EL DJEM MAIN.

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 88 'F' (Part A.) Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 287 Date. 6 MAY 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF. Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores., Aircraft No. See reverse. Aircraft Letter. " Leader of Formation: Captain Lt.Col.Coppen D.F.C. Crew. Capt. Farrant (Observer) See reverse. Time Up. 1354 hrs. L.T. 1st. A/C Time Down. 1622 hrs. L.T. Last A/C Total Time. 39 hrs. 00 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM MAIN. Type of Cloud. St.Cu. Amount of Cloud. 9/10 - 10/10 SE of TUNIS Base of Cloud. --- Visibility. Fair. Haze over battle area. General Weather. Good. Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet NJ.32.SE. TUNIS. Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on enemy positions in area St. CYPRIEN. Time. Height. Place. Narrative. 1354 EL DJEM Airborne. 1410 500 " S/C KAIROUAN 305 M. 1434 500 KAIROUAN Picked up fighter escort (79th. P. Group USAAF.) A/C 337 M for MEDJEZ EL BAB. 1502 10000 M.EL.BAB A/C 052 M. Over bomb line & turned right, then left and finally right on to target. 1511 9000 TARGET Bombed on course of 150 M. pp. TJ 9153. Right hand turn off target. A/C 265 M. 1518 7000 GOUBELLAT. A/C for KAIROUAN. 1547 500 KAIROUAN Dropped fighter escort. A/C 130 M for EL DJEM. 1622 EL DJEM Last A/C 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 Gun positions in St. CYPRIEN area. BB 1510 hrs. - 1511 hrs. L.T. BC Medium level bombing from 8/9000 ft. 102 x 250 lb. Gp 43 Det. (Rods) BD The formation bombed in three boxes of six, and bombs fell in area bounded by pp. (approx) J 900500, 934495, 930505 & 915513. Direct hits scored on main roads and buildings. Bursts observed near Ack/Ack guns firing from P 9252. No other results observed. BE Intense and accurate A/A for No. 3 Box only, from TEBOURBA area. 3 HAA guns at J 8545. 4 " " " J 8317. 3 " " " J 8657. 2 " " " J 9252. Some flashes from J 9020. BF A/C FA 115 Missing. Hit by A/A and seen to go down in steep dive with port engine in flames, over J 8650 at 1509½ hrs. Shell burst between engine and main plane. Crew missing. Crew: Capt. A.G.M. Budd (Pilot) Lt. J. Sadler (Observer) F/O W.W.H. Cornelius (RCAF) Wireless Operator. F/Sgt. C.R. Woods (Air Gunner) Major A.T.A. Wallace (Bedfordshire - Hertfordshire Regt.) (Special army observer) BG Obliques and Verticals of bomb-bursts. BH Fires burning at J 8645 & J 8254. List of A/C and Crews: F/L 951 V Lt.Col.Coppen, Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Lyne. 226 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgt. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish. 877 J Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L. V/L 126 U Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White. 176 YY Maj. Schravesande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stopforth. 181 T Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, Sgt. McQueen (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Bedford. B/L 903 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Mulholland, F/Sgts. Finberg & McGee. 221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmeades (RAF), F/Sgts. B.-Thomas & Clark. 982 N Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. V.d. Meulen, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser. V/L 183 S Capt. Smit, Lt. Kay, F/Sgts. Perkins & van Rooyen. 142 P Lt. Demmer, Lt. Manning, F/Sgts. van Coller & Koff. 916 SS Lt. Simpson, Lt. Hocknell, F/Sgts. Roberts V.P & Shepperson. B/L 115 M Capt. Budd, Lt. Sadler, F/O Cornelius (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Woods. 290 C Lt. Elieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn. 352 D Lt. Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison & Cleland (RCAF). V/L 179 A Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup. 271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forseman, F/Sgt. Steven & F/Sgt. Prout (RAF). 930 K Lt. Willmot, Lt. Borcherds, F/Sgt. Loots & F/Sgt. Walbridge. F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader. [Handwritten Signature] ........................Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

