Sortie Report (Form 541)
P O S T A G R A M . # P 56To : H.Q., R.A.F. M.E.From : Senior Intelligence Officer, 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.,Serial No. : 21 Sqdn/99. dated 22 Oct. 42. OPREP No. 99 for period ending 18.00 hrs. on 22 Oct 42.
A. Dispersed aircraft on L.G. 20.
B. 14 Baltimores and 4 Bostons of 12 Squadron.
C. (i) Medium level bombing. (ii) 9,300 ft. (iii) 1033 hrs.
D. (1) 80 x 250lb. G.P. 43 detonator with extension rods. (ii) Nil. (iii) All bombs feel in the target area but owing to bad visibility no results were observed.
E. 9 Aircraft holed.
F. Nil.
G. Nil observed.
H. (1) 0938 hrs. (11) 22 hrs. 38 mins. [Note: clerical error, should be 2 hrs. 38 mins. based on flight times]
J. General weather cloudy, otherwise good.
K. Heavy, accurate but not intense.
COMM. 1 hour 55 mins. (2 aircraft)
T.O.O. 1800 hrs. C. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- H.Q., R.A.F. M.E
- Headquarters, Royal Air Force, Middle East.
- S.A.A.F
- South African Air Force.
- OPREP
- Operational Report. This specific entry is number 99 in the squadron's sequential record.
- L.G. 20
- Landing Ground 20, a forward Axis airfield in the El Daba sector designated as the primary target for this mission.
- 250lb. G.P
- 250-pound General Purpose high-explosive bombs.
- T.O.O
- Time of Origin, recorded here as 1800 hours. Operational Context: OPREP No. 99 details a significant tactical strike on 22 October 1942, the penultimate day before the launch of the Second Battle of El Alamein. Strategically, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were engaged in a maximum-effort "airfield suppression" campaign to ground the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica before the Eighth Army's offensive. The mission profile involved fourteen Martin Baltimores of No. 21 Squadron SAAF operating in conjunction with four Douglas Bostons of No. 12 Squadron SAAF. The objective was to neutralize Axis aircraft dispersed at L.G. 20. The use of eighty 250lb G.P. bombs with extension rods indicates a high-density fragmentation attack intended to shred unarmored airframes. Despite the tactical delivery from 9,300 feet, "bad visibility" due to "cloudy" weather prevented the Senior Intelligence Officer from confirming specific kills on the ground. However, the report of nine aircraft "holed" by "Heavy, accurate" anti-aircraft fire reflects the substantial ground defenses the Desert Air Force (DAF) encountered over the El Daba airfields. This document, archived as Folio 56, provides a primary record of the intensified pressure applied to Axis forward air capabilities in the final twenty-four hours before the definitive breakthrough in North Africa. 73 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 22/10/42.
P O S T A G R A M: A formal military communication method for transmitting non-urgent operational reports via courier or signal service.
43 detonator with extension rods: A No. 43 tail pistol/detonator fitted with "daisy cutter" extension rods on the nose, designed to trigger the bomb above the desert floor to maximize the lateral fragmentation blast against "Dispersed aircraft".