Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on 15th Panzer at 860295. Time. Height. Place
SORTIE REPORT R A.F. Form 441 A.(Part A.) 66 [Handwritten]No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 103 Date. 24/10/42 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 12 Baltimores of 21 Captain Baltimore Leader:Aircraft No. Sqdn. and 6 Bostons of Crew. Maj. Coppen.Aircraft Letter. 12 Squadron.(( S ee attached list.Up. 1050Down. 1217 Aerodrome or L.G. LG. 98Time. 1 hr. 27 mins.Type of Cloud. ----- Map or ChartAmount of Cloud. ----- Reference.Base of Cloud. ----- 1:250000Visibility. Good- hazy on coast. Egypt and CyrenaicaGeneral Weather. Good. Sheet 14. El Daba.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on 15th Panzer at 860295.Time. Height. Place. Narrative.LG. 98 Baltimores airborne.LG. 98 Set course, with fighter escort.9300 Target Formation bombed on course of 270 deg.LG. 98 Baltimores landed.(Handwritten Signature: [Illegible])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.BA 15 th Panzer Div. at pp. 860295.BB 1142 hrs.BC Medium level bombing attack.66 x 250 G.P. 43 Det. with rods. (Baltimores) OneBaltimore had 6 x 250 hang-ups— electrical failure.BD One fire seen in target area when bombers left. Onenear miss. Target very well dispersed.BE Only slight L.A.A. over target area. No E/A encounterBF A/C 870 F (Pilot: Lt. Cumming) damaged in engine andlanded at L.G. 172. Observer (Lt. Johnson) wounded.BG Vertical and Oblique.BH 500 + MT well dispersed in El Taqa area, on plateaupp. 862253.Slight movement SW of pp 875282.2 Fires at pp 870278Only scattered MT in area 855300, 863300, 863280, 8552875285 500+ MT stationary. Not well dispersed. No A/70 MT centre 870295 — many burnt out.Shelling 870298.842283 20 tanks not well dispersed.On ridge along 283 grid, between 840 and 850 dug-inpositions, tents and MT very scattered. Some movementSE on road from this ridge.One Boston left formation escorted by fighter. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible])Third Show 67 915 S 141 M 877 J
Lt. Chiddy Capt. Rhodes Lt. GardinerLt. Simler Lt. Hudson Lt. KerrA/Sgt. Stevens A/Sgt. Stringer A/Sgt. LaneA/Sgt. Forrest A/Sgt. H.-Barber A/Sgt. Brown 955 A 870 F 949 AA
Lt. Martin A. R. Lt. Cumming Lt. HamiltonLt. Sadler Lt. Johnson Lt. WhittleA/Sgt. Lotter A/Sgt. Heyman A/Sgt. RogersF/Sgt. Palmer A/Sgt. Lyne A/Sgt. Phelan 958 W 940 V 938 U
Lt. Smith Maj. Coppen Lt. Martin CLt. Christie Lt. Farrant Lt. GibsonA/Sgt. Moore Lt. Noakes F/Sgt. BALFOUR A/Sgt. OliffA/Sgt. Viljoen A/Sgt. Bradfield A/Sgt. Abraham 909 X 920 Q 873 N
Lt. Heslop Maj. Jendrell Lt. PocockLt. Arnold Lt. Wheeler Lt. CliffA/Sgt. Bernitz A/Sgt. Felton A/Sgt. B. ThomasA/Sgt. Clack A/Sgt. Morley A/Sgt. Clark
Transcriber's Notes
- Baltimores
- The Martin Baltimore light bomber, the primary airframe for No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F..
- Maj. Coppen
- Major Coppen, the designated formation leader for the Baltimore element of the strike.
- LG. 98
- Landing Ground 98, the operational base for the squadron during the El Alamein offensive.
- 15th Panzer
- The 15. Panzer-Division, a major German armored formation of the Afrika Korps.
- H.Q. R.A.F. M.E
- Headquarters, Royal Air Force, Middle East. Operational Context: This Sortie Report (Part A) documents the "Third Show" of 24 October 1942, executed during the first full day of daylight operations in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Following the initial night barrage of 23 October, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) shifted from airfield suppression to direct interdiction of Axis mobile reserves to facilitate the Eighth Army's ground breakthrough. The mission, led by Major Coppen, targeted a concentration of the 15th Panzer Division at grid coordinates 860295 in the El Daba sector. The tactical formation consisted of twelve Martin Baltimores (No. 21 Squadron) following six Douglas Bostons (No. 12 Squadron), a combined force protected by a fighter escort. Operating from 9,300 feet on a course of 270 degrees, the formation delivered its payload into the target area despite "hazy" conditions along the coast. Intelligence reports from the same mission (OPREP 103) indicate that the strike resulted in at least one fire and a "near miss" on German armored assets. However, the raid was not without cost; one Baltimore (870 F) sustained engine damage from ground fire and was forced into an emergency landing at L.G. 172, with the observer, Lieutenant J. Johnson, reported as wounded. This document, archived as Folio 66, stands as a primary record of the Desert Air Force's (DAF) aggressive efforts to neutralize German armor during the definitive phase of the North African campaign. 86
- L.A.A
- Light Anti-Aircraft fire.
- E/A
- Enemy Aircraft.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- L.G. 172
- Landing Ground 172, an Allied forward airstrip used for refit or emergency recovery.
- MT
- Mechanical Transport, including Axis trucks, troop carriers, and unarmored support vehicles.
R A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Sortie Report form, the primary operational record for documenting individual combat flights.
Oprep. Ref. No. 103: Operational Report reference number 103.
15 th Panzer Div.: The 15. Panzer-Division, a premier German armored unit within the Deutsches Afrikakorps.
pp.: Point position, referencing specific map grid coordinates used for target identification.
G.P. 43 Det. with rods: General Purpose high-explosive bombs fitted with No. 43 tail pistols and "daisy cutter" extension rods on the nose, designed to trigger the blast above the ground for maximum lateral fragmentation.
hang-ups: Ordnance that failed to release mechanically or electrically during the bombing run.
915 S / 141 M / 877 J / 955 A / 870 F / 949 AA / 958 W / 940 V / 938 U / 909 X / 920 Q / 873 N: Individual aircraft serial numbers and their corresponding identification letters (S, M, J, A, F, AA, W, V, U, X, Q, N) assigned to the Martin Baltimore light bombers.
Crew
Pilot Lt. Cumming