1943-05-06 EL DJEM MAIN.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * Baltimores: Martin Baltimore light bombers, utilized by 21 Squadron for medium-level tactical bombardment. * D.F.C.: Distinguished Flying Cross. * L.T.: Local Time. * A/C: Aircraft (or "Altered Course" depending on narrative context; in the narrative section, it denotes "Altered Course"). * L.G.: Landing Ground. * St.Cu.: Stratocumulus (cloud type). * SE: South East. * S/C: Set Course. * 79th P. Group USAAF: 79th Fighter Group, United States Army Air Forces. * M.EL.BAB: Medjez el Bab, a strategic gateway town in northern Tunisia. * M.: Magnetic (referring to compass headings, e.g., 305 M). * pp. TJ 9153: Pinpoint TJ 9153, a specific map coordinate. * H.Q. R.A.F. M.E.: Headquarters, Royal Air Force, Middle East. Operational Context The sortie conducted on 6 May 1943 represents a major tactical strike during the final 24 hours of the Tunisian Campaign. 21 Squadron SAAF, led by Lt. Col. Coppen, D.F.C., dispatched 18 Martin Baltimore aircraft from El Djem Main to attack enemy positions at St. Cyprien. Strategically, St. Cyprien was of critical importance as it sat directly in the path of the British IX Corps' armored thrust during Operation Vulcan, the final Allied drive to capture Tunis. The formation utilized a complex flight profile to ensure survival and mission success. The 18 Baltimores maintained a low altitude of 500 feet during the transit to Kairouan to rendezvous with a fighter escort provided by the 79th Fighter Group USAAF. The subsequent battle climb reached 10,000 feet over Medjez el Bab before the final bombing run at 9,000 feet. Despite heavy stratocumulus cloud cover (9/10 to 10/10) southeast of the capital and significant haze over the battle area, the formation successfully released ordnance on pinpoint TJ 9153 at 1511 hours. This mission was part of the final systematic destruction of Axis resources that forced the total collapse of Heeresgruppe Afrika. The involvement of the USAAF 79th Fighter Group alongside SAAF light bombers illustrates the high degree of inter-Allied coordination within the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) at the campaign's peak. Although this specific report summarizes a successful return to base, contemporary records confirm the squadron sustained the loss of Baltimore FA 115 'M' to intense anti-aircraft fire during this same Oprep cycle, highlighting the "stern" nature of Axis resistance even as the perimeter around Tunis dissolved. 117 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 1510 hrs. - 1511 hrs. L.T. 6 MAY 43 Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * L.T.: Local Time. * Gp 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose 250 lb bombs utilizing the 1943 Detonator (Rods) configuration. These fuzes extended from the nose of the bomb to ensure an instantaneous burst upon ground contact, maximizing fragmentation effect against surface targets. * pp. (approx): Pinpoints (approximate), referring to map coordinates. * Ack/Ack / A/A / HAA: Anti-Aircraft fire / Heavy Anti-Aircraft guns. * A/C: Aircraft. * RCAF / RAF: Royal Canadian Air Force / Royal Air Force. * F/L / B/L / V/L: Formation Leader / Box Leader / Vic Leader, indicating the tactical position of the aircraft and its crew within the 18-ship formation. * S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.: Squadron Intelligence Officer, 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. Operational Context The mission conducted on 6 May 1943 represents a major tactical strike during the final 24 hours of the Tunisian Campaign. 21 Squadron SAAF, operating 18 Martin Baltimore aircraft from El Djem Main, was tasked with suppressing Axis gun positions in the St. Cyprien area. Strategically, St. Cyprien was of critical importance as it served as a primary defensive anchor protecting the western approaches to Tunis; its neutralization was a prerequisite for the British IX Corps' final armored thrust during Operation Strike. Tactically, the formation achieved direct hits on road infrastructure and buildings within the target area. However, the formation encountered "intense and accurate" Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) fire from the Tebourba area, which specifically decimated the No. 3 Box. The intelligence report provides high-fidelity coordinates for twelve HAA guns across four distinct batteries that engaged the squadron. The most severe consequence of this engagement was the loss of Baltimore FA 115 'M', which sustained a direct hit between the port engine and main plane. The aircraft was observed exploding on the ground near pinpoint J 8650. The casualty list reflects the integrated nature of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF), including South African airmen, a Canadian wireless operator, and a British Army observer from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. This engagement underscores the sustained lethality of Axis air defenses even as the German 90th Light Division and Italian First Army were being systematically compressed into the Cap Bon peninsula prior to their total surrender. 118 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 7 MAY 43