunner, was killed and Lt. J.Sadler (Observer) wounded. Pilot reached own lines and crash-landednear BUERAT. The A/C burned out.A/C 885 damaged by Ack/Ack fire. Cat 1.BG Vertical photographs were taken of the bombing run from 10,000 ft.(Course 360 deg. I.A.S. 210 m.p.h.)BH The formation was attacked by fighters after bombing and whenstraggled. The speed of the B25's off the target was too high forthe Baltimores, and one Baltimore (No. 957) caught alight in oneengine.30 MT at X5203 well dispersed.At X8278 enemy fighter crashed in flames. ) Both after engagementAt RS 4000 enemy fighter was seen to crash. ) with escort.BJ ---------------------------------- * BOMBER COMBAT. BH 9 B25's, 9 Baltimores, in three boxes of six in Vic. BJ 57 Pursuit Group U.S.A.A.F.BK Not observed.BL & BM Four ME 109 F's attacked from below and behind. (Effective)Thereafter three ME's attacked from the front and above in lineastern. Not effective. Formation was attacked before and afterbombing.BN A/C 879 Cat. 3. F/Sgt. Gibbons killed.A/C 885 Cat. 1. Damaged by Ack/Ack.One enemy fighter damaged by top gunner and later shot down byescort. Escort followed 879 to own lines. Gunner saw four enemyfighters destroyed and one of own.BO 500 rounds of .303 and .300 ammunition. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) SIO Capt
Transcriber's Notes
- 21 SAAF
- No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
- Baltimores Mk. 3
- The Martin Baltimore Mark III, a twin-engine light bomber provided via Lend-Lease, utilized for tactical interdiction.
- Baltimores
- Martin Baltimore twin-engine light bombers.
- MT
- Mechanical Transport. Refers to German and Italian ground vehicles within the designated map coordinates.
- MT
- Mechanical Transport. Refers to German and Italian ground vehicles targeted during the raid.
- A/C
- Altered Course (in the narrative context of navigation). Operational Context: This Sortie Report documents a combined Allied strike on 14 January 1943, targeting Axis Mechanical Transport (MT) and "dug-in positions" near Gheddahia. Strategically, the Desert Air Force (DAF) was conducting a maximum-effort campaign to shatter Axis logistics and defensive lines as the Eighth Army pushed westward to capture Tripoli. The tactical landscape was defined by wadis and villages like Gheddahia, where German-Italian forces attempted to anchor their retreat. The mission profile illustrates the high degree of inter-service coordination within the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF). A composite formation of nine SAAF Martin Baltimores and nine USAAF B-25 Mitchells, led by Captain Whiting of the USAAF, executed the raid from 10,000 feet. Escort was provided by the USAAF 57th Pursuit Group, rendezvousing at Hamrat North. While the weather and visibility were "Good," the formation encountered intense and fairly accurate Heavy Anti-Aircraft (H.A.A.) fire from Gheddahia village. Although this report (Part A) describes a successful egress following the bombing run, the associated Intelligence Postagram (OPREP 165) records that the engagement resulted in one SAAF aircraft (A/C 879) burnt and another (A/C 885) damaged, with one fatality suffered by No. 21 Squadron. This document, archived as Folio 26 of the AIR 27/274 series, provides a primary record of the joint-force tactical interdiction required to sustain pressure during the definitive Axis collapse in Libya. 28
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- Ack/Ack
- Anti-Aircraft artillery fire.
- BUERAT
- Buerat el Hsun, a coastal town and former Axis supply port in Tripolitania.
- I.A.S
- Indicated Air Speed.
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Form 441 A, the standardized document utilized for recording narrative and technical data for individual aircraft sorties.
Oprep. Ref. No. 165: Operational Report Reference Number 165, which corresponds to the squadron's comprehensive mission results for 14 January 1943.
57th. Pursuit Group USAAF: The 57th Fighter Group of the USAAF, providing P-40 Kittyhawk/Warhawk escort.
G.P. 43 Det. (Rods): 250lb General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 tail pistols and nose extension rods (known as "daisy cutters") designed to trigger detonation above ground level to maximize lateral fragmentation.
57 Pursuit Group U.S.A.A.F.: The 57th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces, providing P-40 Kittyhawk/Warhawk escort.